Beerfection

Tag: Imperial Stout

  • L’Impériale Gasket de Tête | Tête d’Allumette

    L’Impériale Gasket de Tête | Tête d’Allumette

    Score: 90/100 – Excellent

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black (opaque in glass) with a moderately tall, dense, creamy, deep tan head. Great foam retention for the high ABV. A good-looking brew!

    Aroma 20/24

    Strong intensity with balance towards dark malts. The aroma is robust, edgy, and quite complex. Significant dark malts take the lead and are followed by dark fruit esters, alcohol, and moderate woody-herbaceous hops. Mild oxidation and no apparent off-notes.

    Flavour 38/40

    Strong intensity, balance towards dark malts, and aggressive perceived bitterness. The flavour is intense with a complex mix of dark malts, dark fruit esters, woody-herbaceous hops, and alcohol. No off-flavours. Delicious and pleasantly muscular flavour.

    Mouthfeel 8/10

    Medium body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is slightly thin and mildly fizzy with noticeable alcohol warming and a medium-dry finish. No significant astringency and no actual harshness on the palate. Very good.

    Overall 18/20

    Tête d’Allumette’s L’Imperiale Gasket de Tete is an excellent russian imperial stout. Beautiful appearance and a bold, complex flavour with no apparent off-notes. This delivers exactly what’s expected and then some. At the same time the beer is a little bit thin – it’s missing that wonderful weight a 10% stout can have on the palate. I think this would stand out if the mouthfeel fully matched the flavour intensity in texture. It’s also not a cheap thrill but I think it’s absolutely worth a try if you can find a bottle.

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  • Péché Mortel Bourbon 2021 | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Péché Mortel Bourbon 2021 | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 97/100 – World-Class

    Appearance 5/6

    The beer pours a clear black with low, dense, brown head. Poor foam retention. A good looking stout.

    Aroma 23/24

    Strong intensity with good balance. The aroma is intense, complex, and seductive.

    Big barrel notes pair extremely well with the coffee and dark malts. A healthy dose of esters, alcohol, and oxidation marry the rest of the character while adding layers. Enticing aroma.

    Flavour 40/40

    Strong intensity with great balance and very assertive perceived bitterness.

    Fantastic depth of flavour featuring a marriage of barrel, dark malts, esters, hops, and special ingredients. Masterfully executed. Top-notch.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Medium-full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is slick and smooth with restrained alcohol warming and a sweet finish. A hint of astringency but no actual harshness on the palate. Heavy impact.

    Overall 19/20

    Péché Mortel Bourbon 2021 is a world-class barrel-aged imperial stout.

    It’s astonishing how well this beer has held over the last few years. I’ve had very few stouts developing so beautifully over time. Most of the time 24 months leave a dent in the beer that makes me crave it fresh. That’s not the case here.

    Glorious flavour and overall character with fabulous mouthfeel make this a wonderful treat. Sure, I ended up preferring the 2022 and most recent 2023 editions but 2021 is absolutely worth your time, even in 2024.

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  • Péché Mortel Bourbon 2022 | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Péché Mortel Bourbon 2022 | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 100/100 – World-Class

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black with tall, dense, creamy, brown head. Great foam retention. Gorgeous appearance.

    Aroma 24/24

    Strong intensity with great balance. The aroma is complex as it is enticing.

    Dark malts, coffee, and barrel take center stage. Significant oxidation brings it all together. Some esters and alcohol add layers with a complementary, low hop character. No apparent off-notes. World-class.

    Flavour 40/40

    Strong intensity with bitter-ish balance and very assertive perceived bitterness.

    Big dark malts and coffee pair superbly with the bourbon character. Truly a marriage of malt, special ingredients, barrel, and oxidation. World-class.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Medium-full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is heavy and quite viscous yet smooth with restrained alcohol warming and a sweet finish. A trace of astringency with no actual harshness on the palate. Heavy impact.

    Overall 20/20

    Péché Mortel Bourbon 2022 is an amazing beer. It’s brimming with character, complexity, and charm. The age shows more compared to the 2023 version but it adds a delightful dimension to the beer. This is a must-try, bucket list kind of brew.

