Mooi & Meedogenloos - Bourbon BA
Brouwerij De Molen

 

 

 

 

L - Very dark with a thin beige lacing

S - bourbon, vanilla, raisins, prunes, chocolate

T - Very nice bourbon presence. Goes well with chocolate, molasses, raisins and dates. Bittersweet. Quite balanced

M - Low carbonation, velvety

O - A nice bourbon BA ale. Wouldn't call it a quadruple but it's not really an imperial stout either.

 

 

330ml bottle, and self-described as 'Imp. Stout-ish'. We shall see.

This beer pours a fairly solid black, yet with prominent amber highlights, and one skinny-ass finger of weakly puffy, loosely foamy, and well-bubbly beige head, which leaves a few instances of ocean plume lace around the glass as it quickly blows off.

It smells of roasted caramel malt, burnt rubber, bittersweet cocoa powder, subtle Bourbon barrel notes (woody vanilla, and grainy rye heat), a muddled dark orchard fruitiness, spicy anise, and some very tame earthy, leafy, and dead floral hop bitters. The taste is semi-sweet chocolate, toasted bready caramel malt, free-range brown sugar syrup, wet char, steady Bourbon County hooch (vanilla, spice, and woody booze), black licorice, a hint of stale cafe-au-lait, more dark stone fruit (maybe some plums and cherries sticking out once in a while), and some plain earthy, weedy, and perfumed floral hoppiness.

The carbonation is quite tame in its barely functional frothiness, the body a decent medium-heavy weight, and actually more or less smooth, with a wee airy creaminess struggling to gain liftoff, as it were. It finishes off-dry, the Bourbon essences still informing the lingering big-boy malty and fruity characters.

Overall, I can see why this is classified as a Quad here, as the Imperial Stout nature seems to be diluted by more than just the barrel. There are those fruity sugar esters flitting about, which certainly lend credence to the concept. At any rate, a well-made, sturdy brew, which becomes easier to put back as we amble along (duh) - yup, good, good stuff!

 

On-tap served in a snifter at Hair of the Dog, Bangkok.

Very deep brown to almost black in color, it comes with one and a half finger of light tan head that withstands with decent retention before gradually collapsing to some bubble film atop and leaving lots of sticky lacing on the glass-side.

Quite sweet in a nose, spicy from both Quad and bourbon profile, dark fruit in kind of prune and plum, honey, brown sugar, chocolate, coffee, caramel, roasted, vanilla, oaky, charcoal, complex and enticing aroma.

The taste is led by sweet vanilla, plum, prune, and roasted flavor. Chocolate, coffee, caramel, vanilla, and brown sugar closely follow before oaky and spicy bourbon taking over the palate together with subtle hint of booze. The end and aftertaste is long-lasting with dryness and bourbon goodness.

The body is medium to rather full with quite low carbonation but it is enough to carry all the things well under the not cloying yet smooth palate. Finish is very dry.

Very good blend of Belgian Quad and Imperial Stout character, plus with the complexity of bourbon BA, this one is just great and perfect sipping brew.

Sampled at Borefts 2016, Bodegraven. Pitch black pour. Notes of cocoa, sherry, cherries, some coffee and roasted malts. Full bodied with a low carbonation and a sweet finish. 4/5

Re-sampled from bottle. Dark brown pour with a thin beige head. Notes of bourbon, chocolate, cherries, sherry, vanilla, oak, roasted coffee beans. Medium body (feels a bit watery for an imperial stout), low carbonation and a bourbon sweet finish.

 

Dark brown color, a bit of foam with really large bubbles. Aroma is quite boozy with some dark fruits and peat notes. Taste is quite sweet at first with nice bourbon and fudge notes. Follows with caramel and finishes with a light roast. Body is quite light but feels smooth on the palate. The barrel characters are quite nice but it could use a heavier body.