Black Albert - De Struise Brouwers

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1,086 Ratings

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rAvg: 4.25
pDev: 10.12%
Reviews: 769
Hads: 317

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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 beerdrifter:

beerdrifter

Germany

3.78/5 rDev -11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up at an awesome beer store outside Ghent, Dranken Geers. Deep, dark brown, almost black pour with a slight reddish tinge. Gorgeous three finger coffee colored head and excellent lacing. Earthy, roasty malt and booze dominate the nose. I'm also getting some coffee, chocolate and a hint of dark fruit. The taste is much the same. The roasted malt and alcohol are dominant again, with lots of cocoa and dark fruit. The hops are overpowered by the sweetness of the malt, which hurts the balance for me and imparts too little bitterness. The mouthfeel is decent, but leans towards being a little syrupy. The sweetness hurts the drinkability for me. That coupled with the booziness makes this just an average beer. I have to admit that it did get better as it warmed, but I don't really understand all the hoopla with this one. I'm a big De Struise fan, but this was disappointing...

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 14:50:25 | More by beerdrifter

More User Reviews:

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

4.5/5 rDev +5.9%

05-20-2013 04:02:31 | More by Kmat10

mkennedy119

Illinois

4.25/5 rDev 0%

05-20-2013 02:44:55 | More by mkennedy119

ADTaber

South Carolina

4.5/5 rDev +5.9%

05-19-2013 17:26:00 | More by ADTaber

ShawnMH

Indiana

4.25/5 rDev 0%

05-19-2013 15:44:49 | More by ShawnMH

Photekut

Azerbaijan

3.5/5 rDev -17.6%

05-18-2013 22:21:39 | More by Photekut

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