De Molen Tsarina Esra Imperial Porter

Brewed by Brouwerij de Molen
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Bodegraven, Netherlands

Sampled by bottle at West Lake View Tasting. I’m glad I got to try this, especially since I’m told this won’t be coming to America at all. Pours brown black with almost no head. Nose is strong and rich. Chocolate, roasted malts, and molasses. Sweet chocolate flavors. Caramels, alcohol, dark chocolate, and anise. Charred and toasted grains in the finish. I’m not blown away, but overall its a really good beer.

Name: Tsarina Esra
Date: 03/22/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party
Words: number 40

Appearance: dark brown, scant head, thick viscous layers on the glass,
Aroma: rich dark chocolate aroma with a winey sweetness,
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, sweetness comes in with wine and dark caramel, lots of bitter dark chocolate to balance the sweetness along with an almost smokey earthyness, lasting bitterness rises out of the earthyness,

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***+/4

12oz bottle, courtesy of kramer17801. Thanks, Jason! Pours an oily, dark chocolate color; solid viscosity; mostly headless. Gorgeous aroma: oily peanuts, roasted malts, a touch of salt, and maple syrup in the aroma; all beautifully integrated; loads of roasted chocolate and salty/sweet oiliness. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: lots of oily peanuts, roasted / charred malts, and lots of dense, gooey chocolate; minimal carbonation; loads of dark chocolate, dried fruits, and chewy, oily peanuts; nice citrus and general bittering hops to balance things out; very oily, very full of chocolate; impressively dense, with very little alcohol showing through. Lengthy finish, showing oily chocolate, cocoa, and plenty of nuts and peanuts; cocoa and dry toasted grains.

Courtesy of kramer17801. Dark brown body with a small tan head. Sweet, raisin nose with molasses, cola and milk chocolate. The flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter with milk chocolate, juicy plums, roast, toffee and light cherry. Medium/full body is soft with light carbonation. Finish is long with a bit of warmth.

For rating #400. Thanks very much to Jason. Black bodied with a froth of bubbles formed. Aroma is a sweet licorice, vanilla, and chocolate. Flavor is a roasted bitter licorice, and chocolate primarily. Alcohol is noticeable in the finish. Thin and watery body.

330ml bottle shared by kramer17801. Pours a dark brown with little to no head. Sticky sweet nose of motor oil, some smoke, some rich, sticky malt, a lack of overbearing hops, which is really nice. Sticky, smooth, sweet, rich, decadent chocolate and syrupy malty goodness along with some moderately strong alcohol which adds to the whole experience. Rich, sticky, sweet up front, drying into the finish. Really well made, the sweetness that’s found in most Dutch beer is certainly there, and it works really well. I like it.

(3/16/08) Bottle bought at Brouwerij de Molen in Bodegraven and drank at a friends’ house in Amsterdam. Black color, not totally opaque, with no head and just a bit of brown foam. Strong aroma of dark chocolate, some espresso notes, a bit of licorice, a bit of hops and faint hints of alcohol. Flavor starts sweet with malt, chocolate, caramel and a bit of dark fruits and finishes with a strong hops and roasty bitterness. Full-bodied and syrupy, maybe even a bit like melted chocolate. Really great stuff.

Thanks Jan (from De Bierkoning) for hand delivering this Bottle #101. What an amazing porter; aroma was roasted malt with slight Smokey flavors, strong licorice, more alcohol aroma as it warmed. I had plenty of frothy brown head after the initial pour. Taste was outstanding for this porter; full-bodied with plenty of bitter chocolate, coffee, slight tobacco flavor with an oily feel; very drinkable considering how high the alcohol level. Can’t wait to get some more of this stuff!