Noir De Dottignies
Brouwerij Brasserie De Ranke

I had this on draft 8/29/23 @ the Hopleaf.

Black/brown appearance.

Nice tan head; nice lacing remained.

Plum, fresh tobacco & mild cream notes in the nose.

Creamy, medium thick mouthfeel.

Plum, cream & mild clove flavors up front; leather notes on the finish.

A bit creamy, a bit dry...balanced & enjoyable.

 

 

Chestnut brown; translucent on the edges, with an opaque center. Head fades fast, with little aesthetic residual. The aroma is mild, comprised of sweet fruitiness and alcohol. Excellent flavor with a classic combination of yeast snd malt. Mouthfeel is also exceptional, providing a sensory experience comparable to an imperial stout.

 

 

 

Dark brown appearance with a beige head that quickly recedes to a collar. Raisin, stone fruit, malt, bread notes. Moderate to full body, medium carbonation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

De Belgiuminabox. En copa Grimbergen. Viendo Facebook (se ha ido la luz). Si bien se le echa en falta mayor presencia de frutas oscuras, tiene una suavidad y sedosidad encomiables que animan a querer repetirla

 

L- Extremely dark chestnut brown, some light does get through it though so it's not strictly speaking black/'noir'. Pours with nice 2-3cm beige super-fine bubble creamy looking head.
S- Cocoa and British Xmas cake, ie rich+deep fruits.
T- Wow! Quite deep and pungent, cocoa, Xmas cake, and with a minor sour but apparent higher ABV% brush across the palate into the finish.* I'm about 1/3 way through this and it's now giving out notes of if not a liquor shot or two added to thsi beer, then the ABV% pungency of a fortified wine. It's like the impact of the ABV% keeps on growing.
F- It's quite intriguing, it's pungency seems to grow as I sip my way through it. Carbonation in the mouth almost passes me by since the flavour rather dominates, it doesn't seem lacking though. The head is still holding at 1Cm+ 15mins after pouring. This for me is a slow-sipping beer, it's too deep and full-on to rush. I could drink it in place of wine, or as an afetr-dinner drink. Would work better in colder months when my palate craves depth/character vs simple refreshment.
O- Really veeery good indeed. Zero 'wrong' that I note here. It is pretty amazing the brewery managed to construct this vast tasting/feeling beer upon a foundation of 8.5%ABV. I would VERY happily drink this wee beasty of a beer again. It is seriously classy!
330ml bottle. 'Brewed: Dec-19 Exp: 20/12/2024', wow 5 years for an 8.5% beer... and yes my bottle is 8.5% vs 9% in the Description^.
Bought from BelgiumInABox Antwerp/BE for home delivery to me in London/UK.
* In contrast my wife got chocolate and a hoppy flourish into the finish.

Look: Very deep brown. One finger of off-white head with very short retention.

Smell: Yeast, doughy malt, molasses, cherry.

Taste: Chocolate, dough, dried fruit, mild roast malt. Little to no hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Full and highly carbonated.

Overall: A very nice, hearty, sweet dessert beer.

Pours a murky brown color with a bigger, stable and fluffy head.

Smells of raisins, dried hops and glazed caramel among toasty walnuts and lighter cinnamon.

Drinks incredibly silk, smooth with a well working effervescence, which seemingly is coming out of nowhere during the beer‘s finish.

This tastes of bakers chocolate, which immediately gets enhanced by a sweet note of caramel, a good amount of roasted malts and toasty nuts, as well as slightly bitter grassy hops. Offers a big layer of melted milk chocolate, entangled into slighly fruitier turning hops, which find their balance in the profound roastiness in this. Despite its rustic character the beer appears utmost creamy, exhibiting a huge amount of whipped cream, highlighting the complex chocolate as well as the hops in this, creating a long lasting, versatile aftertaste.

A real treat, which is incredibly intense on the tongue, balanced by a world class mouthfeel. Every flavor in this is on point and able to connect to each other, creating an astonishing depth.