Black Damnation XI - Special Kay - De Struise Brouwers

brentk56

North Carolina

4.58/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours out dark as motor oil and almost as thick; the small tan head probably could have been bigger with a harder pour, but that is not the kind of thing one does with a beer like this

Smell: Just massive - all of the dark fruit flavors complementing the chocolate and molasses notes; smells a bit like a port that has been combined with a huge RIS

Taste: As on the nose, the taste here is massive as well, with the fruity notes bringing date, prune and black cherry, up front, and the chocolate, molasses and burnt brown sugar joining in the middle; the high ABV level hits, after the swallow, building the intensity of the flavors

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, with low carbonation; lots of warmth in the gullet

Overall: One of those rare beers that will wow everybody in a room, I was just so happy to have had the opportunity to try it

Thanks, bobertkuekn, for bringing this to the ORF release - mighty generous

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 12:53:25 | More by brentk56

beernads

Florida

5/5  rDev +13.9%

05-24-2013 08:36:17 | More by beernads

cadaugherty

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

04-12-2013 03:48:27 | More by cadaugherty

BAsbill

California

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

03-30-2013 04:13:13 | More by BAsbill

leschkie

California

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

03-10-2013 07:55:51 | More by leschkie

jammalamma

California

5/5  rDev +13.9%

03-09-2013 20:47:52 | More by jammalamma

imperiallibations

California

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

01-30-2013 22:55:52 | More by imperiallibations

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -14.6%

01-18-2013 01:58:54 | More by yourefragile

spycow

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

01-14-2013 00:50:58 | More by spycow

Kelp

New Hampshire

4.75/5  rDev +8.2%

01-11-2013 05:13:15 | More by Kelp

teddyarrowhead

Oregon

4/5  rDev -8.9%

12-16-2012 06:40:30 | More by teddyarrowhead

imperialking

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

11-13-2012 20:33:10 | More by imperialking

birchstick

Missouri

3.95/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - pours black with a chocolate head that forms around the glass

S - nose is nose is cinnamon, chocolate, port, and spicy fruits

T - opens up with soy booziness and chocolates. These move on to bourbony chocolates and a lot of milk chocolate. Wow, powerful beer here.

M - boozy as hell, really spicy and hot

D - overall, this is another intense beer out of the black damnation series. Lots of boozy complexity makes this a treat to try!

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 02:13:49 | More by birchstick

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.7/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had from tap at the brewery...awesome!!!
First of all, Carlos apologized for this batch only being like 18% ... (how will I sleep?!)
This pours a thick oily black with thin tan head. Amazing chocolate malt, dried fruit, vanilla, and booze aromas. Taste is truly amazing. Chocolate, dried fruit and I suppose its port I taste...its fantastic!! I so wished to take a whole barrel home with me. Just an amazing brew.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2012 22:07:55 | More by DrinkSlurm

Etan

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Finally opening this. 750ml bottle into a snifter.

A: Pours a reddish dark brown with a small tan head. Surprising amount of lacing and retention for a 22% beer.

S: Cherry, raisins, thick chocolate, boozy oak. Very smooth.

T: Semi-sweet port, bitter roasted malts, dark chocolate, heavy smoky character, lots of oaky tannic bitterness and a wash of noticeable but pleasant alcohol. I can definitely make out the Kabert in this.

M: Slight carbonation, almost thick-bodied, silky.

O: The beer definitely kept it under control for 22%, but it tasted a bit too smoky and astringent. A unique experience, but not as amazing as it could have been.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 05:41:30 | More by Etan

koopa

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -8.9%

09-03-2012 23:02:50 | More by koopa

bsuedekum

Missouri

4.75/5  rDev +8.2%

09-01-2012 04:00:03 | More by bsuedekum

samEBC

Belgium

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

08-25-2012 16:40:59 | More by samEBC

cosmicevan

New York

4.15/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

shared with one of the tasting crews on 8/15.

a - still. black. frightening.

s - BOOZE. black malts. some fruit ala kabert, port and green apples, but swallowed by the bigness of the booze.

t - really smooth. definitely a bit boozy on the flavor, but doesn't feel like the 22% that it carries. roasted malts and some port barrel. like kabert on steroids.

m - this is a BIG beer. smooth, but still big.

o - overall this is a really nice treat, but not mind blowing. mind blowing how easy it is to drink. i prefer double black and kabert to this one. a bit of a novelty. tasty on its own, but for what it is, definitely impressive to make such a tasty and drinkable beer at this ABV with a non syrupy body.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 03:00:52 | More by cosmicevan

GRG1313

California

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

07-23-2012 00:28:09 | More by GRG1313

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.2/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Why not? My mate Doopie pulled this new vintage of EisKabert out to pair along side Kabert on a random Friday night. It was fun to drink a full 16oz of this one (Doops is slow). Cheers man!

From a red cemented and corked 750 into a snifter
Best before 29 December 2016

APPEARANCE: Pours basically the same as its little brother. A black pour yeilds a one finger, medium looking, tan head with good retention. Body is black with medium levels of carbonation evident in the form of tiny, tiny bubbles. Head slowly fades to a half wisp and a thick, foamy ring. A good ring remains and swirly wisp remain until the end but leave no real lacing down the glass. Looks great for such a big beer.

