Struise Black Damnation V - Double Black
Bourbon barrel - aged Black Albert (Cuvée Delphine) Imperial Stout, processed in the Eisbock way.
4.1
338 reviews
Oostvleteren, Belgium
Community reviews
Vintage 2012 750ml Bottle shared at The Hoppy Pub.Pours like petrol, black with no head.Thick and sticky mouthfeel with insanely smooth texture for the abv.Aromas of chocolate, raisin, burnt sugar and hints of alcohol.Amazing taste, very complex and balanced.It’s sweet but not overwhelming.It’s an imperial stout and not an alcohol bomb for the 26%abv.It has an alcolic aftertaste but it doesn’t burn your stomach going down.I don’t know how they managed this, but they did.An amazing beer for sure...
Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with no head. Aroma of ethanol, anise and chocolate is quiet unique. Taste is dominated by overpowering alcohol and ethanol notes with some ash, anise, chocolate and residual sugar with dry raisin notes. Body is full with oily texture and low carbonation. Interesting experiment but alcohol is somewhat overwhelming.
Bottle at Xmas 2016 gathering, merci Phil! Pours dark chocolate, some head and some lacing. Notes of molasses, espresso, deep vanilla bourbon. Huge sweet, big bitter. Creamy body, lively carbonation, big alcohol burn. A beast!
A deep dark stout with no head. In aroma, sweet fruity chocolate malt with dark fruits, molasses, alcohol warmth, light soy sauce, very nice and complex. In mouth, a beautiful sweet chocolate malt with loads of alcohol warmth, molasses, coffee grind, musty character, very nice and complex. Bottle at Ottawa Xmas gathering 2016.
Bottle shared during the November THT tasting at deanso’s place. Pours pitch black, no head. Aroma is heavy on the roast, chocolate and a bit of coffee, obvious boozyness in there. Taste is very sweet but also heavily roasted, more chocolate notes and some dark fruits, bourbon, molasses. Pretty intense because of all the booze but I love it. Full body, no carbonation.
Bottle at tasting, courtesy of RandomStrangerNL. Pours a pitch black, syrupy beer without any head on top whatsoever. Aroma is mostly booze and roast, very slight hints of bourbon and molasses. Flavor is harsh, nail polish burning alchol, little sweetness going on, mostly overpowering booze of all. Very unbalanced, unsatisfying and difficult to drink. As it grows however, it does get a bit better, but it’s certainly a huge disappointment for me.
Bottle shared at the November THT at deanso’s place. Pitch black pour with no head. Notes of dark cherries, bitter chocolate, coffee, sherry. Quite heavy.
Sampled from bottle at "This is not really deanso’s last THT"-tasting. Black. Dark roasted and burnt malts. Sweet chocolate and charcoal. Over medium sweet. Over full body, big malty and black roasted. Charcoal, chocolate and ash. Lovely. Killing strong though.
Sampled from bottle @ Benzai’s final THT although MrHangover thinks it’s something else. Opaque dark brown to black color, virtually no head. Smell and taste malts, bourbon or at least liquor, alcohol, bitter, dark malt bitter. Very heavy!
Pikzwart bier met zo goed als geen schuimkraag. Flink boozy in de neus als in de mond. Koffie, pure chocolade, leer, tabak. Olieachtige textuur. Het bier prikkelt je tandvlees. Licht zoetig in de afdronk. Knaller !!
