Dead Man's Hand - Wine Barrel Aged
Brouwerij Het Nest

Brouwerij Het Nest Dead Man's Hand Wine Barrel Aged Stout, 10% ABV. Pours black with a huge five finger head - hell a whole fist. Nose is malt and wine, taste follows, light bitterness. Decent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

 

Blind-tasted except for the beer's name and brewery/country, zero reviews below read (yet!)...
L- Black, pours clear though some sediment left accreted to the base of the bottle. 2mm pale tan head that soon disperses to leave a thin ring and patch.
S- I certainly get a wine-like note from this. And beyond that perhaps my nose is kaput tonight...
T- Ooph! ...Wooooah, that's some flavour journey. Big, deep, with some hints of rich moderated by wine notes. Nice to see the wine notes actually fit into the blend well here rather than seeming contrary (vs beer) as can happen in some wine-barrel aged beer - might help this clearly has a solid ABV%. Mild timber notes come through too.
F- I get a distinct ABV% zing on the palate but it comes tangentially in parallel with the flavour rather than a direct full-on assault. Deep, roasty-toasty, a nice slow-sipping beer.
O- The wine aspect is big and clear to spot and yet in this example of the style I think it fits in better than several others I've tried. It also has just sufficient richness to round off any sharpness from the wine. Ie overall it still comes over as 'medium-dry'. Interesting, different and complex.
Review/scoring all done, now the reveal, I get to read the bottle lables to see what I missed!
330ml bottle BB: 03/2022 Euro3.15 Bought from BeerMania/Belgium as part of a large pick-your own consignment to London.

Exceptional brew. Rich, thick, dark chocolate, slight coffee, sweet, malty, tad spicy, then.......red wine. Superb! Drink warmish. Sippn brew. Take time to savor; no gulping. Just became a regular on my list—when I can find it.

11.2 oz. bottle.
Moderate pour yields a one inch tan head over a dark brown body with some lacing. The bubbles won't stop feeding the ring around the now dissipated head. The head, after 1/2 an hour now, comes back big time with a swirl or two. Fantastic nose of cocoa, chocolate, and dark fruit. Taste of chocolate, dark fruit (cherry, mostly), slight coffee, and tannins from the red wine barrels. As it warms, the tannins lessen somewhat leaving a chocolate/cherry flavor that just won't quit. Nice feel and overall, what a real nice red wine barrel aged stout. Get it, you fools!

11.2oz undated bottle poured into a snifter at fridge temp 10% ABV. The beer pours dense very dark brown with abundant khaki head. The head recedes slowly to a cap and leaves plenty of lacing. The aroma is chocolate, oak and red wine. The taste is mildly tart red wine soaked chocolate up front. There is some roast in the middle and finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, adequately carbonated and dry in the finish. Overall, very good. This is a nice stout with some distinct and strong flavors that really mesh well.

 

 

 

 

It pours jet black with an insane chocolate-milk hued thick head. The aroma is vinous and with a combined elements of burnt roastiness and vinous acidity. The taste is vinous yet roasty, with notes of dried fruit, cherries and coffee. Very complex. In many ways it tastes like someone mixed a stout with a vintage Rodenbach. Very viscous. The more it warms up the more you can taste and smell the wine.

Poured from 0.33l bottle into goblet.
L: Black color with a massive coffe-like foam head.
S: Chocolate, cocoa beans, dark fruits.
T: Red wine notes, coffee, chocolate, raisin.
F: Super tight and high carbonated.
O: Feels likes a blended belgian quad and RIS. Very interesting!

Pours dark with a thick light mocha head that lingers.

Smells of dark fruit, notes of sweet red wine and oak.

Hit the pallet a bit thick and velvety. Tastes like a Belgian quad met a stout. Sweet flavors dance on the tongue, mix of dark fruits and wine. A hint of coffee and chocolate at the end. the carbonation is bright on the pallet that leaves a slight tingle. Sweet and dark flavors linger in the mouth similar to dark chocolate covered cherries.

This is a fun stout.

Bought at Beertopia in Omaha, NE. I couldn't resist the somewhat Western style lettering, bloody cards and skull with the bullet hole in the forehead. I looked, sounded interesting. From Belgium?… Okay!

Pours a nice black with a fluffy vigorous head that dissipates gradually to a thin, tan sheet over the top. The beer isn't so dense you cannot catch a little color in the light. I see a little ruby like tones here and there around the edges. A beauty!

Smells awesome! You get that barrel aged stout scent. There is a nice fruity, vinous smell for sure. Deep, woody, earthy scent dominated by dried cherries, coffee grounds, and bitter dark chocolate.

The taste is pretty fantastic! You get a beautiful hit of acidity right in the front that reminds of me tart cherries. It rounds into dark chocolate that lingers to the end with notes of raspberries, blackberries, and a hint of currants. The barrel note gives the fruit a dryness that is pretty irresistible. I get a bit of coffee bean, like popping one coated in chocolate in your mouth. Nice balance of sweet, dry and bitter. Not muddy at all! It has a good, clean taste for a stout. I get a pinch of that doughy, bread, Belgian yeast.

Mouthfeel is very clean as well, medium body with a good frothy carbonation that gives it a creamy mouthfeel.

I'm liking this a lot! It is not overwhelming and too much of a smack in the face. You can easily get through the bottle and taste a lot of nuances throughout the drinking of this beer. The barrel aging really shines through and enhances the flavor with its pronounced fruitiness that has been paired almost seamlessly with the coffee and dark chocolate, roasty malts. I would buy this again!

 

Poured blackness with billowy tan head. Smell of sweet cherry, coffee with a touch of cocoa. Taste is boozy. Coffee, red grape, and dried current. Light carbonation and a slightly viscous mouthfeel gives it a pleasant balance. Overall not my favorite stout, but worth a try.

 

 

Dooper gave this to me as a present. It was somebody's birthday again. Cheers dude!

APPEARANCE: A perfectly clear black pour yields a two finger, medium looking, semi-creamy, light tan head with good retention. Clear black body with slightly higher levels of carbonation. Head slowly fades to a full cap. A wisp remains leaving some touches of lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Medium nose with red wine, grapes, oak, some tannins, light vanilla and some lemony sour notes.

TASTE: Oak and tannins, red wine and some sourness up front. Flavorful for sure. More wood at the swallow with a big finish of oak, tannins, wine, some chocolate bitterness and grape, lemon flavored sourness. Interesting for sure, but a little too much wood and tannin at this point.

PALATE: Medium body and higher levels of carbonation. Lighter on the palate, foamy and a bit prickly, goes down fine with a bit of a scratch and finishes slightly sticky. A bit of heat lingers.

OVERALL: Not bad at all. I'm usually not sure about stout and wine barrels and this didn't convince me either way, but it was an interesting and enjoyable drink. The look and feel could be better, and there's a little bit too much tannin and sourness for the style perhaps, but this is something worth checking out if you're interested in stout and wine barrels. Thanks again for the present Doops!