Black Damnation VIII - S.H.I.T.
De Struise Brouwers

Bottle purchased and drank at Dulle Griet in Ghent, Belgium.

This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This definitely does smell like a super hoppy intense thing, even at this age, with quite resinous and piney notes, but also really nice vanilla, oak, and chocolate notes.

Hoppy stouts tend to do well with time in barrels, as the luscious vanilla, caramel, chocolate, and oaky notes play quite well with the spicy and resinous piney notes. This is still pretty hop forward even with many years on this particular bottle.

This is medium bodied, creamy, and not very boozy, despite the fact that it’s 13% ABV.

I really wish it was easier to get Struise beers in America, but I’m glad I was able to try some new ones, to me, when I recently went to Belgium.

 

 

 

(Vintage 2018)
In the glass, colour opaque black. Beige foam, high, moderately persistent. Melts to a half-centimetre thick layer and stays that way almost to the end of the tasting, circulating nicely.
Aroma: sweetness, powerful maltiness, bread notes, caramel, dark, dried fruit.
Taste obviously bitter (IBU 150), although I have the impression that the IBU value is felt to be much lower. A slight malty sweetness in the background.
Alcohol gently perceptible, not disturbing. Medium saturation downwards. Texture very smooth, velvety. Aftertaste not too long, dry, with elements of dark, dried fruit.

From an 11.2oz bottle, filled in 2021, and gifted to me that September by my great friend Thijs!

Pours an opaque, dense, extremely dark brown. Has a creamy, frothy beige head, which lasts decently. Lacing sticking around is solid. Aroma is of dark choco, toffee, cocoa powder and some earthy hopping. Has a nicely medium body, with minimal prickle on the tongue.

Flavor immediately leads off with cocoa and dark choco, but does a quick 180 with some rindy, pithy hop action. Finishes a bit on the dry side with a combo of piney,earthy hops and roasty bitterness. The 13% ABV is hidden quite well here. An interesting brew! Cheers!!

4.02/5 rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2416

A - Pours a very dark Cola colour with a Beige head that reduces quickly
S - Vanilla
T - Marshmallow and slight hints of coffee
M - Medium to full body with low carbonation
O - Well balance without being spectacular

 

A 330ml bottle, bottled on 28th May 2021, with a best before of +5 years, poured into a De Struise tulip glass.

Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a one finger beige head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.

Aroma: Prunes, licorice, grapefruit zest, pine, roasted malts, chocolate, and toffee.

Taste: Bittersweet, roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, bourbon, resinous, pine, licorice, grapefruit, and toffee.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.

Overall: Despite the high ABV%, this was pretty easy to drink as the booziness was well hidden, with the nice balance between the roast and the hops.

 

 

 

330 mL bottle. Pours deep brown. Smells of roasted malt, cola, some hops, hints of bourbon. Tastes of bourbon much more strongly here, but still nothing like I expect from a bourbon BA beer. Grapefruit hops brighten it. Roasted malt. Spike in sweetness in the finish that brings back the cola flavors. Medium heavy. Not my favorite variant, but it's ok.

 

 

Pours a cloudy, dark mahogany coloration with a reddish sheen and a small, fluffy head. Smells of roasted, caramel malt and bitter, resinous hops, as well as some chocolate, coffee, licorice and pine. Taste is an excellent balance of roasted, caramel malt and resinous, bitter, slightly fruity and herbal hops, with notes of chocolate, licorice, vanilla, grapefruit, pine and hints of bourbon-soaked oak. Finishes bittersweet, with a medium bitterness and some roasted malt, chocolate, grapefruit and pine lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a rich body and medium carbonation.

I have to say that this blend of Stout and IPA to create a Black IPA is quite intriguing and works out absolutely great here, with this managing that balance between roasted malts and bitter hops just perfectly, while also managing quite a rich depth of flavor that is enhanced by the aging in bourbon barrels, which really adds another level of complexity to this with some vanilla and oak notes that complement the chocolate, coffe and licorice notes of the Stout wonderfully, while still being balanced very nicely by the bitter, resinous, citrus hops. Overall, this makes for a fantastic barrel aged Black IPA that is rich in character and very well-balanced at the same time. Since I absolutely love Black IPAs and can rarely get them, this has inspired me to blend my own in the future. I'm thinking Ale-Mania Old School and Sierra Nevada Narwhal, will see how it goes somewhere down the line!

2012 vintage.

Tan head. Black color.

The hops still show a lot. Roasted malts. Sticky and resin. Chocolate and caramel malt. Big and thick. Full bodied. Some oak flavors.