Jacobs Ladder
Brouwerij De Molen

Coming in a short brown bottle with a BBE date of 15/04/07, so I guess it might be early now to sample this beer. In my big tulip-shaped wine glass, it pours a dark-mahogany hue, with a light brownish, tight beerhead full of tiny bubbles with good retention.
On the nose there is a sharp note of French-roast coffee beans, deeply caramalised brown sugar mixed with the bitter edge of toffee, some hint of black-cherry flavoured coughing syrup, plus even Japanese dark-miso paste! After a while it turns softer and a dark-fruitiness comes out. Very intriguingly distinctive aroma for a Belgian strong dark ale, though I don't really like it, to be honest. On the palate, it's deeply semi-sweet, roasted-malty and slightly coffeeish, underlined by a lingering, aromatic hoppy bitterness which gradually turns more and more intense, and drier and drier and drier... reminding me of the aftertaste of Chinese Sichuan pepper and/or some filtered coffee with high-acidity. More fruity and nutty aftertaste sustains on the tongue, causing more mouthwatering; nevertheless, the slightly sharp, alcoholic mouthfeel lingers at the back, too. Overall it's a full-bodied and full-flavoured strong ale with a rich and satisfying mouthfeel throughout. It almost definitely would taste rounder, more mature and settled if enjoyed a year later...

BB 15-4-07. Good looks with stable head and darkbrown almost black beercolor. Nose is carramellic and yeastfruity, strawberry and plump. With that a good hoparome and overal fresh. Taste is very strong carramellic with good maltyness and only litle coffee. Good and not to high sweetness and a good and strong bitterness that dominates aftertaste. Oily mouthfeel and good not to high dosed carbonisation. Good beer and a reel pleasure to enjoy!