Black Albert - De Struise Brouwers

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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 davod23:

davod23

California

4.55/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 0. This arrived from Struise just yesterday. Poured into my Bruery tulip.

Pour is beautiful. Almost pitch black, chunky, long lasting tan head. Nice lacing. About as good as it gets.

The aroma is strangely muted, subdued. The most recognizable component is a mixed berry compote. Raisins. Slight roast, dark chocolate, and a wisp of smoke round it out. But this is surprisingly fruity.

Whoa. This is awesome. It opens with a berry sweetness, but almost immediately plunges into the deepest, darkest dark chocolate imaginable. This is like a melted gourmet bittersweet chocolate bar. Alcohol is warming but generally well hidden. This one lingers for a while on the back of the tongue - it's been a couple minutes since my last sip and I can still taste this. Fantastic, and after the aroma a huge and welcome surprise.

Mouthfeel and drinkability are both superb. Thick, viscous, but with an appropriate amount of low-level carbonation.

I've had Black Albert only once before, but this is much, much better than that bottle. Less of the quad characteristics, more of the stout. Worth seeking out. If Struise releases more Batch 0, I will be all over it. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2010 23:55:57 | More by davod23

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