Podge Belgian Imperial Stout
Picobrouwerij Alvinne

Podge Belgian Imperial StoutPodge Belgian Imperial Stout
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From:
Picobrouwerij Alvinne
 
Belgium
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.49 | pDev: 17.77%
Reviews:
180
Ratings:
247
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 20, 2020
Added:
Feb 08, 2006
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  10
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Metalmonk:
Photo of Metalmonk
Reviewed by Metalmonk from North Carolina

3.06/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Be careful and pour slowly...gushed upon opening and left some sediment in the murk. Not sure why, as no shaking occurred. Just a temperamental one, I guess. The head is huge and stays big. The color is about the darkest milk chocolate-brown that brown can be before turning black. Thick walls of lace form as the head very slowly minimizes. No points taken off for its boisterousness, no hard feelings.

Aroma is malted milk, sweet cream, cheap coffee and shavings of dark baking chocolate. Has a kind of mineral slant that carries over into the flavor.

And the flavor is a weird one. Acidic fruitiness, low-grade coffee and terribly bitter chocolate chip are masked by that mineral flavor, which gives a soft, flat, tart metallic sheen to everything. Sour where it shouldn't be. Could be the "Irish ale yeast" that's used, as I taste some parallels between this and various Irish stouts. There's a great flavor here somewhere, but it's beset by problems.

Mouthfeel is a frothy one. Not as creamy as it could or should be. Finish turns things a bit fruity, still with a metal/mineral glaze. And yes, the long dry finish promised on the label is here...again reminding of various Irish stouts, and even some Scotch ales with that weird, musty, mineral/metal thing going on.

The 10.5% alcohol is superbly well-hidden. The thing looks amazing. It's definitely got its moments in other departments, but really, I'd probably pass this up in the future. There are better Belgian stouts out there (Special Extra Export and Obscura come to mind), but you gotta give it props for originality.
May 17, 2008
More User Ratings:
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.94/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
been holding onto this one a little while now. i love alvinne, and had never seen this one around before. i also love belgian stouts, and there just arent enough of them in the world, so this is a treat for me in more ways than one. its dark but not quite black from the little stubby bottle, and has a creamy and active tan had which settles slowly, instantly more carbonation than expected, and a certain effervescence to it that is definitely out of the ordinary. it smells funky, even wild, light vinegar tang, tannins, and roast in the nose, more yeast forward than anticipated, a little alcohol in the air as well, but interesting and even captivating, totally unconventional as they go. the flavor is less funky than the nose, but it still seems like some brett or something at work, strong but not too full feeling. some light oxidation, dark fruit, leather, intense earthiness, char, maybe some light woodiness too, bitter coffee, permanent marker, and nail polish remover in the alcohol, but very cohesive, quite quintessentially alvinne if you ask me, and delicious. each sip is a little different, all the bubbles and the relative dryness are cool for the style, and the funk is a fun layer, intentional or not, which knowing these guys i assume it is. very much a different kind of take on the style, but this is delicious, underrated i reckon. love these guys and really enjoyed this!
Mar 20, 2020
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From old, undated notes. Poured from the bottle.

Brown/black color.

Nice dark khaki head; decent lacing.

Yeast blast in the nose; not much else. Would never guess this was a dark beer based on the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

This tastes like a Belgian IPA to me; hoppy, yeasty, bread-y. As it warms, a HINT of roast comes up, but is buried.

Drinkable BIPA but hardly a stout.
Jul 22, 2019
Photo of Huhzubendah
Rated by Huhzubendah from District of Columbia

3.08/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottle shared by Dave. Thanks, man!
Feb 06, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by mmilyko from Nevada

Jul 22, 2018
Photo of keithmurray
Reviewed by keithmurray from Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Appearance - dark mahogany body and tan head

Smell - sour berries, brett funk

Taste - chocolate, berry, brett funk, hint of dark fruit

Mouthfeel - sour upfront, medium bodied, high carbonation

Overall - the flavors of this one just don't meld at all. Not a good experience

Price Point - $5.49/11.2 oz bottle
Dec 01, 2017
Photo of mpyle
Reviewed by mpyle from Maryland

3.66/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Effectively opaque, maybe some garnet highlights. Pours big tan head, some creaminess on top but coke bubbles near the bottom. Decent retention for a strong beer.

