Alvinne Podge Belgian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Picobrouwerij Alvinne
Style: Imperial Stout
Heule, Belgium

A bit scared to try this one. Haven’t had much luck with Belgian stouts. Once the bottle stopped foaming, poured a medium brown with no head. Not liking the color, now I’m really scared. Aroma isn’t bad. Very barleywine-ish with some chocolate snuck in. Flavor is sweet up front with some creamy caramel influence. Finishes sour, but not overly sour. Not an outstanding beer, but much better than expected.

Pours dark brown, mahogany at the edges, thin tan head. Fruity imperial stout, not a ton of roastiness to it. Hints of chocolate and prune, medium spiced finish. More of an earthy finish to the flavor, hints of wood and dark cherry.

Bonus by cloudskipper: I have had this chilling in the back of my fridge for a while now. The label just didn’t really look that appealing or something, so it kept getting passed over. Well, I finally cracked it open last night. It foamed up immediately and did not stop. I was all about to confirm my suspicions about this beer and then I caught a whiff of it. Didn’t seem so bad. Then I tried it. It wasn’t bad at all! The bad: It’s labeled an imperial stout yet it pours a watered-down muddy brownish color that isn’t really that appealing. Also, is a bit sour, which is really not expected for an imperial stout either. The good: This is a really complex beer. It’s like flavor potpourri. There are spices, dark fruits, chocolate, and citrus. In no way does the alcohol come through on this the way it should. I think the sourness has a lot to do with that. The flavor mask here is really impressive. Almost a vinous quality to it. Impressive and unique.

On tap at Trappeze. Pours dark brown with a beige head. Aroma of tart & dark fruit, chocolate, whisky. Taste isn’t really imperial stout (at least not American imperial stout). There’s plenty of fruit, spice, malt, some sour notes, and mild chocolate. Not really what I was expecting, but nothing to complain about either. Finish is sweet, with some alcohol burn. Mouth is relatively light and lively for this style.

I liked this one way more than I expected to. Nice aroma right off the bat - sort of a chocolate covered apple thing going on, with hints of coffee, pear, cherry and port. Fruity flavors play off the coffee and chocolate notes. As it warms, it gains a significant red wine flavor. Really enjoyable.

This dark brown ale poured with some brown bubbles on top and a strong complex aroma dominated by caramel malt. There is a sweet and delicious malt flavor with lots of fruit and a slightly sour finish followed by alcohol fumes. Yes, this is an imperial stout, but far more complex than any other I have tasted.

Deep super dark brown coloured body with tints of black and tan at the same time, all with a huge and perfectly lacing, structured and even luminescent (when the light hits the head right, it makes crystalline effects - very neat). Probably the best looking imperial stout i’ve seen, and this one even comes from Belgium. Aroma of great roasted malt, raisins, pit fruits, cherries, whiskey, scotch, vanilla and oak - very nice indeed! Medium to Full-bodied; Super effervescent taste up front with a lot of alcohol, a lot of pit fruits and a tonne of sweet caramel following behind. Aftertaste shows plentiful sweetness and a nice twang of scotch, vanilla and the nuances of oak. Overall, this is probably one of the best imperial stouts i’ve had. Without a doubt, blindfolded - you’d know this is a ’foreign’ imperial stout. It’s got signature qualities of a foreign, but the characteristics make it one of the best that I’ve had! I’d definitely recommend this to everyone, since you can find it here in the states! I sampled this 33 cL bottle purchased from West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, Illinois, sampled on 02-October-2008.

Black plum. Soapy, big-bubbled voluminous grayish head. Very sweet aromas of molasses, blackcurrants, and brown sugar. Hints of rum-steeped prunes, graham cracker, and candy sugar. Off notes of pen ink and plastic. Loose carbonation deposits a foamy residue on the tongue. Sharp alcoholic zing collides with clingy molasses-soaked bread. Rather dull and one-dimensional from the outset. Sugary to the point of becoming gritty, and certainly overtiring as there is no bright fruit character or cleansing dryness to help restore balance. Timid black malt bite lends a dab of crunchiness before giving way to the pervasive sugar-derived sweetness and limp body. Muted yeast character comes across as somewhat moldy, but fails to lend any supportive or defining character to the beer. Simplistic finish is heavily worty and perpetually sweet with molasses and cane sugar. Seems unfinished to me, and very, very simple to boot. No bright esters or clean depth of malt, among other things. There’s nothing stoutlike about this.