Black Damnation II - Moccha Bomb
De Struise Brouwers

330 mL bottle poured into a Kate the Great snifter. Best by 9/2015.

Appearance - Viscous black with an ample mocha head. It gets quite murky in the end. Must be a lot of chunks in this guy.

Smell - Lots of coffee. Not much else coming through. Acidic coffee. Like an overbrewed pot of coffee. It honestly isn't that appealing.

Taste - Bright coffee flavor up front with a nice milk chocolate malt behind it. Tingly alcohol, but it isn't boozy. I wonder if that's the barrels they talk about. I get almost no barrel character or whiskey flavor, just a little bit of oak.

Mouthfeel - Chewy and hardly boozy for 12%, which I kinda don't believe. This is thick and viscous, but nary a hint of alcohol to it besides that little tingle.

Overall - Lots of coffee that masks almost all of the beer aroma and a fair bit of the flavor. Impressive mouthfeel, though. Well crafted in that respect and even pretty tasty, if you like a coffee bomb of a stout.

Served in an half pint glass from the bottle.

Appearance: Dark opaque dark crude motor oil with a slight brownish tint to the body. Dark tan head rising just over one finger's length settling quick after a few sips.

Smell: Heavy warm brown sugar aroma with a mixture of light chocolate. Potent and easy to like.

Taste: This brew comes of a certain sweet offset by malts. Mocha and lightly spicy with doses of espresso. Complex as it gets, the molasses feel also gives this brew points...in lust.

Feel: Sticky after taste, little spicy feel with medium carbonation and very full bodied.

Overall: Whiskey infused spiciness which compliments any meal. Not overpowering, just strong enough to fulfill any palate. Salud!

Copenhagen 19/11 2022. 33 cl bottle from Den Belgiske Ølbutik, Jyllingevej, Vanløse. Yellow, sinister skull on the label which looks like some Death Metal record cover from the nineties.

Pours opaque, dark brown with s small beige head. A bit bubbly. Settles as thin rim of foam running along the side of the glass. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is intense with a dark, sweet odor mingling with a light, sourish notes. Brown sugar, toffee, bitter licorice, coffee. Dark alcohol. A bit of sour grains.

Light carbonation. Medium thick, oily soft, slightly viscous, smooth, almost flat texture.

Flavor is intense with a strong sweetness followed by a medium strong sourish bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet with a notable bitter undertone. Lingers for a while. Finish is rather dry and laden with alcohol.

Potent, sweet and boozy with a nice dry touch.

(Vintage 2018)
In the glass the colour is opaque black, although on pouring you can see that it is a deep brown. The foam is brown, high and of medium persistence. Melts to form a thick ring against the walls of the glass. It paints frothy circles nicely.
The aroma is very intense, sweet, chocolate, roasted, coffee, notes of strong, refined alcohol, liquorice. After a slight warming, the Bourbon notes seem more intense.
Although it seemed that the taste would be sweet a roasted bitterness leads the way.
The alcohol warms up pleasantly. Saturation low. Body seems to be medium. Texture smooth, "sticky". A sweet, sticky "film" forms on the lips. Aftertaste long dry with a slightly sour finish.

 

 

 

Bottled, most probably bottle conditioned and shared at Temperance street tap
Pours a jet black body with tight thick tan head
Aroma is Irish coffee with a whiff of chocolate
Flavour is whisky’d up mocha

 

From a 0.33l bottle, gifted to me in September 2021 from my good Dutch friend Thijs.... Bottled 17MAR21.... This bottle says 13.0% ABV....

Pours dark and oily, with no light penetrating whatsoever. Has a short, thin, light tan layer of foam cover the liquid. Lacing is present though on the light side. Aroma has some rich, dark, roasty malts, coffee and whiskey. Body is medium-plus and a touch chewy, with a very smooth feel on the tongue.

Flavor has some more roasty action and rich, dark malts, plus some caramel and toffee. Also getting some notes of dark fruit, like raisins, dates and black currants. The bourbon is present, yet light, lingering in the background. It finishes a bit dryly, with some earthy, floral hop action. Another solid Struise bier! Thnx, Thijs! Prosit!

4.24/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2381

De Capitán Amargo. En Sercotel Granada Suites. En copa shaker. Tras cena. Como suele sucederme con Struise, me resulta muy basta, con la madera aportándole una acidez que no termina de cuadrarme. Al menos en este caso la cosa no es excesiva y el abv está bien oculto, pero roba protagonismo al cafe

 

 

 

Shared bottle at local tasting. Pitch black colour, large tan head. The aroma is first dryish and ashy with notes of cold coffee, then some sweetish notes of malts come through. Warming mouthfeel. The flavour is medium sweet with strong notes of coffee..

 

Pours a pitch-black coloration with a small, fizzy, quickly receding head. Smells of roasted, caramel malt, chocolate, coffee and dark fruits, with notes of raisin and fig, as well as hints of licorice, vanilla and bourbon-soaked oak. Taste is an excellent balance of roasted, caramel malt, distinct chocolate, coffee and dark fruit, with notes of raisin, plum and fig, as well as some brown sugar and spicy accents of vanilla, licorice, clove and black pepper, as well as just a hint of bourbon-soaked oak. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some chocolate, coffee, dark fruit and spice lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a rich body and light/medium carbonation.

I certainly didn't expect the Jack Daniels BA variant of Black Damnation to be one of my favorites of the series, but here we are. I guess it's the blend of different beers and aging on coffee beans that makes this, creating quite a roasted, dry and bitter flavor profile with hints of sweetness, quite distinct spicy accents and a good barrel presence that feels just a little boozy, but very lightly so and in a good way, with some heavy oak accents. Overall, this makes for quite a complex, yet subtely balanced beer that is rich in body and character, making for a very enjoyable sipper that is best savoured by letting it warm up a bit and taking your time with it.