Barcode Red (8719992492428)
Brouwerij De Moersleutel

Got this one from the Moersleutel website. Cheers!

From a 44cl can into a snifter
Best Before January 2025
Peated Coconut barrel aged imperial stout with lactose

APPEARANCE: Clear black pour yields a 2+ finger, medium looking, slightly fizzy dark tan head with very good retention. Black body with no real carbonation evident. Head slowly recedes to a splotchy wisp and ring. Touches of wisp remain leaving no real lacing down the glass as it empties.

SMELL: Whisky and oak aromas, with vanilla cream, milk chocolate, coconut, light butterscotch, some roasted coffee notes and some earthy peat aromas as well. Bold.

TASTE: Whisky, peat flavors, some vanilla cream and coconut at the swallow. A decent dose of alcohol as well. Bold and boozy finish of whisky, earthy peat flavors, oak, milk chocolate and vanilla cream sweetness, coconut, roasted flavors, lightly bitter coffee, as well as a decent dose of booze lingers on the palate. Flavorful and boozy.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Creamy enough, goes down fine and with a decent scratch and burn, finishing somewhat sticky on the palate. Solid heat lingers.

OVERALL: Good stuff. I enjoy a little peat in my life and this is just the right amount. Some nice sweet vanilla and coconut flavors to act as a counterweight. It might be a little hot for top marks, but it’s still flavorful, enjoyable and well made. Love what these guys do. Check it out if you get the chance. Cheers!

 

Pours a pitch-black coloration with a medium, creamy, dark-brown head. Smells of roasted, caramel malt, a distinct, smokey peat presence, some toasted coconut and lighter milk chocolate, coffee and licorice, as well as just a hint of lactose and booze. Taste is an excellent balance of roasted, caramel malt, a distinct but mellow peat presence, some toasted coconut, milk chocolate and lighter coffee, licorice and tobacco, as well as just a hint of herbal hops, dark fruit, lactose, oak and booze. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some peat, coconut and chocolate lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a rich body and medium carbonation.

After their terrible vanilla pastry stout, this is a welcome return to form for De Moersleutel, once again featuring their great signature balance of strong roasted, bitter notes and just slightly sweet and boozy accents. While I could have personally done without the lactose here, it really is used in moderation, adding a certain vanilla presence and mellowing out the peat a little, while the toasted coconut, chocolate and tobacco also show up strongly, with some lighter herbal hops, licorice and dark fruits adding depth and character here. All in all, a terrific, complex yet well-balanced stout that makes for a very enjoyable sipper rich in character, with a certain warming, but not hot/sharp scotch presence that is just perfect.