Hel & Verdoemenis
Brouwerij De Molen

 

Classic russian imperial stout notes of medium-roast coffee or smooth espresso, slight bitterness like bittersweet chocolate (but not astringent) and light tannic properties from the bourbon barrel aging. Even a hint of vanillin and bourbon up front but fades quickly. Taste is really complex with layers of flavors each coming at a different point, small notes of dark fruit & tobacco at the end but not prominent. Definitely drink at the recommended temperature of 50'F/10'C. - (2014) Bottle date of 07/01/14

Had two 0.33l bottles of this at De Gouverneur in Maastricht on 24SEP22. Cost per bottle was €6.80. ABV listed was 10.0%.

Was a jet black pour, like smooth, dark crude oil. Had a short, frothy, rich mocha-hued head. Lacing left behind was solid! Nose was a mix of dark choco, cocoa, espresso, raisins and some currants. Body was medium to medium-plus, and it was quite smooth.

Taste had nice dark malts, with dark choco, more espresso and cocoa, and some roasty action. It was a touch dry, with some floral notes in the finish. Goes down soooo nicely - mmmmm!! Prosit!

4.27/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2364

Feb. 2010: 330 ml capped and waxed bottle, brewed 7th Nov. 2009, bottled 6th Dec. 2009. Bottle No. 190 (of 1284 from this batch). OG 1115, FG 1031. EBC colour 308.9. EBU 99.9. ABV is 10.2%. Declared good for 25 years if kept cool and dark - feels like a sort of sacrilege to drink it now ... Pitch black colour, big and lasting brown head. Lovely roasty aroma, distinct notes of coffee and dark bitter chocolate. The flavour has an intense roasted character, notes of coffee and dark bitter chocolate again, also hints of liquorice, molasses and dark dried fruits. Bitter hops in the finish. Brilliant stuff.

Black with light brown foam. A fresh guiness like smell before taking a sip of dark heavy bitter chocolate paired with dark coffee. Very smooth mouthfeel.

 

This beer should be called malt, malt, more malt, hop and yeast. I can taste the pale malt, the brown malt, the barley malt, and chocolate malt. It’s toasty but not overly, a tad chocolate from the chocolate malt, a barley thing going on. Then there is a bit of bitterness on the end from the saaz hop and some yeastiness and coffee flavor. Some subtle dark fruit and tobacco notes. Oil black and viscous looking with just a bit of beige foam around the rim. Smells like water and roasted malts. Dry. If you like toasty malts and unsweet dry stouts this is for you.

second de molen of the night, finally getting to their most famous beer, this is nice RIS, it’s a dark beer in every sense, aptly named, massive meaty malt flavour, black bread, marmite, liquorice, molasses, treacle, reallt dark chocolate, espresso, tobacco, burnt toast, a light vanilla sweetness and some dark fruit flavour, plum, prune, fig, strong but not overly boozy in flavour, high bitterness on the finish, full bodied with low carbonation, some alcohol warming, this is an intense beer, and it’s pretty good, i really like these guys

 

 

Bottle from (Nov 27 2014) being drank (Dec 1 2021) ..

May still have some years left on it but everything is so balanced and melted together at this age , amazing brew, world class..

Pitch black body and a syrupy pour, patiently forming a low milk chocolate head, dense and fine, with average retention.
Aromas of rich dark chocolate and coffee, no bitterness or acidity, and baked dried fruit cake; comforting.
Wow delicious - tastes like real hot chocolate (melted bars), dark and rich, with just the right amount of balancing bitterness and light acidity keeping the palate fresh and excited; light hints of dark fruit - cassis and blackberry; feel is soft and velvety, lingering for days on the tongue; low carbonation, medium-full body

Beautifully done, superbly balanced, delicious sophisticated flavour. So many imperial stouts are overly sweet, this keeps the sugar to minimum while still remaining rich and appropriately bitter.

Eww... that residue. That's the most disgusting thing I have ever had in a beer.

Look is nice but heavily carbonated.

Smell is stellar. It smells so fucking familiar but I cant put my finger on it. Im getting memory triggers to bells 35th anniversary expedition stout more than anything. I can definitely smell the against the grain bo & luke influence as well.
Roasty, smokey, toasted grains, ash. Damn incredible aromas.

