Al90r1thm 1996 Fort Williams (Ben Nevis BA)
Uiltje Brewing Company

 

Dark black without head, small bubbles on top.
Nose is sweetness, raisins, dark dried fruits, figs, dates, some wood notes, dark roasted malt, bourbon barrel.
Taste similar to nose with a big booziness

 

33cl bottle. Very dark brown pour with a thin espresso head that disappears almost instantly. Smells like cherries, roasted malts, scotch whiskey, sherry. The taste follows the same notes, roasty and cherry bitterness alongside a burnt caramel sweetness. It feels a bit too boozy. Full bodied, flat and with a sticky sweet and alcohol-hot aftertaste.

This is quite possibly Holland's answer to BCBS. Too bad it's even more limited and even more expensive than the now AB-InBev backed giants.

Toasted oak, sweet caramel, molasses, and vanilla. It's almost like sniffing into a glencairn glass filled with Japanese whisky matured in Mizunara barrels, but the bottle clearly reads "1996 Fort Williams Ben Nevis BA." More dark fruits surface toward the back end with generous amounts of prunes and figs setting the already "full-speed ahead" olfactory sensation into hyperdrive.

First impression on the palate is that this isn't nearly as boozy or whisky heavy as I'd thought it'd be. Tons of dark fruit from the get-go, augmented by the usual supporting cast of bitter chocolate, robusta coffee, oak, and vanilla. Generous amounts of toffee and caramel accentuate the rich array of flavors already present in the brew, but is washed away by a strong oaky French vanilla after taste before it has any time to settle and make a bigger impression.

Medium-ish mouthfeel with soft carbonation. It does leave behind a sticky sensation inside the mouth and elicits a moderate burning sensation which isn't too surprising being that the brew is 14.4% ABV.

Got this one at the Mitra in Vleuten

From a bottle into a snifter
Bottled 15 April 2016
Aged in 1996 Fort Williams Ben Nevis barrels

APPEARANCE: Clear black pour yields a one finger, medium looking, fizzy tan head with decent retention. Pretty fizzy stuff. Transparent black body with no carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a half wisp and ring. Ring and splotchy wisp but no lacing down the glass. Decent body but kind of a lousy head.

SMELL: Lots of barrel and booze on this one, right off the bat. Big nose is alcoholic with oak, scotch whisky, some earthy and peated aromas, some leather and sweet cream as well. Notes of milk chocolate in the back. Definitely big and boozy.

TASTE: Alcoholic with scotch whiskey and oak up front. This is really hot, alcoholic and whisky dominant. Not much in terms of stout character here. Harsh and boozy at the swallow with loads of scotch whisky, oak and alcohol lingering after the swallow. Woody, with notes of peat and cream in there as well, but this is all spirit all-the-time.

PALATE: Medium-thin body and fizzy on the palate. Lighter as well. Prickly and harsh going down with a solid burn at the swallow, finishing kind of mouth-coating. Lots of booze and heat linger.

OVERALL: This is one bridge too far. I get the comparisons to GI Bourbon County Stout, as they’re both thin, fizzy, and far too alcoholic and harsh. If you like that kind of stuff, you’ll love this. On the other hand, this one has more of a scotch / peat character than Bourbon County ever has, so the flavor part of the comparison is way off. Nevertheless, if you like big, harsh and abrasively boozy BA stouts, then this is right up your alley. For me, it’s a little too far-fetched. Glad to have tried it and am happy to see Dutch brewers pushing the envelope even more. Definitely worth a shot if you can get it. Cheers!

Algorithm Ben Nevis BA

Black in color. Tan head. Faded to a ring.

This one is fudgey and very bcbs like. Lots of chocolate. Rich. Some heat. The scotch shows a bit, but no peat which is nice. More of a whiskey flavor. Some roast.

Full bodied. Warming and smooth.

This was a very nice barrel aged stout. Impressed.