Shared a bottle with friends@home. Pours pitch black to a Glencairn glass with no foam. Strong alcohol and roasted malt on the nose. Taste has roasted malt, licorice, raisins, dried plum and a hint of old wood plus alcohol. Quite nice in small amounts. Could be enjoyed like a port wine or a liquer apertive etc. Quite similar to Brewdogs Tactical Nuclear Penguin, maybe even a bit better
Black with hardly any head or carbonation - Good malt aroma with a lot of dark fruity tones in the aroma as well as some wood and hints of alcohol - Good malt body that has dark fruity flavours with some wood and a good warming alcohol - The dark malty and dark fruity flavours goes into a long warming alcohol finish that lasts - This was extremely tasty
75cl bottle shared in a snifter. A thick black pour with no head and no visible carbonation (although the beer does not feel flat in the mouth) whether this is down to the rather impressive viscosity I don’t know but the lack of carbonation is certainly not to its detriment. Powerful aroma of vanilla and buttery oak notes from the bourbon but not as overpowering as you may expect. The smoothness of Cuvee Delphine is still evident however, there is a quite discernible level of alcohol heat which from other reviews I wasn’t expecting to notice especially as this was a 2012 bottle. Anyway, at 26% this is part of the appeal and the imperial stout flavours are still playing a huge part hear with molasses, tobacco and dark chocolate are pretty well balanced between the bourbon notes. A truly impressive "beer" and certainly not a disappointment despite my self imposed hype. If I ever get the chance to purchase again I will but I doubt that chance will occur any time shortly.
Wow. Pour is jet black with no head. Aroma is rich and is very reminiscent of 25 yr old balsamic vinegar. A thick and decadent beer that lingers to the palate. A ton of coffee,chocolate,salt and do not forget bourbon.
On tap at De Struise Brouwers, Oostvleteren, sitting on their front yard.
This is one of the strangest ales I’ve ever had, if not THE strangest. In a blind tasting I wouldn’t have guessed it was a beer: I’d have bet my money on its being a PX sweet wine.
Pours pitch black with amber shades, no head whatsoever, no carb visible. It stains the sides of the glass.
Aroma is surprisingly low, but nice: figs, dates, molasses, tobacco, blackberry, bilberry.
Taste is quite shocking: first of all, it kick-starts with quite high piquancy (spiciness), as if having chili peppers involved. Then, even though it is an eisbock, sweetness remains low. Very thick, oily, no carb (as it was suggested by mere sight). Then again, a new surprise: the finish isn’t long at all, though it is ranking in the high IBUs.
An oddball of a stout. Really worth it, but be prepared for something new.
0,75lt bottle @ Valentin - Curious Bierkneipe, Volos, Greece
First of all, you did not feel the terrifying 26%ABV - at last not when you sip it, afterwards you will melting iceblocks. That’s amazing, it will not burn your throat. No head of course, aroma is liquerish with caramel-coffe (toffe) notes - gets more intense as it warms up. The taste ist immense with just very small sip (100ml will make a lot of sips here) and kicks in with the sweetness surrounded by the alkohol and that deep, toffe like note. The aftertaste is there, when the beer is long gone. Not the everyday joy, but for special moments with friends a top class beer.
Bottled. Pours black with a small tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee notes, vanilla and licorice. Sweet flavor that ends up more dry and with an alcohol bite. Full bodied, oily texture and soft to flat carbonation. A great, massive Impy. 🌟🌟🌟😈
Kieliszek w browarze De Struise. Czarny kolor, mala piana, piwo bardzo oleiste, płyn zostaje na ścianach szkła. Aromat bardzo intensywny, czekoladowy, palony, kawowy, czerwone owoce. Smak podobny, bardzo złożony i cudownie intensywny. Tekstura tego piwa jest cudowna, gęsta, gładka, wypełnia całe usta smakiem. Alkoholu praktycznie nie czuć. Prawdziwe dzieło sztuki piwnej!
Przeklejka wyjazdowa, pity lany w de Struise Brouwers: Black Damnation V - Double BlackDe Struise Brouwers- o dziwo dosc delikatne, czekoladowe, glebokie, mega cialo, mega w uscie :* mrau!
Ocena potraktowana skryptem do przeliczania ocen (uzgodnienie UT/RB).
Z kranu w browarze (16/04/2016). Czarne z delikatna pianka. Wyraziste ciemne slody w aromacie, palony karmel, czekolada, trufle, praliny, wanilia. Analogicznie tylko jeszcze bardziej intensywnie w smaku, do tego lekka lukrecja, sos sojowy. Niska do sredniej goryczka. Pieknie ukryty alkohol (zadziwiajace przy tym ABV). Niskie wysycenie, likierowe, geste, oleiste i lepkie w odbiorze. Cudowny trunek!
