De Molen Bommen & Granaten (Bombs & Grenades)

Brewed by Brouwerij de Molen
Style: Barley Wine
Bodegraven, Netherlands

Bottle at the Alvinne pre Zythos event 09. I spent 10 minutes wandering around talking to people about this as I had no idea what it was, what it should taste like, because my tastebuds had just gone into bizarre-land and I had no point of reference. No idea it was this strong either or the story behind the beer. I ended up saying to Menno that this was as good as any dry Oloroso sherry that I’d had or some sweet Aussie wines from NW Victoria. Ruby, no head. It’s like a dessert wine. Just a stunning beautiful, brown sugar beer with some dryness on finish and bit of hop sting. Glorious and a bit of calvados/tangerine fruit. Wonderful. 4.3/5. 75cl bottle from Kulminator 30/10/09. Even better than earlier this year. When I saw this in De Molen’s shop the next day at 12.50 euros a 75cl bottle I thought it was a complete steal. I wish I could do justice to the complex fruit and warming feel it gives you without ever having a single bit of alcohol heat anywhere near it. So smooth it has no burn. Truly amazing and utterly one of my favourite beers. Dessert beer in a glass. Bring on the chocolate torte.

Tasted many times at pre-ZBF 2009 at Alvinne. What a beer... most people at the fest didn’t quite know what to think of it but I sure did. The ultimate fireplace and cigar sipper. This is as complex and satisfying as any dessert wine or cognac, blows Thomas Hardy’s out of the water (no backlash please). I can absolutely not believe I didn’t take any bottles home with me after opening and serving probably more than two cases worth to guests!

Bottle, at LCRMB 2008, ’s Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Hazy, amber/orange body. Off-white, creamy head. Aroma of oranges, caramel malts, lactic acids, pear, apple, ... Good, well balanced and complex aroma. Haevily bitter, moderately sweet flavour of caramel malts. Doesn’t taste like 15%. Captain Haddock (the Dutch version) would say: "1000 bommen en granaten, dit is goed bier."

(Bottled, 0.75l) Muddy orange with no head. Huge aroma of fruit, Belgian-style yeast, and grainy malt. Strongly warming, grainy and very sweet, intensely fruity flavor. Very full, syrupy body with no carbonation. Only had a small sample, but seems to have a very good ageing potential. I shall save my bottle for as long as I can :)

Bottle at EBF08. Fruity and citric aroma, citrus fruits. Cloudy orange colour. Very small white head, seems creamy. Very nice flavour, powerful. Very sweet, syrupy. Quite fruity, some orange. The alcohol is distinct and warming, but not rough or bitter.

Bottle at alvinne, well a few samples from a bottle. Alround rating: Mead like body with a huge syrupy mouthfeel, like noe 30yr old sherry, great legs on the glass. Its massivly sweet yes, but something balancing it, the alcohol is really well hidden and generally speaking i was really impressed by this bad boy.

A Mes rate: bottle at Alvinne Pre ZBF.
This beer, totally on its own, deserves a new style. Barley Desert Wine is what it is and it’s brimming over with fantasticness. Amazing crimson red colour with no head what so ever but with all that booze I’d be struggling to keep mine up (head that is) too. To quote an excellent Mr. Lif track, this is "Madness in a Cup" and my limited vocabulary will not do it justice, I’m sure. Vintage Port, Sherry of the highest standards and incredible fruit form a basis of something quite outstanding. But for me, it’s the lip smacking crème brulée that really knocks my socks off. It’s sweet as hell but I know that is how it was intended to be and I’m loving every minute. Just the right amount of resinous hop bitterness in the finish keeps you brain on track and reminds you this is beer and not a wine but many could quite easily be fooled. Utterly awesome stuff. Why oh why oh WHY did I not buy a few bottles when I had the chance???

75 cL bottle. Pours hazy orange with a fully gone head. Smooth fruity and sweet aroma. Light overripe fruity nose. Sweet and fruity. Very nicely balanced and yeasty. Mellow yeasty and fruity finish. Nicely balanced. Lingering into the far finish.