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  • Péché Latte | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Péché Latte | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 87/100 – Great

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black with tall, dense, creamy, deep tan head. Great foam retention. Gorgeous appearance.

    Aroma 23/24

    Strong intensity with sharp-ish balance. The aroma is dark, rich, and enticing.

    Pronounced dark malts and coffee with restrained esters and alcohol. Low American hop character. Mild oxidation. Excellent nose.

    Flavour 35/40

    Strong intensity with decent balance and assertive perceived bitterness.

    The flavour follows the aroma with big dark malt character and ample coffee notes. Significant raw sugar quality makes a dent while low esters and alcohol add layers. Barely any signs of age (oxidation). Punchy.

    Mouthfeel 8/10

    Medium-full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is kind of slick and mouth-coating with mild fizz, restrained alcohol warming, and a sweet finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate but the sugar lingers on the tongue.

    Overall 15/20

    Péché Latte is a great beer. Yet, it’s among my least favourite Péché editions.

    The lactose claims too much space on the palate, diminishing balance, mouthfeel, and flavour perception. The beer ends up being too sweet even with the alcohol and hop bitterness rounding it out. There’s that artificial sweetener quality on the tongue after each sip.

    Having said that, this is a well-executed beer which I’m sure works really well for some people. Plenty of flavour and no major issues. For the same price, I’d take the bourbon edition any day over this.

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  • Péché Mortel – Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Péché Mortel – Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 98/100 – World-Class

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black with moderately tall, dense, creamy, deep tan head. Good foam retention. A great looking stout.

    Aroma 23/24

    Strong intensity with good balance. The aroma is deep and enticing with great complexity and a well-integrated special ingredient.

    Big dark malts and coffee take the lead while being supported by mild esters, a splash of alcohol, and ample hop character. No apparent off-notes.

    Flavour 40/40

    Strong intensity with bitter balance and assertive perceived bitterness.

    The flavour is dark malt-focused with well-integrated coffee character. Mild fruity esters and a touch of alcohol. Healthy dose of hops in there too. Quite a bit of complexity and a smashing flavour intensity.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Medium-full body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is somewhat creamy yet prickly with a mouth-coating quality and mild slickness. Restrained alcohol warming and a medium-sweet finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate. Great stuff.

    Overall 19/20

    This variation of Péché Mortel is no doubt a world-class stout. Without a direct comparison, it’s hard to say how much it varies from the regular Péché as the only changed variable seems to be the coffee type.

    In any case, this edition delivers a stellar drinking experience and it’s well worth seeking out. I’d find it interesting to sit down with one of these and the regular Péché to see what the differences are…

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  • Imperial Stout | Wills

    Imperial Stout | Wills

    Score: 66/100 – Average

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black with moderately tall, dense, mocha head. Great foam retention – especially for the high alcohol content.

    Aroma 19/24

    Strong intensity with good balance. The aroma is rich, dark, and edgy.

    Pronounced dark malts with mild oxidation. A dash of hops and mild perfumy alcohol. Low esters. No apparent off-notes but lacking some excitement.

    Flavour 23/40

    Strong intensity with sweet balance and pronounced perceived bitterness.

    Syrupy sweet with the sugar dominating the palate. Mild alcohol note at the back along with dark malts and some esters. Very little hop character and no apparent oxidation. Wowza, that’s sweet.

    Mouthfeel 8/10

    Full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is somewhat slick and mouth-coating with restrained alcohol warming and a very sweet finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate.

    Overall 10/20

    Well, I find this an average beer and it really comes down to the amount of residual sugar in it. The sweetness is cloying and totally dominates the character. It’s hard to drink a short can of this on your own.

    One of the sweetest imperial stouts in my memory and it’s adjunct-free… now that’s quite something. I’d reckon it’s oversweet for all; even for the drinkers with a sweet tooth. Not recommended.

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  • Ursa Major | L’Octant Microbrasserie

    Ursa Major | L’Octant Microbrasserie

    Score: 79/100 – Good

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black (opaque in glass) with tall, dense, brown head. Great foam retention.