Taste is oh my God good. My tastes have matured greatly in the past few years and I once wouldn't have appreciated this as I do now. It's incredibly bitter from so many angles. Burnt toast and nightshift black coffee thats been on the burner for hours are forefront. Now lick the ashy crust of an oak smoked pork shoulder while chewing on some pure unsweetened cacao and you've 99% described this beer. Incredible. I would have drain poured this 5 or 10 years ago but these days the depth and richness of these dark flavors are hitting me like a drug. This is one of the best sippers I've had in years.

Feel is world class. I let it warm up to just about room temperature and its dense and oily as can be.

Overall. A $10 beer worth so much more if you appreciate the following: non adjunct beers, smoked beers/rauchbiers, and wrecking your palate for hours.

 

2014 vintage - drank 11-2020

Tastes of dark roasted malts up front with dark fruit and bitter chocolate mixed including coffee and slight hint of tobacco to round it out. Medium mouthfeel with nice viscosity. Very nicely done

A 330ml bottle, bottled on 4th November 2013. Enjoy within 25 years. Poured into a snifter glass.

Appearance: Black in colour with no head and no lacing.

Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, caramel, with slight wafer notes.

Taste: Chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, caramel, nutty, dried dark fruit notes, with a lasting dark chocolate bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.

Overall: Good aroma and flavours make for an enjoyable sipper on a cool winter night.

 

L- Ink black, pours with 2mm deep tan head.
S- Mostly cocoa notes for me, with minor coffee alongside.
T- Woah, immediately deep! Mega coffee, MASSIVE coffee, it's like having a chilled espresso. Amazingly not much else at all seems to permeate the coffee. Oh ps. there is a small hoppy flourish right in the finish.
F- It is an absolute blaster of a brew, and mine is still chilled from the fridge. Can't imagine what this would be like once it's warmed up some.
O- The amazing thing for me is the 10%ABV never reveals itself shoutily at all, it clearly there but I never get a moment of ABV-zing in the mouth. Skilled brewing there. This is quite something, especially suited for lovers of black beers, and refined big-beast exotics. Bought from TremblingMadness/UK £4.80, as part of a DIY chosen mixed-case for home delivery to London.
Notes: FWIW my bottle is marked 10%ABV vs 10.2% in the Description^. Bottled on 17/06/2020 BB: No rush apparently, 17/06/2045!
ps. This beer rates well I see, yet lower than the Mast Landing (US)/Gunner's Daughter/Milk Stout/5.5% I just had earlier which rates '94/World Class' -> in fact higher than any rating of the 1,440 I've made to date. Maybe not enough BA-folk over in the US get to buy beers like this one... ?

Edit/Add 9th/Jan/2021 - A second bottle I bought arrived this week, it is also marked as 10.0% ABV vs 10.2% in the headers above. It seems the ABV% has been nominally lowered...

 

REVIEW 2500!!!
Hel & Verdoemenis
Batch 195
Brewed 21 June 2010, bottled on 20 July 2010. The label states the beer will be good for 25 years if kept cool and dark.

I opened this on 20 May 2020, a month shy of the decade mark, in honor of a very special accomplishment, and in spite of some other setbacks, during this time of a global pandemic and the ensuring tragedy that has unfolded around it.

The beer itself pours pitch black with a bountiful, creamy, tan head. The foam lingers for a while. It smells wonderful, with a bit of dark chocolate malts on the bouquet along with what reminded me of mushrooms and soy sauce. Umami-liscious! Even after a decade the beer has a slight bite to it, despite being mellow and smooth and exhibiting an amazing depth of flavor. I get a lot more of those roasty cacao notes along with the sautéed mushrooms and soy. Lingering finish, and an absolute joy to sip. Congratulations, I am telling myself, for a journey that made the destination all the more rewarding.

 

 

Bottle properly aged for 2 years. Very dark appearance with slight white head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is a pleasant dark chocolate with a touch of coffee. Taste is also a very pleasant slightly sweet chocolate and mild coffee.

