hel&verdoemenis imperial stout

With its Imperial Stout Hel & Verdoemenis, De Molen Brewery alludes to the fact that life is not always smooth sailing. Sometimes we experience pitch-black days, weeks or whole years in which we experience pain and suffering, in which we lose people, have to survive illnesses, in which things go wrong and we don’t see the sun for quite a while. One could lament the existence of such dark times, but the team at De Molen chooses instead to celebrate the contrast: without darkness there is no light, without night there is no day and without lows there is no high. A really bad day makes us really appreciate the good days.

Inspired by this realization, the brewers have created an Imperial Porter in the color of freshly brewed coffee. Hel & Verdoemenis comes in the darkest shade of mahogany, is crowned with a cap of hazelnut-brown foam and smells temptingly of cocoa, espresso, dark chocolate and spicy vanilla. The first sip reveals a malty body with a grippy, creamy texture. Both the 10.0% alcohol content and the impressive 102 bitter units are skilfully integrated into a play of aromas of chocolate notes, mocha, toffee and roasted grains. A hint of dark wild berries rounds off the taste perfectly.