    Aroma 21/24

    Strong intensity with decent balance. The aroma leans heavy into the barrel with big woody character and pronounced fruity tones.

    Noticeable alcohol. Moderate dark malts and esters. Very little – if any – perceivable hop character. Mild oxidation. Something seems off but it’s buried in significant complexity.

    Flavour 34/40

    Follows the aroma with strong intensity, decent balance, and assertive perceived bitterness.

    Heavy barrel character, alcohol, and dark malts dominate. Pleasant oxidation, noteworthy esters, and no apparent off-flavours. The hops still seem to elude me…

    Mouthfeel 6/10

    Full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is viscous and oily with a mild acrid quality. The alcohol warming is rather strong and there’s significant astringency on the palate. The beer finishes sweet. Somewhat harsh – especially for 8% ABV.

    Overall 12/20

    This is an interesting one… Ursa Major packs more character than most 8 percenters have any right to have. I love that. At the same time, the beer is rough around the edges and it lacks finesse.

    The appearance is fantastic and the depth of character is commendable. However, there’s a lack of balance and the drinking experience is diminished by harshness on the palate.

    Overall, I consider this worth trying, but at the price point I wouldn’t drink it regularly. With some fine-tuning, this could be an excellent beer.

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  • Old Fashioned de Glace | Beauregard Brasserie

    Old Fashioned de Glace | Beauregard Brasserie

    Score: 84/100 – Very Good

    From a 500ml bottle served warm at 14 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. No date information on the packaging but this is a fresh, 5-year anniversary release by the brewery.

    I picked up the beer straight from the source earlier today. I had a chance to try some of their beers while visiting the brewery – and oh boy, do some of these anniversary releases pack a punch! Hefty alcohol and some interesting special ingredients. The base recipe for this beer is one of my Beauregard favourites so I’m very curious how this beer has panned out.

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black with 3cm of frothy, moderately dense, beige head which dissipates into a partial film within 2+ minutes. No lacing with decent head retention. With such incredibly high ABV the foam quality is very respectable. A good looking beer.

    Aroma 19/24

    Medium-strong intensity with good balance. The aroma is rustic, quite perfumy, and liquor-like.

    Significant alcohol character which works really well with a fragrant orange rind quality and some dark chocolate notes. Mild dark fruit (raisins) at the back along with some star anise. A tiny bit of toffee and a suggestion of soy sauce. No apparent off-notes and no apparent hop character.

    The dry nose is rich and malt-forward with notes of toffee, toast, soy sauce, and mild perfumy alcohol.

    Flavour 34/40

    Strong intensity with sharp balance and aggressive perceived bitterness.

    The extreme palate opens up quite sweet with notes of raw sugar, sweet orange, dried fruit (prunes), and booze – making way for an intense center with notes of prominent alcohol, sweet orange, star anise, and dark chocolate. No apparent hop character and no off-flavours.

    The long finish is strong and sharp with notes of roasted barley, dark chocolate, mild star anise, generous alcohol, a touch of barrel (woody oak + mustiness), and low sweet orange. A true sledgehammer.

    Mouthfeel 8/10

    Medium-full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is heavy, sharp, and slick with hot alcohol warming and a sweet finish. No apparent astringency on the palate but the alcohol takes its toll with noticeable burning sensation on the tongue.

    Overall 17/20

    Beauregard Brasserie’s Old Fashioned de Glace is an above average beer – especially considering the weight of it.

    Impressive appearance for such a hefty brew – the foam attributes are better than many less alcoholic beers. The aroma reveals the strength of the beer with significant alcohol character. However, there are no offensive fusel oil notes and the special ingredient links up really well with the booze. The palate steps up in intensity with massive strength. There’s a lack of complexity in the flavour but what makes it through is uniform and concentrated. The mouthfeel is fierce – yet it suits the strength really well.

    There’s no doubt about it – Old Fashioned de Glace is a sledgehammer of sledgehammers. The strength is beyond what most people have experienced drinking beer. In many ways, this is an impressive brew and I think it’s totally worth trying if you can get your hands on a bottle. At the same time, this is very expensive (among the most expensive beers I’ve ever bought) and the value is simply not there for me.

