De Molen 1914 Triple Stout SSS

Brewed by Brouwerij de Molen
Style: Imperial Stout
Bodegraven, Netherlands

courtesy of Laurent Mousson and Ron Pattinson - very dark brown almost black with a little beige foam; toasted aroma of chocolate and pralines; slightly oily, full-bodied and very bitter before a long chocolatey finish - deeply tasty, bitter and with a fantastic character, very complex yet very drinkable; marvellous!

Bottled at Monk’s Café Wallingatan, Stockholm. Cloudy near black, rich creamy head. Rich and lovely aroma of strawberries, licorice and tobacco. Soft and gentle, perfumy with grainy dough. Incredibly edgeless for a 10% beer with warming alcohol slowly oncreeping. Minty finish with licorice bitterness. A superb beer with lovely depth and drinkability!

We have liked everything from de Molen so far, and the Triple Stout was no exception. Subtle, complex, smoky, slightly bitter chocolate tasting brew. This was bottle 474 of a batch of 696 bottles. Delicious.

This is not so much a beer as an experience. Your sitting in a London pub only days before WWI. The beer comes in a pint glass, light chocolate foam and very dark beer. The taste: this is what beer tasted like before the beer factory was invented after the next war. Very rich, full chocolate, coffee notes, very nice body. Complex. Perfectly balanced with both hops and malt harmonising beautifully with each other. Little to no taste of alcohol. Drunk at room temperature at de Wildeman approximately three weeks after bottling. Will almost certainly improve with age. The only negative: not enough bottles!

(Bottle, Monk’s Café, Wallingatan, Stockholm) Black colour with a huge, pale brown head. Malty, fruity nose with dark fruit, wild berries, dark chocolate and coffee. Stays a bit closed, but leaves very promising hints. Malty fruity taste that almost explodes on the palate with dark fruit, wild berries, coffee and dark chocolate. Slightly vinous, bittersweet finish. Full bodied with some sweetness throughout. Smooth and very well balanced considering the high abv. Impressive! Absolutely lovley stuff!

Bottle 75cl. @ home.
Clear with many small size body particles, a medium to dark brown color with a average to large, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, caramel, chocolate, alcohol. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long long duration. Body is medium to full, texture is oily to creamy, carbonation is soft. [20090710]

Rating 500, bottle, pours pitch black, tall tan head, the bottom of the glass has dark red hues around the edges. Black patent malt is the foremost aroma, but a strong hop note follows with a touch of sweet carmel in the background. Burnt sugar and a roasted malt flavor dominate the full body. There is a smoke flavor that lingers for a bit but is overpowered by the assertive hop presence. Finishes hoppy and has a spice that fades as a lingering smoke rings out for a solid 30 seconds. Silky smooth mouthfeel, the carbonation is low, and there is only a slight alcohol presence. Overall, very good. There is a ton going on in the flavor department, but even more in the finish, which is nice. Another fine De Molen brew.

Bottled at Monks Cafe, Stockholm. Pours out in an almost black colour with a large frothy, firm, dense pale brown foam. Full velvety and deep aroma of nuts, dark malts, licorice, coffee, cinnamon and crackers. Full-bodied with rich yet smooth flavours of cocoa, coffee beans, dark malts, woodsy hops and mild pepper. Long full balanced finish of nuts, spicy hops, black chocolate, mild pepper, tar and crackers. Yummy!