On tap at the brewery Oostvleteren. Dark brown, almost black colour. No head. Aroma of toffee, bourbon, dark fruits, vanilla and raisins. Hints of wood. Toffee and caramel at first. Raisins and vanilla in the middle. Hints of oakiness, bit of smoke and bourbon. So creamy and tender. Reminds barley wine. Would not belive the abv. However, still heavy bodied, extremely low carbonated, really well balanced. Beer for very special moments with very special people.
4cl glass at Grünerløkka Brygghus, july 28th 2015. Black and thick body with no head. Aroma is strong roasty with licorice, coffee, tar and alcohol. Taste of strong chocolate and vanilla, of course with a notable alcohol presence. Though to be at this strength I think the alcohol is hidden pretty well. Heavy malt and choco finish with a delicios bitterness. An impressive piece of madness.
750ml painted label. Aroma is very roasty. Obviously European imperial stout. Taste is Super dark malt. Lots of char. Dark fruit. Fig and raisin. Doesn’t smell or taste anywhere near 26%, but you can feel the heat afterward. Body is super thick and oily.
750ml bottle at the Hoppy Pub, Thessaloniki. Pitch black color with no head. Malty aroma, dark dried fruits, light chocolate, cocoa, caramel, alcohol, wood. Sweet and heavy bitter, alcoholic taste like aroma with more chocolate and some coffee notes. Full silky sticky thick body with flat carbonation.
Pour is pitch black with no head at all. Aroma and flavor of bourbon, coffee grounds, charcoal, and oak chips. Finish is boozy dark chocolate. Good, but hard to drink more than a few oz of it.
Draft at Monk’s Cafe in Philadelphia, PA.
Pitch black and opaque with a half finger mocha head that quickly settles into thin, lasting ring. Spotty lace left behind.
Smells like a boozy artisan chocolate bar. Strong ethanol with chocolate malt, subtle roasted coffee and oatmeal. Alcohol overpowers everything until it warms up considerably.
Viscous medium body with a blast of intense spicy bourbon heat. Huge alcohol presence although there is a decent barrel character. Dry oak, vanilla and tons of bourbon. It’s just insanely hot and rough to drink. 5oz is almost too much. As it warms, the malt character starts to show with a nice balance of sweetness and roast. Sweet vinous fruit, burnt coffee, ash, charcoal, dark chocolate and toffee but the bourbon and booze are really intense. Lots of heat and warmth in the chest.
750 ml. bottle. Pours black with a very small brown head. Aroma of chocolate, malt, wood, and vanilla. Taste is roasted malt, dark chocolate, barrel, vanilla, caramel, dark fruit, and a bit of coffee. WOW! Packs a punch.
From a big bottle at Grünerløkka brygghus, Oslo. Wow, that dark and oily. Really the used motor oil look without any traces of head. Intense roasty aroma dominated by dark chocolate, notes of coffee, cocoa, caramel and some wood and alcohol. Sweet, but surprisingly balanced and just delicious liquid dessert. Certainly a beer to enjoy in moderation, alcohol content is more in the liqueur range, and it does remind me a bit of a good one. Full body, warming alcohol and no traces of carbonation. Just delicious!
pour at struise
cocoa, boozy, soy, paper, wood, cooffe, slick, sweet, warming but not boozy, black cherry, fruity, muscavado sugar, alcohol comes through in finish. rounded.
750 ml bottle from Etre Gourmet. Pitch black with no head at all! Aromas of chocolate, liquorice, alcohol, bourbon. Taste is sweet with chocolate, bourbon and vanilla on the front, followed by booziness, liquorice. Full body with light to now carbonation, which, compared to the high abv, makes it a really difficult sipper. Still, amazing!!