    I feel like the sheer amount of alcohol ends up shaving away some of the nuances in the character. In addition, the beer is not very practical to enjoy on your own. I recommend this if you’re looking to try something extreme and you’re sharing it with your friends.

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  • Grande Noirceur Rye | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Grande Noirceur Rye | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 88/100 – Great

    From a 341ml bottle served warm at 14 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Bottled on 2022-06-17 – making this around eight months old.

    I picked up this beer more than a month ago from a local specialty shop. Grande Noirceur Rye is part of the Dieu du Ciel! Collection Hiver 2022 which had a spectacular lineup of beers.

    In all honesty I already had a few of these and decided I need to pick up one more for a proper breview. Let’s get to it.

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black with 1.5cm of dense, creamy, dark brown head which dissipates into a partial film within 2+ minutes. Great lacing with decent head retention. A great looking stout.

    Aroma 20/24

    Strong intensity with sharp-ish balance. The aroma is almost pungent with massive barrel-character and dark malts.

    Deep and musty oak links with spicy layers of vanilla, anise, and black pepper. Dark chocolate and burnt sugar add a perception of sweetness while coffee, earth, and tobacco contribute to more complexity. Mild pine along with herbaceous menthol cut through sweetness and contribute to a perfumy quality. A wisp of alcohol here and there.

    The dry nose is rich and layered with notes of molasses, butterscotch, oak, anise, and chocolate.

    Flavour 36/40

    Strong intensity with bitter balance and aggressive perceived bitterness.

    The intense palate opens up with alcohol-soaked dark fruit (prunes + dates), burnt sugar, damp/musty wood, anise, and vanilla – making way for a potent center where the barrel character and malts really drive the profile. Notes of musty oak, anise, alcohol, vanilla, pine, burnt dark fruit, coffee, chocolate, earth, menthol, and ash.

    The long finish is strong and bitter with notes of burnt sugar, bourbon (oak + vanilla + alcohol), anise, moderate herbal-woody hops, low dark chocolate, and mild molasses. Staggering complexity.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Full body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is heavy with oily slickness, plenty of creaminess, significant alcohol warming and a sweet finish. Mild astringency with no actual harshness on the palate.

    Overall 16/20

    Dieu du Ciel’s Grande Noirceur Rye is a great beer.

    A good-looking stout with solid visual appeal. The head formation feels a little stifled and falling on the short side while collapsing relatively quickly. It does deserve full marks however. The nose is incredibly complex but I’m not loving all of it. I feel like this will not develop well over time as it will take on some type of rotten characteristics. The words enteric and fecal come to mind. The flavour follows with remarkable depth and richness of character, but I’m left with the feeling like something’s off. The mouthfeel delivers heavy impact on the palate without crossing over to harsh.

    Overall, Dieu du Ciel’s Grande Noirceur Rye is a beer worth trying. The sheer amount of flavour for a 9% stout is astounding. There’s just something about it that I don’t love. Next up? The Péché Day 2023 pack!

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  • Super Koko | BreWskey

    Super Koko | BreWskey

    Score: 97/100 – World-Class

    From a 473ml can served warm at 18 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Canned on 07/12/2022 – making this around six weeks old.

    I picked up the beer straight from the brewery a few days after the release date. I had a small sample of it in the taproom and found it absolutely delightful.

    The last stout I reviewed by BreWskey was their Rupture – a world-class pastry stout. Therefore, my expectations for Super Koko are very high.

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black (opaque in glass) with 3 cm of frothy, moderately dense, brown head which dissipates into a partial film within 2+ minutes. No lacing with decent head retention.

    Aroma 24/24

    Strong intensity with sweet balance. The aroma is lavish, dark, and dessert-like.

    Incredibly rich chocolate milk character paired with coconut, caramel, and vanilla dominate the nose. Mild alcohol cuts through the sweetness while low black licorice note helps ground the aroma. There’s also a deep nuttiness beneath the surface.

