Hemel & Aarde - Wild Turkey BA
Brouwerij De Molen

Amazing, smoke thick smoke, bit well received in a malt sandwich. Bottled July 2, 2013, so 12 years of my own birthday (week). Very impressive and great sipper.

 

 

 

 

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color ale with a large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light roasted malt notes with some sweet black chocolate notes with light whiskey notes. Taste is an incredibly well balanced mix of smooth black chocolate notes with some light roasted malt notes with some residual sugar notes, vanilla and the perfect amount of whiskey notes to round off any rough edges from this beer. Body is smooth and full with good carbonation with no apparent alcohol. I wish I could get access to this beer on a regular basis.

 

 

Black, didn't manage to form any head, just a small bubbly lace and a few floating specks of foam.
Peat and chocolate battle it out on the nose, both equal in intensity. There's vanilla, faint licorice, roasted malts, cream, some bourbon whiffs, light coffee acidity, soy sauce and some faint plum. More balanced than the Octomore BA, but still pretty rich.
Bourbon right from the start, warm, clean, enriching the sweet caramel and dark chocolate. A dark fruit zing in there too, like overripe plum, and ice coffee surprisingly early on. Gets denser with roasted malts, smokey, salty, rich, with a nice peaty note to it (lower than in the Octomore BA, but clear enough). Licorice, vanilla, a subtle green leafy note in there too that keeps things from getting too roasty. Some toasted oak chips towards the end, bourbon intensifies enough to dry the finish just a bit, not much, and considering it's not too bitter, there's a big overflow of flavours in the aftertaste.
Bourbon, some barrel notes, light roast, burnt sugar and dark licorice remain. No smoke, only a tiny bit of peat if you really look for it. Smooth and medium bodied (a few clicks towards being light), low carbonation.
Strictly comparing it with the Octomore BA, it loses a "unforgettable" note, but it's a bit more complex and balanced. Bourbon also brings some new notes, the tasty kind. Great De Molen stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got this one at De Molen in Bodegraven.

From a bottle into a snifter
Bottled 2 July 2013
24 Plato
EBU: 108
Drunk beside the regular bourbon H&A.

APPEARANCE: A clear brown pour yields a one finger, tighter looking, light tan head with great retention. Bistre brown in color with slightly higher levels of carbonation. Head fades to a good full cap with lots of carbonation decorating the top. Good full wisp remains but leaves no real lacing down the glass. Thicker head than the bourbon version.

SMELL: The nose is great on this one. Roasted malts, smoky, peated notes, bourbon with sweet cream and vanilla. Milk and pure chocolate there as well. Bolder with more chocolate and sweet coconut cream than the regular bourbon version.

TASTE: Really nice flavor as well. Roasted and smoky malts, peat, with some bold and flavorful bourbon barrel at the swallow. Big and lingering aftertaste of sweet cream and caramel, vanilla sweetness, milk chocolate, bourbon and oak, with some nice bitter, dark chocolate and peated flavors from the base beer as balance to the sweet barrels. Great stuff. The bourbon variant has more oak and less sweetness, while this wild turkey version has a dose of sweet, creamy vanilla and coconut on top.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Creamy enough, goes down fine and finishes mouth-coating. Some heat lingers. A touch lighter in weight than the bourbon version, but still solid for the style.

OVERALL: This was excellent. Really enjoyed this, and found it far superior to the regular bourbon version. The look is a touch too light in color, which is common for these guy's stouts, but the nose and flavor are outstanding. Another great example of how De Molen can mesh flavorful barrel aging with bold and interesting base beers. Another class BA stout from De Molen. Highly recommended.