A bit of dark roast in the aroma, dark chocolate and cherries, and a bit of sweetness.

Chocolately and dark but not roasty and bitter - has some malt sweetness. Possibly some phenolic character mixing in, and some alcohol flavor as well. But overall a smooth, mellow drinking 10%+ ABV beer. Perhaps a bit on the boring side compared to some imperial stouts.

MF - Quite smooth and creamy, not hugely carbonated. Pretty thick and full bodied. Nice alcohol warming, but overpowering.

Got this one as a gift and had sat on it for a few months. Not worth the price she paid (price sticker was left on the bottle) - definitely better, fresher American examples. Becomes a bit more boozy as warms.
Jun 18, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by valkyre65 from Texas

Jan 19, 2017
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
330 ml bottle into a tulip glass. 2016 stamp on the cap.
Near black body with ruby edges. Decent tan head but only semi-durable and leaving limited lacing.

Aroma: sweet, floral, bready, boozy, as well as faintly fruity and spicy; hint of wet leather.

Flavor: strong and complex. Bittersweet. Hints of chocolate, raisins, nutmeg and light coffee -- but not as appealing as that description suggests.

Feel: medium carbonation; full body. Light alcohol bite and warmth.
Nov 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by chrisroarshack from Alaska

Aug 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.58 by Gkruszewski from New York

Aug 21, 2016
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

3.57/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Sampling a cellar temp 11.2 oz bottle poured into a snifter. Okt 2015 lot 755 on the cap.
The beer is a gift from my mother-in-law and her partner, Yay Beer! Thanks!
The beer pours a deep motor oil black hue with a dense creamy tan head of 2 cm after a gently coaxing pour.
Aroma is some dark chocolate and roasted notes but I also get a bit of sweet spicy yeast and maybe berries or cherries. In general the nose is pretty mild and the booze doesnt show up on the nose with any pepper or other obvious hits. No hops at this point either.
First sip reveals a smooth texture and lighter than anticipated body. The carbonation is very fine and a little prickly on my palate.
Flavor is dark malt with chocolate and roasted malt dominating, but again a little fruity cherry note and just the slightest hint of some musty funk on the finish and then a dry lingering effect.
The ABV s hidden very well and no hops anywhere to be found on this brew. I wonder if their may be just a little bit of something unintentional in the bottle based on the very prickly carbonation and hint of musty funk on the finish. Even if there is, this is still an enjoyable beer that goes well with a cold evening. Worth a try, but I could see the slight funkiness turning some off to the beer. Reading other reviews, im glad the bottle didnt gush so maybe that problem is solved.
Feb 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by h4ger from Connecticut

Jan 02, 2016
Photo of HopsForBrains
Rated by HopsForBrains from North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
It's okay, nothing great IMO.
Dec 03, 2015
Photo of Josh012012
Reviewed by Josh012012 from Minnesota

2.85/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.25
This was pretty awful. More carbonated than any stout I have ever had. taste was somewhere between a stout and a sour. very odd... I would not recommend this beer.
Jun 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.6 by brandon911 from Texas

May 31, 2015
Photo of Bitterbill
Reviewed by Bitterbill from Wyoming

3.47/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Cola coloured with an inch of tan foam. Great lacing.

Nose of dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malt bitterness, with a hint of Brett.

Very bitter roasted malt and chocolate to start. Light coffee with a very dry almost tart taste in the finish.

Medium body and carbonation.

The cap mentions October 2016. A best after date? The label says it can be kept for 8 years or more.
Apr 10, 2015
Photo of DucksFan16
Reviewed by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

2.83/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75
Obviously an infected bottle, so rating reflects the Russian Imperial Style that it should represent. However, it tastes like a sour brown ale, and is actually quite enjoyable.
Apr 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Mar 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by heysuz from Indiana

Mar 29, 2015
Podge Belgian Imperial Stout from Picobrouwerij Alvinne
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 247 ratings