    The dry nose is rich, deep, and sweet with notes of caramel, coconut, chocolate, nuts, and vanilla.

    Flavour (38/40)

    Follows the aroma with strong intensity, sweet balance, and assertive perceived bitterness.

    The luxurious palate opens up salty-sweet with a mix of raw sugar, coconut, caramel, black licorice, and booze. The center remains plush and heavy with the sweet character of caramel, chocolate, coconut, and vanilla being pierced by alcohol and moderate black licorice spice. A candied nut character appears fashionably late, right at the tail end of the center.

    The long finish is strong and quite balanced with notes of raw sugar, chocolate, dark caramel, black licorice, coconut, and a wisp of smoke. A succulent mofo this one.

    Mouthfeel 9/10

    Full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is heavy, round, and chewy with significant alcohol warming and a luscious finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate but the alcohol is getting dangerously close to hot.

    Overall 20/20

    BreWskey’s Super Koko is a world-class pastry stout.

    Solid appearance even if I’ve seen heavy stouts with tighter bubbles and better head retention compared to this. Sweet and glamorous aroma urges you to have a sip. On the palate, the beer slaps you with flavour reminiscent of a boozy chocolate milk topped with coconut and caramel. But there’s a surprise – significant salty character of black licorice, nuttiness, and an umami richness add depth while aiding with balance. The mouthfeel is almost velvety-smooth with a round, chewy, mouth-coating quality. However, when warm, the beer does show it’s heavy alcohol content which is pushing to the territory of being hot. It still works here considering the level of residual sugar in the beer.

    Overall, I love BreWskey’s Super Koko – it delivers a wonderful drinking (sipping) experience without going overboard in any of its elements. It’s an extreme beer and I guarantee some people will find it too sweet. Yet, within heavy pastry stouts, Super Koko shines.

    BreWskey has really nailed the base recipe which is almost guaranteed to stand out in any of their different iterations of it. I highly recommend trying the brewery’s imperial stouts – they’re truly exceptional.

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  • Kamarad Friedrich | Microbrasserie Hopfenstark

    Kamarad Friedrich | Microbrasserie Hopfenstark

    Score: 97/100 – World-Class

    From a 355ml can served warm at 18 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Canned on 26/01/2021 – making this 8 months old.

    I picked up this can about a month back from a local specialty store. While picking up a bottle of Albion’s 1848 RIS, the clerk insisted I try this as well. Sure, twist my rubber arm. What I didn’t realize is how old the can was.

    First official Hopfenstark breview so hard to say where my expectations are if we discount what other people say about this beer.

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours an opaque black (oil-like) with 3.5cm of moussy, creamy, dark brown head which dissipates into a partial film within 3+ minutes. Great lacing with good head retention. A great looking imperial stout.

    Aroma 23/24

    Strong intensity with sharp-ish balance. The aroma is deep and dark malt-focused with considerable complexity.

    Rich dark malt notes of burnt sugar, black licorice, chocolate, and coffee are accompanied by perfumy alcohol and moderate woody hops. Dark fruit esters at the back with pruny, scorched dried fruit characteristics. A wisp of smoke and low dark caramel. Restrained oxidation with mild leathery, meaty tones.

    The dry nose is rich with notes of caramel, roasty coffee, soy sauce, and mild leather.

    Flavour 39/40

    Follows the aroma with strong intensity, good balance, and aggressive perceived bitterness.

    The extreme palate opens up with notes of black licorice, burnt sugar/dark caramel, woody hops, and a splash of alcohol. The center is robust and exciting with the initial sweetness subsiding while black licorice, woodsy tones (pine + tobacco), alcohol, earthy coffee, wood char, and dark fruit contend for attention.

    The long finish is strong and bitter with notes of black licorice, burnt sugar, woody hops, prunes, burnt toast, alcohol, and a wisp of smoke.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Medium-full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is heavy, somewhat oily, and mouth-coating with noticeable alcohol warming and a medium-sweet finish. Very low astringency with no actual harshness on the palate even though the impact is heavy.

