The Black Damnation II is definitely one of the best strong beer I had ever tasted. This beer made from Belgium came from a dark twist of Urbain's mind. His idea is to realize a dozen beers with the use of Black Albert over a period of two years, which are as black as hell, filty rich in the nose and with massive taste. This beer series are always present on different beer reviews and everyone considers it as one of the best strong beer ever.
At first glimpse, the base beer is obscured by all of the "other stuff" going on considering everyone recognizes it as one of the best strong beer. By that I mean the coffee and the barrel aging flavors. Coffee explodes up out the snifter - nice roast, mild fruit - not an intense coffee smell but it is certainly prevalent. The oak & vanilla signature smells from barrels make
I don't give out taste scores of 5.0 lightly, but Black Damnation II earns it. Its taste was really something. A true good best strong beer! The coffee and roasted chocolate flavors have been seamlessly integrated with each other. Tons of coffee, sure, but so well combined with the rich chocolate and subtle fruits. Nice hop presence, lovely oak and vanilla from the barrels. A touch of smoke and whiskey perfectly compliment the leafy, “roasty” back-end.
This is not a sweet beer; the bitterness comes from multiple angles with enough rich malt to balance it. Faint echoes of dark fruits flirt around the top of your tongue on the finish as the astringency numbs and resets the palate for the next sip. Honestly? This reminds me most of Canadian Breakfast Stout, only that this is much better!themselves known too. I'm getting some quite green “bittering” hops. It strikes me that I smell this beer too cold, as astringency and bitterness are the dominant smells right now, so I will wait for it to warm up. After waiting for five or so minutes with my hands around the snifter the beer opens up a lot more. I get this rich sort of chocolate-hazelnut syrup thing. Some Black Albert-style dark fruits hit the nose if you inhale deeply. Maybe the slightest bit of brown spirits. That chocolate-hazelnut thing sure goes well with the coffee aromas. I love how each attempt at smelling has different things moving forward. Some whiffs have a ton of oak, some are all coffeehouse, and others still get a balance between green hops and black cherries. This is a popular comment on other beer reviews as well. So I am commending the aroma for its “yum” factor.
Best mouthfeel on a stout that I've had since I start drinking. This best strong beer has a thick, bold body. Substantial in the mouth, smooth against the tongue and like a milkshake going down your throat; this beer will give you real satisfaction. The drinkability on the other hand, the bottle size is just about perfect. The ABV is 12%, after all. This is one expensive brew when taking into consideration that you can't purchase this beer on American soil but it is really worth it once you’ve tasted it!
This beer is a revelation. I have another bottle but, damn, do I wish I had many more. Founders, I love you to pieces, but Black Damnation II is the best combination of coffee stout and barrel-aged stout that I've had. Beer reviews must have agreed with me! Yet this is another world-class beer from De Struise. This beer is recommended for dinner, lunch and other socialite parties, a true blue partner!
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