De Molen, Tsarina Esra Reserva

Tar pour, very black. Smoked elements in the nose. Taste was sweet, much like a dark fortified wine perhaps. A very pronounced vinous character that bordered and the sharp/acidic. The bottle says barrel aged - surely in a red wine or port barrel? Very similar to Sam Smith's Taddy porter. No booze detectable, and bitterness subdued despite a high IBU. Apologies for the toilet gimmick, having a barren spell with ideas at the moment.... Purchased from the frankly amazing Bierkoning during a super quick job I had in Amsterdam last year.

Beavertown, Imperial Lord Smog Almighty

Much like the Heavy Water, I've been lucky enough to sample Beavertown's imperial porter in a couple of it's guises: the alpha series version (March 2013!) and the barrel aged version (2014). This might have been the only one that I didn't drink out of the fridge, but whereas the others had this coal/tar flavour going on, this one was, for me, a dunkel rauchbier and it wasn't really my bag.

Beavertown, Heavy Water Cherry and Sea Salt

I've had the pleasure of drinking Beavertown's Heavy Water in a few of its incarnations, the 'regular', un-suffixed version, the barrel aged version thereof and now this one - brewed with sea salt and cour cherries apparently. It's excellent: thick, unctuous and creamy, aroma and taste ticking all impy boxes, cherry comes in mid-palate but only gently, some (very) small salt at the end. Finish mildly bitter (hops?) and not too dry. I paid £4.40 for this I think, which is about right.