Ball & Chain
Brouwerij De Molen

 

 

 

Brouwerij De Molen/Sound Brewery 'Ball & Chain' @ 7.1% , served from a 330 ml bottle purchased for $5.80
A-pour is brown from bottle to glass with a small beige head leaving a spotty lace along the pint
S-smoke , malts , dried fruit
T-smoked dopplebock , peat moss , kinda takes a wee heavy aspect
MF-ok carbonation , full bodied
Ov-ok beer I guess , not my favourite style
prost LampertLand

 

Poured from an 11.2 oz bottle dated Feb/6/15 into a Spaten cylinder.
A - Hazy backdrop of saddle leather hides delicate carbonation, an aggressive pour yields a thin cap. Evidence of the cap clings loosely to the glass during the experience.
S - Broad leaf tobacco, cigar wrap, smoked ham (no joke), with some warmth, a nice toffee component manifests. Malts are on full display with this offering. With a bit more time, a dark fruit slices through, warm figs, wrapped in smoked meat. I had to say it.
T - Sweet light brown sugar, near perfect construct for the style, then the malt complexity. The complexity from Smoked Pils, caramel, chocolate and roasted malt is a real joy. Flavors range maple candy to Katenspeck, all this seamlessly.
M - Start is smooth, surprisingly soft water style, the palate response is toward the sweet side, battles a bit with the olfactory impact of the smoked malts. A full coating of the palate the gentle carbonation leaves in place. the linger is long and luxurious.
O - A smoked delight, the brewer really pushed the fullness of the style on the palate, and created a real tension between the smoked malts aromas, versus the palates response to sweet maltiness. Not an offering for the faint of heart. That said worth seeking out
http://imgur.com/HYcUt3d

 

they call this a smoked bock, and they arent kidding! wow, this is about as heavy on the smoke as anything i have had, including the old school german rauch smoked stuff, its really intense here. i love it. a lighter colored brew, bronze at the darkest, a little hazy, and not as much head as a lot of their others. its got a bit of iodine to the nose, that bandaid thing that comes with smoked malts some times, and the smoked malt proportion is through the roof, almost hard to tell that this is a lager, as any crispness that might come from a lagering yeast and process seems to be trounced by heavy burning industrial building kind of smoke, subtle green pepper, and warming alcohol. maybe a pinch of brown sugar or maple. its a little still, but it has a lot of body and depth, and almost drinks like a barleywine, so i dont miss the bubbles so much. the smoke is so intense that i am glad to be sharing a bottle a couple of ways, thats for sure, but the range of flavors here is insane, even coffee and raisin and butter come up. its dynamic and happening, and maybe i am just a sucker for de molen, but these guys have my attention like nobody else does right now. crazy beer right here, absolutely not for everyone! i am inspired for barbecue...

 

Picked up in Sofia at Beera.
Poured thick into the glass, a tight, beautiful tan head of foam built up from a hard pour, then faded down to nothing.
Huge smoke on the nose, a meaty smoked ham aroma. A little sweet malt pokes it's head up, but it is choked out by the lingering camp fire smokiness. It caught me off guard initially, but I'm digging it more and more.
The smoked flavor blends exceptionally well with the rich, sweet, caramelized flavor of the double bock. The bitterness is well balanced. I've had double bocks before that were syrupy messes, not the case here. It is a rich beer though.
Minimal carbonation, full, thick body. Definitely a sipper.
This is my first beef from DE Molen and I'm starting to wonder why. Definitely worth a shot. I'll pick this up again if I can find it, and I'll be sure to get my hands on other beers from DE Molen.

 

 

Smoked doppelbock.
Poured into lager glass.
Pours hazy dark brown beer with decent creamy beige head, moderate to low retention.
Smell - smoked, caramel, dark fruits.
Taste - smoked, woody, fruity, caramel.
Medium body, soft carbonation.
Light dessert doppelbock.