Black Damnation Molen's Steam Edition
Brouwerij De Molen

Oct. 2010: 750 ml bottle, kindly shared by my beerpal Christian. ABV is 13%. Pitch black colour, big tan head. Strong aroma of tar, old rope, coffee, leather and dark malts. Roasty flavour, intense notes of coffee, roasted barley and loads of hops. A truly impressive beer!

 

 

 

 

Pours black, mocha head, thin ring, wisps. Nose is burnt sugars, coffee, molasses, chocolate, dark fruit, oak, and an alcohol kick on the end. Flavor is chocolate, caramel, oak, some char, light roast, and noticeable alcohol notes. Medium body, good carbonation, creamy finish.

A solid RIS from De Molen, but knowing how .rar this beer is, I doubt I'll ever have the chance to have it again. Probably not worth the hunt for me, so I'll go elsewhere when I want this style.

Apparently this is similar to Black Damnation 666, but aged on oak chips soaked in Old Potrero instead of cognac. Served in Hill Farmstead stemware. Big thanks to Jeffo for this rarity.

A - Thin tan foam quickly settles to a thin ring, topping a very dark brown body with some transparency at the edges.

S - Smells a lot like Black Damnation 666, with a nice mixture of Belgian milk chocolate, toasted biscuit, dark fruits and a mild dose of oaky vanilla. However, rather than the sweet cognac note in the 666 there's a faint whiskey bite instead.

T - The flavor is quite similar, with perhaps a tad more roast and coffee bitterness presence. Heavy on rich milk chocolate, caramel, biscuit, and dark fruits, with mild oak and slightly tangy whiskey flavors. Alcohol is quite well-hidden.

M - Smooth, medium-full body, with lower carbonation, and no obvious alcohol. Really easy to drink considering it's 13%, and a bit heftier than the 666 somehow.

D - A very enjoyable offering from De Molen, but not terribly different from Black Damnation 666 or even regular Black Damnation - certainly not different enough to warrant tracking down this super-rare release (I heard there were well under 100 bottles). That being said, the whole bottle got consumed pretty quickly, even though it was the end of the night.

 

 

Got this one at the De Molen shop in Bodegraven.

From a 750 into a snifter.

Note: Drank this one immediately after the orginal Black Damnation for comparative purposes.

APPEARANCE: Started to slowly foam a bit upon opening, but that ended up being moot. A dark brown pour makes a big, medium-thick, fluffy, three finger, tan head with excellent retention. Jet black body with no real sign of any carbonation. Head fades very slowly to a good film cap that remains the whole way, leaving some dots of lacing. Only some stronger lacing down the glass could improve it some. Good looking RIS, and exactly the same as the regular version.

SMELL: Roasted malt, black liquorice, with a good dose of dark fruits, dark berries, and some notes of bitter coffee beans and dark chocolate in there as well. Very similar to the regular version, but slightly less tart and perhaps a touch more chocolate on the nose.

TASTE: Roasted and burnt, or even charred malts up front, with some dark fruits through the middle. This soon gives way to some spicy alcohol and a good dose of bitter, roasted coffee beans and dark, pure chocolate. Much bolder flavours than the nose had indicated. A roasted, bitter, chocolate and boozy aftertaste is strong and longer lasting with some slight oak notes too. Great flavor profile; perhaps slightly boozier and more chocolaty than the original.

PALATE: Here's where the steam has made a difference, making the body even fuller and creamier than before. Full, creamy smooth body with velvety soft carbonation. Like silk on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slightly dry. The original Black Damnation was full and creamy enough, but this one is just wonderful.

OVERALL: Mixed feelings about this one. As a beer, it was an extremely enjoyable and delectable treat. No question about that. I loved every drop of this stuff. However, as a variation on an original, I didn't see enough of a change to convince me to pay 40% more. The original Black Damnation is a world class brew, but the Steam Edition didn't significantly change or add to the brew enough to justify paying that much more. The palate is definitely even creamier and fuller than before, and there was perhaps stronger notes of baker's chocolate there, but that's all. Glad to have been able to try this one, but given that the original Black Damnation is more prevalent, far less expensive, and that the Steam Edition didn't show much improvement really, I don't think I'll be trying to track down another bottle of this one.

Very big thanks to bierkoning for this rare beer! Bottle looks great, very much like the regular Black Damnation but with "Molen's Steam Edition" added on the front label. Looks very good in the glass, deep black, huge head, a bit oily. Starts not as strong as exspected, soft malty, modest sweet, some smoky notes. Gets then drier and drier, really warming-malty, notes of bitter chocolate. Finish woody, dry, notes of liquorice and strong coffee. Very well balanced and not too dry. Starts soft, the finish is warming powerful. An incredible beer!