Pours a pitch-black coloration with a large, creamy, mocha-colored head. Smells rather intoxicating of quite roasted, caramel malt and strong notes of chocolate and coffee, with just a hint of licorice and herbal hops. Taste is a perfect balance of quite roasted, caramel malt and strong roasted coffee and dark, bitter chocolate notes, with lighter tobacco and licorice accents, as well as just a hint of dark fruit and herbal, bitter hops. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some roasted malt, coffee and chocolate lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a rich body and medium carbonation.

Just an incredible Russian Imperial Stout that is big on the roasted malts and bitter hops, as well as quite intense notes of roasted coffee and dark chocolate, with further complexity added by some lighter tobacco, licorice and dark fruit accents. Seriously one of the best examples of the style I've ever had, giving much more well-known US-breweries a run for their money. Neither Narwhal nor Old Rasputin can touch in in my humble opinion.

An extraordinary imperial stout, dominated by the hazelnuts and chocolate, but in the same time with a dry feel and lasting finish. Another spectacular release from De Molen.

 

If you like your roasted malts deep and prolonged--deep brown color, chocolate nose but strong espresso taste that's somewhat bitter. Creeping underneath in the aftertaste is licorice. This is a big, bold Imp Stout.

Pours an extremely dark brown with a quarter inch dark tan head that settles to a ring very quickly and leaves no lacing. Smells of roasted malts, dark chocolate and coffee. Tastes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, dark roasted malts,moderate bitterness, a bit of nuttiness, dark fruits and a hint of soy. Full bodied, minimal carbonation, thick and creamy mouth feel.

I found a bottle in my cellar and to my surprise (and shame) I noticed I had never rated this on any platform, meaning I probably haven't had this since 2010 or so. High time for a re-evaluation. Bottled on 08/08/18. Pours a jet black color and a firm brown head with a thin layer retention. Aroma's: hard roasted malts, umami, ground coffee, dark chocolate (of at least 90% cocoa). Retronasal it's sweetish, roasted, red fruit, chocolate. Flavor is light moderate sweet and moderate roasted bitter, mocha-ish. Above medium bodied. Long finish with big roast, dark chocolate and moderate bitterness. Still lives up to its reputation.

 

Pours black and tastes like coffee. I taste dark chocholate and no sweetness whatsoever. A solid beer and decent but not the best stout I’ve ever had.

 

 

Unknown vintage; drank 4/11/16 @ the Yarchives.

Black/brown appearance.

A rough pour yielded a small dark tan head; almost no lace.

Blackberry, candle wax, cognac & faint bubblegum notes in the nose.

Thick, flat mouthfeel.

Black coffee, plum & faint bubblegum flavors up front; fresh earth & bakers chocolate notes on the finish.

A hearty, complex, rewarding RIS. This was welcome on a cold April night.

"Enjoy within 25 years" ? Bottled 7 NOV 2014 , so I guess we're still good. :)

Pours almost black, with brief 1/2" tan head, that leaves a ring, and a few very small islands of foam. Cola-brown when held up to the light.

Smells of roasted malt , cola, coffee, unsweetened chocolate, and slight nuttiness.

Taste is dark chocolate, black coffee, brown bread(slightly sweet, roasty malt) , and a dusting of hazelnut. Some light lingering bitterness. On the first two or three sips, I got a slight vegetal flavor with the lingering bitterness, reminiscent of sautéed sage (not unpleasant) but it disappeared after that.

Feel is smooth , lightly oily, with very fine underlying carbonation, that produces some tingle on the finish.

Overall, quite good. Slight ear-warming at first, otherwise no indication of alcohol. Dangerously smooth & easy-drinking.

De Zombier. En copa Teku. Viendo Deadpool 2. Imperial stout con recuerdos a barleywine. Cuerpo ligero, cafetosa, algo de humo, bastante amarga y con algo de acidez

Pitch black colour with an awesome blooming head of milk chocolate coloured foam that leaves nice lacing. A full nose (very full) with roasted malt, black coffee, dark chocolate and hops. These flavours return in the taste, where the pilsener hops add a nice accent to the massive stout flavours. Mouth feel is full, smooth and oily. Lovely RIS, too bad the high abv prevents me from grabbing another.