Struise Cuvée Delphine

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

Bottle (250ml). Shared with blankboy and garthicus - courtesy of MesandSim. Mes - I know you said I should drink this one all my own, but I just had to share it - Paul & Al say thank you very, very much!!! Pours thick, deep ruby, large thick lasting tan foamy-creamy head. Tart roast aroma, dry oak, coffee, vanilla, burnt sugars - nice! Taste - mmmmmm - coffee, sour cherry, anise, spice, merlot - slightly boozy, not bad for 13^ - balanced and lovely. Acidic, roasty balanced body, very lively mouthfeel - has an almost sour aftertaste. Wow, really interesting.

With great thanks to HogTownHarry for sharing this with Blankboy and I. Appearance: Oily black with a small but lasting pancake mix head. Aroma: Christmas pudding, vanilla, brown sugar, hops, nice sourness too, chocolate with lots of wood and bourbon. NICE. Flavour: Wood, bourbon, cream, hops, like licking a well worn leather jacket. It’s so so slick, lots of bourbon notes however the alcohol is well hidden. Blackcurrants and tobacco. Just superb.

Courtesy of beastiefan2k (I believe). Poured very dark brown, almost opaque. Aroma was mostly of brown sugar, dark roasted malts. Flavor also came with the dark malts, chocolate, but also some nice sweet cherries, fruit. Medium mouthfeel, not too thick. Overall, very good to excellent.

This one poured a very dark brown color with a large light brown head. Aroma was light bourbon, dark roasted malts, and some sourness as well. Flavor was vineous and sour,m dark roasted and some nice subtle bourbon notes, but hides the alcohol extremely well. Like SoLan said, this one really reminded me of JP Madrugada but less sour and more well rounded. Good stuff and different.

Bottle. Pitch black with a small dense cappuccino coloured head. Aromas af vanilla, chocolate, brett, fruity cherries, roasted malt and leather. Metallic flavour with notes of brett, chocolate, wood, sweet malt and burned malt. Warming and well hidden alcohol. Nice work!

Black/brown/ruby. Tan head. Sour, vinous funk, earthy wood, bourbon sweetness, light roast. Medium body, well carbonated, dry finish. Don’t think a Madrugada-like beer was intended, but I dig the end result.

Pours absolutely pitch black, letting virtually no light through the body. A dense, creamy head of light brown foam lasts for ages, leaving sticky bands of solid, sheety lacing all across the glass. The aroma shows a good deal of smoky barrel char and toasted oak atop a complex mix of dark cacao, whiskey, leather, and pipe tobacco. It smells really nice, quite woody overall, but the whiskey takes away just a bit of the fruity depth that is present in the non-barrel aged version. The flavor starts out with dark chocolate, with a strong presence of warm, woody whiskey intertwining with smoke and a hint of fruity acidity that fades. Fig and caramel linger on the lengthy finish. The palate is quite substantial, though a bit thinner than the regular version. It’s warm from the alcohol, but not overly hot. Great beer, but I prefer the regular Black Albert for it’s fruity complexities and fuller body.

Roasted aroma, jet black, a bit slick in the glass. Fairly plain all around, I don’t get a strong bourbon character, nor does it taste as dense as the 13% implies, but nothing’s wrong with it either. I was expecting fireworks I guess.