SMELL: Roasted, burnt malts, some dark fruit, grapes mostly, and a strong port barrel. Dark chocolate, coffee and molasses, as well as some strong boozy notes. This is an iced version of Kabert for sure, though the booze is perhaps a tick too much for a perfect score.

TASTE: This is definitely a Kabert concentrate. Add water. Lots of port barrel and much boozier than the nose had indicated. Roasted and burnt malts, coal, and dark fruit flavors are there. Sweet molasses and caramel as well, with lots of port and alcohol everywhere. Big, bold and boozy aftertaste of port, bunt malts, dark chocolate and sweet caramel. Lots of port and booze linger on the palate.

PALATE: Full body with medium carbonation. Heavier and thicker than the original. Creamy and quite smooth, goes down fine and finishes rather sticky. No bite at the swallow, but a good amount of boozy heat lingers.

OVERALL: They call this beer "Special Kay." How retarted. That name reminds me of fat old ladies on their Buns Blaster 2000. The original name, EisKabert, is much more true to what this beer is all about. This is, in every sense of the word, an iced version of Kabert; a Kabert-concentrate if you will. The flavors are there ten fold, but unfortunately the booze is as well. The higher levels of alcohol and heat make this one a little rougher to drink, but with some time, this might mellow out into the master-craft brew it's destined to be. I'll stick to Kabert for now, but in a few years... Cheers for brewing this gents. We really enjoyed this!

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 15:27:58 | More by Jeffo

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.8/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle 22% ABV.
Served lightly chilled in an over sized wine glass.
Best Before: 29/12/2016

I cannot thank Thijs enough for getting this bottle for me! I absolutely adore gargantuan imperial stouts and if the previous beers in the Black Damnation series are anything to go by, this should be a pretty damn good brew!

Appearance: After about half an hour trying to open the bottle (the wax broke my bottle opener!!!), I can finally get the beer poured. A pitch black, oily liquid gloops out of the bottle, with a two finger creamy, mocha coloured head forming in what appears to be slow motion. The head retention is pretty good for 22% and there are even a few small chunks of lace left behind as the head recedes. A swirl yields a thick, sticky, brown tinted residue on the glass and some of the thickest alcohol legs I have ever seen.

Smell: Mmmmm, this smells absolutely delicious. Notes include: Raisins, plums, dates, black cherries, sticky brown sugar, light molasses, port, brandy, underlying dark chocolate, light oak and an odd hint of cinnamon. The overall nose reminds me a lot of a super rich fruit cake. As the beer warms the port notes become more pronounced and a hint of the 22% is noted.

Taste: Wow, just WOW! The flavour combines all the notes from the nose in perfect balance and with double the power! While dark fruits still dominate the flavour, the chocolate and molasses are more pronounced than in the nose. Roasted malt, dark brown sugar, charred wood, dark caramel, port, oak, brandy, liquorice, toasted nuts and chocolate liqueur are just a few of the other notes appreciated. Special Kay is quite sweet, but a light bitterness in the finish stops it from becoming to much and keeps everything perfectly balanced.
The alcohol cover is absolutely phenomenal, if someone told me that this was 12% I would not doubt them!

Mouthfeel: Hmmm, there is only one word for this mouthfeel - perfect! Thick, heavy and oily with a medium level of ultra creamy carbonation.

Overall: De Struise does it again - this is a phenomenal brew and one I wish I had not shared, I could have happily crushed the full 750! Highly recommended for any lover of massive stouts!

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 20:25:16 | More by Thehuntmaster

drewone

California

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

06-16-2012 23:40:24 | More by drewone

Phelps

Arizona

4.1/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Special Kay begins life as Kabert, a blend of Kate the Great and Black Albert aged 10 months in Noval Port barrels. It then undergoes the Eisbock process, wherein the beer is fractionally frozen to -15 ° C over a period of 20 days, removing the water and increasing the ABV and flavor intensity. This bottle was very generously shared by ejyoung and poured into a tulip.

Inky is an appropriate descriptor for both color and thickness — this stuff is black, viscous and scary-looking. There isn’t much head, just a thin, cocoa-colored ring.

Yikes. A rich, syrupy aroma that sticks to the nostrils. Major coffee, notes — like fresh-roasted beans — with smoke, alcohol, dark chocolate and cognac. Just packed with rich, alcohol-laden fruits.

When I was but a beer noob, I remember being awestruck at the thickness and massive fruit flavor of the 2009 Dark Lord. My palate wasn’t right for days. This reminds of that first taste — it’s such a huge flavor. Alcohol is very noticeable, as are chocolate syrup and huge port, brandy and cognac flavors. Grapes, figs and prunes show up as well. The swallow brings a huge wave of booze, some earthy hop bitterness, soil, dark chocolate, smoke and seared steak. A beer for giants.

Very thick, viscous feel. The body’s medium-full and almost like syrup. Alcohol is spicy on the tongue — no getting around that alcohol content. I can feel myself getting dunker with each sip. Gentle prickles of carbonation are all that keep this from being dead flat.

A crazy beer. Rich, outrageously flavorful and boozy as all hell.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 19:08:19 | More by Phelps

nmann08

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

06-04-2012 14:28:22 | More by nmann08