Invidia
Zeven Zonden (Seven Sins)

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 330mL in a pint glass. From the Huron Church Rd. LCBO in nearby Windsor. Best before October 6/28. My 1st beer from the Kortrijk, Belgium brewery. Ludicrously top-shelf picked, on all accounts, by Sundae...

 

Copenhagen 16/2 20. 33 cl chubby bottle from Beerdealer web-shop. Close up of a drawing of an eye on the green label.

Pours dark mahogany with a mid-sized off-white head. Stable.Settles as thin but consistent layer of foam covering the surface of the beer. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is fairly intense with a sweet, sugary, fruity odor mingling with a light sourish scent. Dark fruits saturated in alcohol, dark yet sweet chocolate, toffee, Apricots. Light citric streak.

Light carbonation, Medium thick, oily, slightly viscous, soft, lightly tingling texture.

Flavor is intense with a strong sweetness followed by a moderate bitterness. Aftertaste is a sweet bordering on sugary with a boozy underetone. Lingering. Finish is semi-dry.

Potent and sweet with a distinct boozy streak.

 

Appearance: Poured with a finger of head that did not lace or stick around very long, the body is as black as night, without any signs of anything penetrating that body and direct light only provides a slightly more brown tinge to the beer.

Smell: Dark chocolate and sweet molasses with touches of prunes and currants. There's something unique about the mix, like something I can't pin down that is quite pleasant, and I'm not sure if it's just them getting the right mix or something I can't quite think of. It adds a sweet richness that I usually only find in milk stout, but here it's just different. Part of me almost wants to say sarsaparilla as I think it's a mild root beer touch, but it's so slight, I wouldn't fully commit to that.

Taste: Starts with wonderful chocolate malt and sweet molasses with that peculiar "root beerish" note that stays as prunes, currants and vanilla comes forward before another semi-sweet dark chocolate bitterness wraps things up. This is a very rich and decadent brew.

Mouthfeel: The biggest complaint here is that this beer probably could benefit from some additional carbonation to lighten things up a bit and add a bit of creaminess to things, but given how solid the transitioning is and a pleasant aftertaste of dark chocolate, vanilla and molasses, it's hard to say something too critical here.

Drinkability: This stuff thick, heavy and drinks like a stout, so you have to sip this. That said, this is something to be savored and rarely had. It goes down well, but you are drinking a small meal here. That said, its not hindered at all by excessive bitterness or even it's incredible richness, only it's thickness.

Final Thoughts: If this is the Belgian equivalent to milk stout then sign me up. That they managed to accomplish this without lactose is impressive in itself. This beer strikes me as an incredibly hybrid between stout and dubbel and I am all for it. It's not perfect, particularly on the carbonation front, but damn is it impressive. Thumbs up.

330 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before 02/06/2025 and served barely chilled.

Pours a deep brownish-black cola colour with barely a glimmer of light making its way through the liquid; one finger of frothy, tan-coloured head lasts for a little over sixty seconds. A creamy collar lives on, with little else of interest - no cap, nary a fleck of lace. Sweet aromas of molasses, cocoa and caramelized sugars are easily discerned, with hints of date, fig, baker's chocolate and raisin also coming through; the alcohol fumes are noticeable, especially as it approaches room temperature.

It's an interesting Belgian ale, combining traditional dark ale flavours with a pronounced cacao/chocolate note that slips in seamlessly. Dark fruits such as fig, date and prune are well-represented, as are sweeter flavours of treacle and cocoa powder; suggestions of licorice, raisin, vanilla extract and coffee. Moderately boozy finish, with dark fruits and spicy Belgian yeast giving way to roasted malts & a slight cocoa bitterness that fades into a warming aftertaste. Full bodied, with relatively low carbonation that weakly nudges the surface of the palate; feels smooth, slick and heavy on the tongue.

Final Grade: 4.18, an A-. Invidia is a beautiful dark ale delicately balanced between two disparate, competing themes - indeed, the label refers to this as a stout, yet there are clearly Belgian dark ale influences at work, and so the empirical evidence points to somewhere in between. It's a little too saccharine for my tastes, but worth trying if you can find it: I've only had a handful of so-called 'Belgian stouts' in the past, but I see this as a superior hybrid that stands comfortably above the rest. Not a beer I see myself craving all that often, but it's a quality cold weather brew that I'd happily purchase again.

Deep dark brown body, with a fine head like espresso crema, retention is ok, and forms up with a swirl.
Aroma of molasses, birch syrup, lightly of fruity dark chocolate, black licorice.
Burst of flavour from the start, with molasses and black licorice again, deep and rich, and real-deal aged fruit cake, a touch of black forest cake, a hint of vanilla, even some black currant, cola; fine carbonation, medium body, and a sticky feel; it's on the sweet side, and over time that sense builds, but there is some balance from alcohol heat and roast bitterness.

Fascinating taste, complex and curious, but it's heavy on the sugars, I'd prefer some more balance to make it fantastic.

Pours dark copper without much of a head. The nose is of the usual Belgian triples and ales at first, but then the chocolate starts to dominate. I also detect hazelnut.
And the taste is quite different.
There is fig and malt, yes, but there is also strong raisin and especially chocolate.
It's also quite soft, though there is a bite at the end.
A nice twist on the usual Belgians but I can't say that it's better.

 

Poured a 330ml stubby bottle into a chalice. A 1/4" bubbly brown head on a black. A ring and thin layer persists.
Dark chocolate smells
The taste is chocolate dominating again. Prune, dark fruits. Strong cocoa. Minimal hop bitterness. Slight cocoa aftertaste.
Extremely smooth. Moderate body and light carbonation. Very well hidden ABV.
An unusual but very good Dark Strong. Well worth a try if you can find it. It's called a Cocoa Stout on the label but it is really hard to categorize.

Pours black with glints of cola at the edges of the glass. The head is small and short lived. Cocoa powder, caramel bread, prunes, leather in the nose. the taste of dark chocolate, cappuccino, stewed fruit and woody hops. The mouthfeel is full bodied with light carbonation. Plenty of dark fruit and some rum notes in the finish.

This is a fantastic Belgian stout. Complex and juicy with dangerously well hidden alcohol content. Worth a try.

330 ml bottle from the LCBO. Served cold into a Chimay chalice. Best before 2/6/2025.

Appearance - Virtually black in color dark than most of the others in this style. A small half finger of tan head is poured but fizzles out in 30 seconds.

Smell - Molasses and treacle, some dark fruits, I also get figs and dates. Some candi sugar too. Inviting holiday treat.

Taste - Again molasses and treacle, bits of caremel and some plums and figs mixed in. Pretty bitter on the finish, almost a earthy wood quality to it. There's also an overarching sense of cohesion by the illusion of marshmallows tying everything together. A little grape must too. Super complex and very tasty.

Mouthfeel - Full bodied, the booze is well disguised so there's only a bit of heat in the back of the throat. A little more slick and oily than most in the style.

Overall - Very impressive Belgian Strong Dark Ale, glad to have found this one and add a new brewery to my list. If you can find it (hasn't been rated in 6 years) do give it a try.