Black Albert - De Struise Brouwers

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94
exceptional
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1,081 Ratings

THE BROS
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rAvg: 4.25
pDev: 10.12%
Reviews: 769
Hads: 312

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Brewed by:
De Struise Brouwers

Belgium

Style | ABV
Russian Imperial Stout | 13.00% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (715), on-tap (54).

Notes:
Originally brewed exclusively for Ebenezer's Pub in Lovell, ME.

View: Beers (52) | Reviews (7) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by Alieniloquium:

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.33/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

330 mL bottle poured into a De Struise chalice. Bottled June 2007.

Appearance - Pours a dark black (redundant?) with lots of murky sediment as I pour it. Pours with a nice mocha head. Settles to a thick collar.

Smell - Belgian characteristics all over. Cherries most predominant. Raisins and chocolate behind it. Boozy, too.

Taste - The dark chocolate is pervasive, but it's all combined with a great cherry flavor. Chocolate covered cherries. Mmm. Very hoppy in the back end. Loses its roastiness and becomes more of a BSDA in the end.

Mouthfeel - Thick and chewy. Definitely boozy, but well carbonated. No signs of age, even at over 5 years.

Overall - A really great hybrid of BSDA and stout. The fruit flavors blends extraordinarily well with the deep chocolate roast. The booze is forgiven for this quality of flavor.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 01:32:19 | More by Alieniloquium

More User Reviews:

brian4beer

Indiana

3.75/5 rDev -11.8%

05-18-2013 03:20:49 | More by brian4beer

carlosega

Ohio

4.25/5 rDev 0%

05-17-2013 19:20:21 | More by carlosega

jkane101

New Jersey

4.25/5 rDev 0%

05-16-2013 22:17:00 | More by jkane101

deekyn

California

4.25/5 rDev 0%

05-16-2013 04:16:37 | More by deekyn

BBP

Ontario (Canada)

4.4/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Pours somewhat standard for a stout of its calibre, but a little thinner in appearance. Carbonation was as expected.

The aroma is sweet, with subtle booze, and some slight chocolate.

The taste is quite strong, and appealing at first. There's quite a balance to this stout, and the IBUs are quite far from obvious (although not something I'd prefer), and it really comes across perhaps too smooth. For 13%, this is very easy drinking, and the booze is there, yet works with the drink rather than against it. Chocolate, coffee, and vanilla are all here; A bit of sweetness as well. Perhaps raisin and vanilla. Sweeter than most imperials, but not by a long shot.

The body is full, and the carbonation plays its role without bringing attention to itself, which is all I could ask from a stout.

Overall, this was quite a tasty stout, and perhaps one of the best stouts I've tasted outside of North America. It's really nice to see a Belgian brewery strive to branch out beyond the typical styles that they're known for and this was a big success.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 20:00:38 | More by BBP