Barcode Black (8719992492237)
Brouwerij De Moersleutel

Got this one from the Bierkoning in Amsterdam

From a 440ml can into a snifter
Double barrel aged Imperial stout in Japanese Whisky and Port Barrels

APPEARANCE: Pours our clear black and yields a small, thin, medium looking dark tan head with lousy retention. Head quickly vanishes, leaving a faint wisp and ring only. Black body with no carbonation evident. A slight ring remains leaving touches of falling lacing down the glass as it empties.

SMELL: Whisky, port and red wine, grapes and dark fruit, molasses and tobacco, with notes of milk chocolate and alcohol on the nose. Bold.

TASTE: Port, red wine, tobacco, leather and sweet molasses up front. Whisky and wood flavors as well. Some booze at the swallow, moving into a bold finish of port and whisky, oak, molasses, tobacco, leather, some milk chocolate and vanilla flavors, as well as some alcohol. Bold and flavorful for sure.

PALATE: Full body and low levels of carbonation. Silky and smooth on the palate, slick doing down with a bit of a burn and finishes very sticky on the palate. Some decent heat lingers.

OVERALL: Good stuff, but not quite as enjoyable as the Blue Code. This one has lots of flavor and character, but it’s rather boozy and port heavy. Not quite as nuanced in flavor and certainly hits you in the face a little more. Quality BA beer from De Moersleutel, but not quite as awesome as the Blue addition to the series.

 

Pours a pitch-black coloration with a small, creamy, mocha-colored head. Smells of roasted, caramel malt, strong notes of dark fruit and chocolate and just a hint of vanilla and musty, slightly tannic oak coming through as well. Taste is a great balance of roasted, caramel malt, strong notes of dark, bitter chocolate and dark fruits: raisin, plum and lighter notes of red berries: cherry, cranberry, brown sugar and just a hint of vanilla, licorice and musty, slightly tannic oak. Finishes bittersweet, with a light/medium bitterness and some chocolate, dark fruits and red berries lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a rich body and light/medium carbonation. Slightly boozy as it warms, but not too bad, really.

A great double-barrel Imperial Stout that manages quite a good balance between the whiskey and port barrels, resulting in some vanilla, red berry and musty oak notes that go quite well with the strong dark fruit and chocolate character of the base beer, while the roasted, slightly bitter notes provide a good counterpoint to the sweeter notes that are also present here. As always with De Moersleutel, this makes for quite a rich brew that manages a good balance between sweet and bitter, roasted notes, with quite a good complexity being added by the double-barrel ageing here.