    Overall 19/20

    Hopfenstark’s Kamarad Friedrich is a world-class Russian imperial stout.

    Enticing appearance; top-notch looks for the style. The aroma lives up to any hype and delivers a delightfully deep look at dark malts, woody hops, and restrained oxidation. Based on the aroma alone, I’d never think this was canned back in January (being in September now). Seamlessly, the flavour follows delivering an outstanding punch in the mouth featuring a marriage of ingredients which is peppered with age. The mouthfeel has a heavy impact on the palate, but it doesn’t cross over to harsh effectively steering clear of any acrid qualities.

    I’m impressed. Hopfenstark’s Kamarad Friedrich delivers everything I look for in a classic Russian imperial stout: an unpretentious sipper with significant weight and character. On top of that, it has stood the test of time by showing only mild oxidation which adds a pleasant layer to the overall drinking experience. Wow.

    Seems to me like Hopfenstark deserves more space in the upcoming breview schedule. Highly recommended and a must-try for the style fans.

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  • 1848 Imperial Russian Stout | Brasserie Artisanale Albion

    1848 Imperial Russian Stout | Brasserie Artisanale Albion

    Score: 100/100 – World-Class

    From a 500ml bottle served warm at 15 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. No date information on the packaging.

    I picked up this beer a few weeks back, only to pass it off to a friend. Since I was excited to try this, I went ahead and picked up another bottle from a local specialty store. Both times the clerk asked me if I’ve had this beer. Obviously I haven’t… but I’m trying.

    Here we are; with high expectations and excitement at hand. It’s been long due I write about a hefty stout such as this.

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black with 4.5cm of dense, creamy, beige head which dissipates into a craggy cap within 4+ minutes. Exceptional lacing with great head retention – especially for a 10% ABV beer. Gorgeous!

    Aroma 24/24

    Strong intensity with great balance. The aroma is robust and clean expressing wonderful dark malt characteristics.

    Rich roastiness and nostalgic campfire is rounded out by dark caramel and fruit (prunes). Deep dark chocolate tones along with mild nuttiness claim quite a bit of space while intriguing spicy notes of licorice and cola add layers. Heck, the spice seems to have a pinch of black pepper in it too. So much complexity, I’m also noting coffee, burnt toast, and a low meaty character.

    The dry nose is characterful with notes of chocolate, burnt toast, caramel, mild earthy nuttiness, and a touch of roasted grain. Sublime.

    Flavour 40/40

    Follows the aroma with strong intensity, great balance, and very assertive perceived bitterness.

    The marvellous palate opens up big and bold with notes of burnt sugar, alcohol-soaked dark fruit, dark caramel, and a mild savoury quality. The center kicks it up a notch with even more intensity, featuring notes of roasted barley, black licorice, charred wood, tobacco, dark chocolate, resinous pine, and eucalyptus.

    The long finish is strong and bitter-ish with notes of roasted barley, dark chocolate, burnt sugar, woodsy tones, dark fruit, black licorice, and a wisp of smoke. Perfection.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Medium-full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is surprisingly smooth with some oiliness and slickness as well as noticeable alcohol warming and a sweet finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate.

    Overall 20/20

    Brasserie Artisanale Albion’s 1848 Imperial Russian Stout is a world-class RIS. I find it truly faultless with enough wow-factor to make it one of the best I remember drinking.

    Impeccable appearance from clarity and colour to foam attributes. The aroma is phenomenal both in complexity and balance. On the palate the beer slams you with flavour while taking you on a journey with each of the steps being unique yet united. There’s a lovely smoothness to the mouthfeel even if the bitterness builds and the heat from alcohol is noticeable. While sweet, the beer doesn’t even touch being cloying.

    Every now and then I’ll come by a beer that is perfect as is – delivering flavour, balance, drinkability, and intrigue. Albion’s 1848 is all of that. Yet, I consider this a humble brew. Far from pretentious, the beer simply presents itself quietly, stripped of excess while delivering an epic drinking experience.

    I don’t know if you can tell, but this poison has made an impression. Absolutely get yourself a bottle if you can find it, I can’t recommend this highly enough.

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