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.

Belleville Brewing Co, Nthº Portland

Black pour, cream/caramac coloured head. Decent aroma but weak. Fine carbonation. Stout flavoured: roasted, some berries/vinous, Cadbury's Fruit and Nut. Mouthfeel is light and the overall impression is quite thin. A relatively good first impy offering from local boys Belleville, let down by feeling like a stout half its strength (which some poeple may quite like I suppose).

Duvel Moortgat, Tripel Hop Mosaic 2014

From August 2014. Not sure what happened here, but not a pleasant drinking experience unfortunately. Was tremendously excited at the prospect of a beer I know well being bittered with the trendy hop-du-jour Mosaic, but the actual taste was cidery and not at all nice. Bitter with the subtlest of hop profiles. Pricey and dissappointing.

De Struise, Pannepot

Not really into dubbels and quads, but there you go. Perhaps I'll give it another go at some point.

Late Knights and Good taste, Imperial Saison

Oops! This one slipped through the net somehow....SE19/SE20 collab between the mighty Late Knights and Manish at Good Taste. This was Christmas 2014....cheers!