Cuvée Delphine
De Struise Brouwers

330 mL bottle poured into a De Struise chalice. 2011 bottle.

Appearance - Black with less of a head than Black Albert. Similar thick mocha collar.

Smell - Light bourbon with a touch of barrel character. Chocolate and cherry comes through, similar to Black Albert. Strangely, not as boozy smelling as the 5-year-old bottle of Black Albert I had.

Taste - Vanilla and bourbon up front, but subtle. Much more of the cherry flavor followed by rich chocolate. The bourbon is back in the end along with a bitterness that I find strange. Falls a little short of the base beer here.

Mouthfeel - Well carbonated. Pretty chewy aside from feeling a bit too overcarbonated at points.

Overall - I prefer Black Albert to this, although this is quite good on its own. Just seems that some of the characteristics that make Black Albert great have been pushed aside by the barrel, which isn't strong enough to be the centerpoint of the flavor.

 

11.2oz brown bottle, non-logoed cap. Dating information on label is 'brew date 19/05/20 Bottle date - Best before: 04/08/22 +5YRS'.
Looks clear for clarity, dark brown colored body. Darker tan colored full head when poured, and this head disperses to islands and a full ring. Tiny lacing spots tend to slide back down into the body. Head reforms after each sip.
Aroma of boozy chocolate, cream, vanilla, and a smidge of coffee. Rises quite far from the glass.
Taste is sweet and very boozy. Dark roasted malts, brown sugar, and a little char as the sugar fades. Other flavors of chocolate, vanilla, oak, date, and prune. Late addition of a spice note similar to subtle cinnamon and anise. Aftertaste stays with the booze, dark fruit, and chocolate.
More than medium mouthfeel. Silky and smooth texture, with a dry finish because of the higher ABV%. Repeated sips numb the tongue and upper part of the mouth. Bitterness similar to dark roast coffee, and the booziness can get a little harsh, but the sweetness prevails. Good carbonation.
Enticing to sip but the booziness pushes back. Has some depth of flavors, without adding adjuncts. Wheat malt is included in the list of ingredients.

 

 

 

bottle was 10 years old;

A: opaque; very dark brown in color - almost black; less than a 1 finger dark brown head that receded quickly to a moderate collar; no lacing;

S: prune, cherry, caramel, and bittersweet chocolate;

T: follows the nose for a moment, then it's prune, cherry, and vanilla; cherry and vanilla on the finish;

M: medium to full bodied; moderate, prickly carbonation; dry finish; alcohol is warming, but soft;

O: the vanilla in the flavor is the only connection to bourbon barrel aging that I got; really nice complexity; rich;

 

 

My 8th from them, De Struisse seems to brew above my ABV threshold (my 2020 vintage is 13%.) De Struisse also brews above my pay scale. This Cuvee is another example of both.

But before we analyze the stout, let's appreciate how thoughtful De Struisse is. They essentially coronate an illegitimate child of royalty. How telling is that? Then, they make a masterpiece stout from their genius recipe of Black Albert. Then they age it for 4 months in bourbon barrels so it is smooth. And then, they offer it to us as The Truth That Can Set Us Free.

In light of how illegitimate U.S. politics have become in this Century, I'm wondering if we should order 70 Million copies of Cuvee' Delphine and ship them to the States and see if that gets us solving problems together before something really, really bad happens whose consequences cannot be contained. Just a thought of mine, inspired by Delphine.

 

 

 

 

Elegant and restrained use of bourbon barrels compliments the roast and chocolate notes of the outstanding base beer. Very well crafted.

330 ml bottle, bottle date 14/12/2021, best before +5 years afterward. Label says 13% ABV. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with not quite an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. I like the aroma, the brew smells like dark fruit, brown sugar, vanilla, bourbon and a bit of chocolate. Taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some oak, dark bread and coffee flavors. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's slick and a bit syrupy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a pretty good brew, definitely worth picking up if you get the chance!

 

Dark as a stout should be. Tan head. Nose is dried fruit and charr. Taste was chocolate. Good smooth mouth feel. Easy drinker with nice warmth on backend.

Looks dark, pours a rather aerated light brown head. Smell is a bit muted for me. Nothing really sticks out, very standard. Slight metallic smell and taste. Feel is to fizzy and thin for my liking. 2019 vintage aged in 4 roses bourbon barrel, may not have aged very well.

This 13% yummy monster is incredibly good and dangerous. You definitely don’t think that it comes in at 13% abv. It is layered with so many different flavors. At first, its perfect toasted malt hits you and then you get a perfectly balanced bitter taste of the hops followed by a barrel aged caramel sweetness. This beer is amazing paired with dessert when you don’t have to drive.