Alvinne Podge Belgian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Picobrouwerij Alvinne
Style: Imperial Stout
Heule, Belgium

lots of head on this beer. very thick head that lasts for quite a while. scent is of a spice that I can’t quite pinpoint. taste is strong with a taste of alcohol. finish is smooth and has some coffee as well.

Bottle. Pours hazy brown with a tall, thick tan head comprised of very tiny bubbles. Roasted malt, sour yeast, caramel, fig, and earth in the aroma. Coffee and caramel in the taste, lots of choclate malt, all blended with the Belgian sweet-and-sour yeast. Starts sweet and ends tangy.

2 bouteilles de 330 ml partagée lors d’une dégustation Ratebeer Montréal chez Rastacouere. Arôme: Odeur de petits fruits foncés et de céréales grillées avec une pointe de chocolat. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque. Présence d’un moyen col beige mousseux et d’une large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goûts de petits fruits foncés et de céréales grillées avec une pointe de chocolat. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement minérale. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût légèrement chocolaté. (Rating #1883)

Pours a dark brown with small tan head made up of tiny tight bubbles. The aroma is of dark fruit and very roasty/toasty. The taste is sweet and roasty, you can tell it was crafted in Belgium. A bit too sweet for the style, taste more like a brown belgian ale. Kind of thin for the style too. Soft carbonation. In short, this is not to me a true imperial stout, it’s more of a brune. Within it’s style C-, overall a b+

My Bottom Line:
Prunes and raisins surf the roastiness before alcohol and hop bitterness seal this well-brewed and svelte Dark Belgian Strong Ale.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A slice of foam tops the blackened burgundy.
-Roastiness accompanies the hops in the bitter finale.
-Carbonation is soft and effervescent.
-Some minty spiciness seems to seep from the yeast as well.
-With a style name like that, I would have expected a richer mouthfeel. This was very slender and bubbly.

Bottle.

2003 bottle from Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville. Dark, muddy brown pour with very bubbly off-white head and huge white chunks of yeast settling to the bottom; a gusher out of the bottle. I really loved the aroma. Malt, chocolate, cinnamon, Belgian sugar as well as hints of plum, fig, and raisin... smelled like a lovely chocolate cake with port reduction. Flavor hit a bit strong, sour, and almost tannin-y. Never enjoyed a beer’s taste so little against such a wonderful aroma. Interesting.

Black pour with huge, somewhat out of control beige head. Aroma is dark raisin with caramel, brown sugar, and fig. Roasted malt content not as strong as expected. Flavor is smooth and sweet. Residual sugars- plum raisin, fig quite strong. Licorice and roasted malt take a back seat to the sweetness. Palate is quite smooth and full- viscous but not as much as the style demands.

330 ml. bottle from Monument in Concord, CA. Poured a bit of a gusher. Near opaque dark brown with a decent beige/tan head. Lots of yeast in the aroma, along with coffee and burnt malt. Not too firm in body with fizzy creamy carbonation. Light, frothy, slightly sweet and very refreshing. No heat. Finish is like light stone fruit with raisin and burnt malt. Perhaps a hint of funk. Finish is neither sweet nor dry. Very tasty, but doesn’t seem to fit the style much. Still great though.