Alvinne Podge Belgian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Picobrouwerij Alvinne
Style: Imperial Stout
Heule, Belgium

11.2 oz Bottle. 2003 Vintage. Looks watery in the pour for an Imperial Stout. A couple yeast particles float in the glass. Color is deep brown, but not quite black. Nose is complex with strong chocolate and hints of belgian yeast and an ashy roasted character. Flavor shows a bit of bitterness and heavily roasted malt. Can taste some chocolate initially which fades quickly into a fruity, yeasty flavor. Palate is a little on the thin side, which is characteristic of Belgian stouts. Finish is biting and extremely dry. Unique and a very different take on the Imperial Stout style.

Gusher. Medium brown color with a frothy tan head. Nice sweet chocolate malt aroma. Light to medium body. Flavor is sour oatmeal with an earthy cocoa and black licorice sweetness to balance.

330ml stubby, 2003 vintage? Hazy dark brown with a thick beige head. Nose is chocolaty and mildly fruity, some sweet caramel, a bit roasty. Sweet, roasty malt up front followed by an ashen dryness. Bittersweet chocolate and a light fruity note. Lingering bitter chocolate finish. This is a very nice brew! Mild licorice and a light pepper note as it warms. Good stuff.

On tap at Mugs B2B. Deep dark black in color with a little off white head. Licorice, dark cherry, malty chocolatety aroma. Caramel and dark fruity sour notes. Chocolate roasty and yeasty flavor. Fig, raisins and plum notes. Dry malty finish. Medium bodied. Very drinkable. Very interesting.

Pours a near opaque black with really no head to speak of and zero lacing. Nose is probably its best character, with a nice burnt toast quality with ample chocolate and coffee notes and a nice musty hop undertone. Earthy, rooty hops jump out on the palate before the extremely dry yeasty quality of the beer desiccates the palate towards the roasted malt finish. Somewhat thin mouthfeel, mild warmth from the strength. Maybe it’s just an off bottle.

Bottle from the brewer. I wasn’t really sure what to think of a Belgian Imperial Stout but..... Poured a dark brown almost black, good 2cm of head that stuck around for the tasting. Smells like deep dark chocolates, Belgian yeast, figs, general roastiness. Tastes chocolate, some roasted coffee, caramel, dark fruits, belgian yeast. Overall very smooth, thick, chewy. On a side note, I had this several months ago in Iowa and had a bottle that was very "off" tasting, this was what it SHOULD have tasted like. Very good!

My example of this beer was fit to keep until april 2013. So my estimate for this 5 years guaranteed beer is that I drank it when it was 7 months old. It pours a thick dark brown beer with a fine head with a perfect bite and it was steady for as long as I enjoyed this beer. One hour of pure heaven. Tones of coffee, honey and spices, together with very nice tasty bitters make this a beer to drink many more times. Development over time could be very interesting. A highly recommended beer, although more a quadruple than a stout.

From a bottle shop in Palm Beach somewhere. Dark, dark brown pour with a beige head. Aroma is very nice...sweet, syrup, some light chocolate notes and a bit of funky aromas can be found. Flavor has some funky flavors, dark fruit and some molasses as well. Very interesting and worth seeking out.