Cellar Series: Maplelicious
Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room

Got this from the Duvel guy in Utrecht

From a 33cl bottle into a snifter
Blended dark ale aged 9+ months in Vermont Maple Syrup barrels

APPEARANCE: Clear dark brown pour yields a 1+ finger, medium looking, creamy, light tan head with solid retention. Clear bistre brown body with some carbonation evident. Head slowly recedes to a full, creamy cap. Ring remains leaving no real lacing on the glass as it empties.

SMELL: Bold nose of maple syrup for sure, with butterscotch, vanilla cream, milk chocolate, some oak and hints of dark fruit on the nose. Lots of maple syrupy goodness. Candy-like and lovely.

TASTE: Maple syrup, caramel, butterscotch sweetness, with vanilla cream, milk chocolate and some decent dark fruit sweetness at the swallow. Very little booze. Bold finish is sweet and maple syrup heavy, with vanilla and milk chocolate, butterscotch, raisins, dates and some sweet brown sugar lingering on the palate. Lovely and very little booze character.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Creamy enough on the palate, goes down fine with no bite and finishes rather sticky on the palate. A touch of heat lingers but very minimal.

OVERALL: Delicious through and through. Really tasty, and the maple barrels are sublime. This brewery has been hit or miss over the last couple years, but this one is right on the money. A quality dark ale on this one and the maple barrels lend a level of decadence well worth checking out. Highly recommended if you get the chance. Cheers!

Amazing stuff. So, alright this is not an imperal stout but more of a strong dark ale as you can't find big roasty notes. You're more on chocolate and caramel notes. The maple is insane in this one. So well integrated but never cloying. You can't feel the 11.5 % ABV. This is perfectly balanced, the bourbon notes are very well integrated.
Awesome

 

Pours a pitch-black coloration with a small, fluffy head. Smells of caramel, slightly toasted malt, distinct, sweet'ish maple syrup, lighter milk chocolate and hints of dark fruit. Taste is a great balance of quite caramelly, slightly toasted, bready malt, distinct maple syrup sweetness, some dark fruits, with notes of raisin, fig and dates, lighter milk chocolate and hints of leather, bitter, herbal hops and earthy oak. Finishes bittersweet, with a light bitterness and some maple syrup, dark fruit and bitter, earthy hops lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a rich body and low/medium carbonation.

While the maple syrup is quite distinct here, with a noticeable sweetness, it never turns too cloying thanks to a great balance of more bitter and earthy accents, despite the strong chocolate and dark fruit notes as well. It's that balance which really makes this work, with the somewhat lighter toasted, bitter and earthy accents pitted perfectly against the sweeter maple, dark fruit and chocolate notes. Overall this makes for a very enjoyable sipper that's a little sweet and boozy, with a great warming presence in the aftertaste, but never feels cloying or overbearing, with a great body and mouthfeel as well, while that chocolately, maple aroma is particularly intoxicating in the nose here.

The body is black, the head of foam is fine-grained beige, very compact and with good persistence. The nose perceives caramel, chocolate, maple syrup, dates, plum and raisins, a light woody note. On the palate there is chocolate, toffee, maple syrup, elegant toasting and wood and a slightly bitter herbaceous / earthy finish. Dry and dry finish. Robust and well-blended ABV. Thick body and low carbonation.