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Hemel & Aarde Imperial Stout – ABV 10%

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Made with Bruichladdich distillery malt – the most peated malt in the world – this smokey stout has creamy chocolate and liquorice notes to sweeten the deal.

Look: Just off pitch black and opaque, with creamy beige head.

Aroma: Imperious smokiness backed up with spicy licorice and dark chocolate,

Taste: More sweet peatiness plus a chocolate creaminess. Massively full-bodied with a bold, thick mouthfeel that persists before floating off in a cloud of sweet smoke.

Verdict: Hemel & Aarde, which translates to Heaven & Earth, uses loads of Earthy peat to make a beer that is really is rather Heavenly. Go figure.

American Barleywine – ABV 11%

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A masterpiece of a Barleywine loaded with Cascade and Citra, with huge depth of dried fruit.

Look: Pours a dark, reddish brown in the glass with a thin white head that is gone no sooner that it appears.

Aroma: Dried fruit, red wine with a hoppy twist.

Taste: Rich, sweet and thick Barleywine packed with dried fruit a long bitter finish.  

Verdict: Seriously rich and complex, this is right up there with Kees very best beers. One to be savoured slowly.  

Vintage Imperial Stout 750ml ABV 9.5%

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Here we have the 2-year aged, Vintage Imperial Stout. Brewed in 2015 and carefully cellared, ELB Vintage Imperial Stout is darkly fruity with citrus top notes. Ideal for sharing, this sumptuous 9.5% stout is wonderful on its own and excellent as an after-dinner digestif. Beautifully presented in a black ceramic 750ml swing-top bottle with hand-finished tie-on labels, ELB Vintage Imperial Stout also makes a wonderful gift for beer-lovers. It’s unfined, so suitable for both vegetarians and vegans to enjoy.

Please note that ELB Imperial Stout is brewed with barley and wheat, which contain gluten.

Goo Goo G’Joob Maple Imperial Stout – ABV 12.8%

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One of IBC’s favourite beers of recent times, this imperial stout, brewed with maple syrup, is hoppy and malty with rich sticky caramel and sugary sweetness.

Look: This beer pours jet black in the glass with very little carbonation.

Aroma: Roasted malt with the sweetness of maple syrup and really gets your mouth watering for what’s to come.

Taste: Thick and oily with roasted malt, dark chocolate, liquorice and maple syrup with no shortage of bitterness the hops. 

Food Pairing: We think this is a great beer to break out over dessert. Try pairing it with the sweetness of sticky toffee pudding.

Verdict: Drink it at room temperature or after a brief 15 minute chill to get all those wonderful syrupy gloopy caramel flavours.

Cherry Blackout Chocolate Cherry Stout – ABV 8%

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If you’re looking to drink a chocolate cake this is as close as you’ll get. Fuggles and Phoenix hops wander through a Black Forest of cherries and chocolate.

Look: The beer pours jet black in the glass with a small tan head.

Taste: It has a velvety mouthfeel with cocoa, vanilla and the sweetness of dark cherries.

Food Pairing: This beer feels like a luxurious dessert in its own right, but adding a slice of black forest gateau will only serve to heighten the pleasure.

Verdict: If we had to sum up Cherry Blackout in one word? Sumptuous.Thankfully we aren’t bound by a one-word review limit but we’ll keep this short so we can spend more time drinking it.

Rasputin Imperial Stout – ABV 10%

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Living up to its name, this impy stout is intoxicating and full of character, with rich roasted malts and luxurious dark chocolate notes.

Look: Pours almost black with very slow forming off-white head and low carbonation.

Aroma: Powerful notes of dark chocolate, forest fruit and sweet warming bourbon.

Taste: Coffee and cocoa, rich syrupy bourbon, and some subtle spice and herbal accents.

Verdict: A smooth charismatic rascal. If it’s good enough for the Russian Queen, it’s good enough for us.

Rook & Vuur (Smoke & Fire) – ABV 8.2%

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Smoked malt and subtle hints of chilli with dark sugar the master brewers of Bodegraven. 

Look: Dark brown with a generous dark beige head.

Aroma: Sweet and smoky like marshmallows being toasted over a campfire.

Taste: Sweet brown sugar, roasted malts and oh so smoky, with a delicate chilli hit right at the end when you’d almost forgotten it was coming. 

Verdict: Like maple candied bacon with a hint of chilli, these flavours were born to be married together. Beautiful.

Cast Iron Billy ABV 10.5%

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Imperial Brown Stout. Notes of liquorice and chocolate.

Barley Davidson Barley Wine – ABV 9.7%

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Insane levels of hopping and a distinctly bittersweet flavour profile; if you can resist drinking it immediately, this beer will age superbly over time.

Look: The beer pours hazy golden brown with a nice white head

Aroma: This keeps up the American tradition of making barley wines which are quite different their English counterparts and this has similarly huge flavours of resinous hops and honey.

Taste: Intense pine and citrus the hops, set against a body of dried fruit and vanilla.

Verdict:  The delciious dried fruit and vanilla will become more pronounced over time so leave it if you can. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to enjoy this beer at its best.

Food pairing: The intensity of the hops works really well with strong cheese. Try it with the sharp tang of a mature cheddar.

Heaven & Hell Imperial Stout – ABV 11.9%

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‘Heaven and Hell’ features double the amount of dark roasted malts for a boozy and creamy chocolate treat with surprisingly high levels of hoppy crispness.

Look:  Brown-black colour with a thick and foamy tan-coloured head.

Aroma: Boozy warmth and chocolate to start, fading to vanilla sweetness.

Taste: Loads of rich chocolate and floral hoppy notes – surprisingly so for such a malt-driven brew – and more vanilla. Super-full bodied and persistent which dries to bitter, crisp, finish.

Verdict: The taste is absolutely Heavenly. If you can leave it on a shelf for nine months it will become more complex and even richer – but that wait will be pretty Hellish.