Struise Black Albert

Brewed by De Struise Brouwers
Style: Imperial Stout
Oostvleteren, Belgium

Bottle at the Nashville BA tasting. Pours black with a light brown head. Aroma of fruity ale esters, chocolate, and a hint of roast. Medium bodied and on the thin side for an Imperial Stout. Flavor of chardonnay, mild roast, yeast, and chocolate. Very little bitterness. Different and definitely a twist on the style. Enjoyable, but not top 50 in my opinion.

My first bottle of this beer was a bit disappointing. I expected a Russian Imperial Stout and was thrown a knuckle ball. Bottle two has me exploring the unique side flavors. Reminds me of a Hair of the Dog Adam in that it is like nothing else and has strong tastes of things that are not usually found in any beer or any food. The appearance is a beautiful tan topped blackness. Had a tough day at work, but I am suddenly serene.

Bottle. Big fruity aroma, with some roastiness. Black body, thick light brown head. Flavor is smooth and rich, plenty of chocolate and ripe fruit. A bit too sweet. Smooth finish. Certainly tasty, but beyond that, I’m not quite as impressed as most of the raters seem to be with this brew.

Pours black into a snifter. Mocha head pancakes and recedes leaving spot lacing to skim surface. Chocolate and coffee aromas. Smooth and creamy with soy upfront. Bitter roasted malt and tobacco finish with no indication of the abv at any point.

Bottle: Near black with a huge, creamy brown head. Lots of roast in the nose with some coffee and a touch of alcohol. Dry coffee grounds. Tastes of heavy roasted malts with rich coffee and bittersweet dark chocolate. A linger dry bitters and coffee feel overall. Kind of dirty floral coffee thing in the tail. Sort of unrefined in a way. I guess I just expected more when it comes to Struise brews...

Finally got my hands on some! Wild beer. Pours deep mahogany. Rich, dessert-esque nose, immense and persistent head. Upon tasting I’m immediately reminded of chocolate cake with a raspberry filling, only not so sweet. Lingering and long, Drank 11.2 oz blt over an hour, and as it warmed the flavors began to cascade and expand. Solid.

11.2 oz bottle. Totally dark pour with a dense tan head - tiny bubbles in the foam gives way to bigger bubbles. An unexpected aroma for sure... Much more subdued than I expected - baking chocolate, bitter nuts, alcohol, pine, rubber. Better on the flavor, but still muted, and hot. Cocoa, espresso, wood. Long bitter finish with a meaty, savory component. Tannic and chalky. This beer is contrary to the other Struise offerings I’ve had. Not nearly as balanced, or interesting, as some of the others that I’ve had.

Black with vaguely glimmering ruby highlights. Gorgeous custard-like khaki foam adorns the glass and deposits some lace. Strong scent of plastic predominates over lighter shades of taffylike yeast and muted raisin, nougat, milk chocolate, plums, and smoky molasses. Distant yet perceptibly grapey and medicinal beneath the massive sugars. Faintly bready and strongly alcoholic. Soft and snug carbonation. Gritty and sharp with an assertive lactic twang coupled with charcoal-tinged malt acidity and pervasive alcohol. Caramel flashes a dab of sweetness before being squelched by resounding bittersweet chocolate which fails to compensate for the lack of richness or depth by compounding the acidity and unripe fruity esters. Alcoholic heat also hampers the body. Curiously empty at the core with virtually nonexistent textures of malt softness or lurking bready heft which might otherwise help to neutralize the lactic twang and one-dimensional bittersweet chocolate onslaught. The flabbiness abounds with an odd mixture of plastic, paint, soy sauce, and red grapes. Quite coarse on the swallow due to the medicinal notes and foul plastic. Simplistic finish leaves much to be desired as it’s relatively thin, irony, and semi-smoky with char. I’ve tried repeatedly to thoroughly enjoy this but it’s missing some key components, specifically in depth and definition in the malt department. The nose is both oddly muted and, similarly to the flavor profile, tainted by the unmistakable presence of plastic. Very unrefined. Serviceable if uninspiring.