 Fred82 (378), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| 4.3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 5/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 |
Aug 16, 2009 33cl bottle lot A. Pours pitch black with a huge creamy brown expresso head. Great lacing. Very gorgeous beer. Nose is very sweet and liquory with some alcohol, dark fruits and chocolate. There is also a little hop touch that finds its way through all that. Taste is very sweet at first with notes of roasted malt and dark chocolate. Some discrete hops also. Finish is nicely warming and greatly roasted like you get with an expresso. Roasty feeling last very long. It’s really something. Quite dry but the sweetness outweigh the dryness. Nice touch of alcohol on the finish makes this a great sip after a copious meal ! Alcohol quite discrete considering its 13%. Very complex brew. Because of its fruity and spicy character, It feels a bit like a mix between a Belgian abt and a stout. Quite balanced, nothing too overpowering. Top quality stuff.
darn1207 (557), Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
Aug 15, 2009 500th rating. bottle. black pour with a big light brown head. aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, alcohol, dark fruits and brown sugar. sweet dark fruit tastes up front with cocoa, belgian yeast and spicy herb bite backing it up. a little sour vibe also. slick medium palate that tingles in the finish. great beer and worthy of the reputation.
grandet (481), Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 18/20 |
Aug 14, 2009 Bottle from capones. Poured a jet black color with a dark brown head. Aroma of strong chocolate and coffee. Taste was on the lighter side for this style in my opinion. Nice well balanced chocolate and coffee notes through out and the alcohol stayed hidden until the very end. Very good.
DocHop (278), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 5/5 | 8/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
Aug 13, 2009 Pours a dark maroonish brown with a thick, micro-bubble, golden-brown head. Exquisitely rich aroma of bittersweet dark chocolate, espresso, toffee, and wine. Immediately stands out from any other stout of this caliber. A very unique sweetness reminiscent of sugary raisins, before it settles into more classic coffee and roasted malt flavors. Not the stand out Belgian yeast flavor I had expected, this is such a full bodied stout that it blends right in with the rest of the flavors. A hint of smoke and chocolate milk really round out the heavy flavors balanced by a nice hop presence. A beer that would be intriguing over and over again.
cgarvieuk (4177), Edinburgh, Scotland
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 17/20 |
Aug 12, 2009 Bottle at home...09/2008 thanks ChristianScheffel for this ... Deep black with a head that foams up vigoursly that settles down into a fuller thicker head ... molasis and deep roast malts ... mmm very odd ... I know why there so keen for it not to be clasified as an IRS ... as its unlike any ive ever had ... ive just started it and im not sure how much i like it yet... definite coffee tones and nice roast malts ... but theres something odd there that i cant place my finger on... a little liqorice ... quite dry ... i think im getting a yeastyness i see in some belgian ales but hidden by the roast malts ... Nice and i DO want to try it again... but i think i prefer most of the other Struise beers. ...
Tk2 08/2009
Bottle in Hotel room brugge.... black thin tan head ... huge chocolate nose with a littlr sweet cherry ... little over carbonated ... sweet tofffee roast ... lots of molasis .. some chocolate ... little spirit... very welll rounded...
blankboy (3204), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| 4.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 5/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 18/20 |
Aug 11, 2009 My 3000th rating!! Bottle (330ml) courtesy of Presario -- thanks again man! Wow, 3000 ratings, so many beers. Thanks to the T.O. crew, you guys rock, and anyone else I’ve shared a beer or traded with! Here we go: Pours a great-looking black with a large long-lasting frothy tan head and good lacing on the glass -- we’re off to a good start! Aroma: Oh yeah, that smells mighty nice: Brown sugar, roasted malt, dark fruit, molasses, coffee, cream, chocolate, wine and more -- lots going on here. The flavour does not disappoint: A delicious mix of bitter roasted malt, coffee and cocoa, a good amount of green hops, dark fruit, a hint of smoke and more -- everything is so well balanced, and you’d never know this was 13% -- wow, it goes down so smooth! Medium to full bodied, slightly oily mouthfeel. Simply put, this is a tremendous beer, I think it will be a while before I have something this good again. Just...wow. 3000th rating -- woohoo!
sridleyGTR (23), Golden, Colorado, USA
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 5/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 19/20 |
Aug 10, 2009 I pour the contents of my 11.2 oz bottle into a snifter, and the opaque, deep auburn nectar is topped with a creamy, ever-so-slowly fading tan head. Chocolate rum cake, coffee, and cream tickle my olfactory receptors. And then I taste…. Chocolate; sweet, dark fruit; tea. Is this beer, or a chocolate-covered cherry? And then comes the bitterness. Could this ruin it? Oh, thank goodness, NO. Although significant, the bitterness beautifully complements the preceding flavors, and is followed by a pleasant, lingering acidic finish. Under an incredible array of flavors, the ABV hides in this elixir like a black cat on the darkest of nights. If this is my last beer, I will die happy…. And I hope there’s more waiting for me.
rajendra82 (702), Alpharetta, Georgia, USA
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 18/20 |
Aug 9, 2009 The black pour, opaque body, and khaki head were prototypical of the style. The head was small and very short lived, which I am sure was the result of the high ABV. The smell was like molter chocolate and very intoxicating. The taste was like dried berries soaked in coffee. There was a up front hint of sourness which gave way to roasted grain astringency. The beer felt simple at first, but after realizing the amount of alcohol hidden under there, I became of the opinion that the seeming simplicity was actually due to the extremely elegant balance that felt so natural. Glided off the tongue after each sip, leaving a chocolate aftertaste. Simply amazing.
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