Ölbeat 297: Emelisse Black & Tan Port Charlotte BA

Brewery: Brouwerij Emelisse
Country: Netherlands
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 10,5 % 
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is black with a tiny tan crown. Aroma has mostly peaty smoke and some roasted malts. Taste begins with strong peaty Islay whisky smoke. Bitter campfire smoke takes over with hints of roast, liquorice and espresso. Towards the end sweetish smoky bitterness rises above other flavours. Aftertaste has heavily bitter smoke, dry roasted malts and burned liquorice.

Smoky and deep Imperial Stout. The Port Charlotte whisky has almost complete dominance here. But in a beautifully raw Islay way. If you love Islay peat - enjoy. If not - avoid. For me this was extreme pleasure.

Ölbeat

There are moments when something you've completed is broken to pieces and burned to the ground by someone else. And sometimes it's you who tears things built by someone else apart: "When you fall, I'll take my turn / And fan the flames / As your blazes burn." Sadly, that's the way people are taught to act.

Linkin Park: Burn It Down (YouTube)

From the 2012 album Living Things, the song was written by Linkin Park.

Ölbeat 283: Emelisse / Bad Hair White Label Barley Wine (Yura / Old Pulteney BA)

Brewery: Brouwerij Emelisse (Bad Hair Brewing)
Country: Netherlands
Style: Barley Wine
Abv: 12 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is dark coffee brown with a thin tan head. Aroma has sweet chocolate, dark fruits and boozy caramel. Taste begins with silky milk chocolate. Fruity caramel sweetness and spicy-oaky whisky takes over with boozy bitterness. Towards the end sweet chocolate rises with warming alcohol and growing bitterness. Aftertaste has bittersweet boozy dark fruits, smooth chocolate and lasting warming alcohol.

Sweet, strong and delicious barrel-aged Barley Wine. Fruits, chocolate, caramel - all in aroma, delivered in flavours, too. The whisky adds oak, spices and booze and enhances fruits and bitterness. At least Old Pulteney is clearly present - and hopefully the name of the other whisky on the label is misspelled (Yura -> Jura). Despite one wrong letter, this is a magnificent brew from Emelisse.

Ölbeat

Barrel-aging is based on experimenting with beer. This experiment was done with fine Scottish whisky barrels. So I searched for experimental rock from Scotland. Had some questions - the brew gave me excellent answers. And there we have it.

Biffy Clyro: Questions and Answers (YouTube)

From the 2003 album The Vertigo of Bliss, the song was written by Simon Neil.

Ölbeat 252: Emelisse Black & Tan Bruichladdich BA

Brewery: Brouwerij Emelisse (in Dutch)
Country: Netherlands
Style: Imperial Stout 
Abv: 10,5 % 
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is black with a small tan head. Aroma has roasted malts, espresso, salty liquorice and dark chocolate. Taste starts with oaky dry bitter roast. Oaky roasted malts, strong espresso and bitter liquorice take over. Towards the end oaky salty liquorice and bitter dark chocolate rise in front. Aftertaste has very dry oak, heavy roast and boozy bitter liquorice.

Powerfully bitter and extra dry Imperial Stout. Roasted malts meet aggressive bitter hops. Bruichladdich gives its dry oak and strengthens the liquorice flavour. Result is supersmooth and delicious barrel-aged brew. These seem to be a modern Dutch tradition.

Ölbeat

"Hey I'm your life / And I no longer care." Heavy bitterness. When taken out of the beery context we get to the darker side of everyday life. The emptiness and the anger when you realize the life you've lived has been steered by someone or something else. Luckily, the beer and the beeroholic are far from that state.

Metallica: Sad but True (YouTube)

From the 1991 album Metallica, the song was written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

Ölbeat 169: Emelisse Black IPA

Brewery: Brouwerij Emelisse
Country: Netherlands
Style: India Black Ale
Abv: 8 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is dark brown to black with a large cream white head. Aroma has liquorice, pineapple and citrus fruits. Taste begins with sweet liquorice-grapefruit roasty bite. Roasted malts, sweet liquorice and bitter grapefruit take over. Towards the end roasty bitterness and sweet fruits come strongest through. Aftertaste has fruity bitterness and charred dryness.

Excellent, really savoury India Black Ale. Citrus, liquorice and roast find each other really nicely. Burned bittersweet harmony. Great brew from Emelisse. This makes 2 out of 2 for me - glad to have couple others stashed.

Ölbeat

This one called for good-time heavy rock. Positive type of fire, like the brew has. Well, Udo and the boys had something burning in the beginning of 80's, so we'll pick a German early heavy classic from them. 

Accept: Burning (YouTube)

From the 1981 album Breaker, the song was written by Accept.

Ölbeat 043: Emelisse Imperial Russian Stout

Brewery: Brouwerij Emelisse 
Country: the Netherlands
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 11 %
@RateBeer

Calm outside hides the fierce character...

What about the beer?
Colour is black with small beige head. Aroma has burned-roasted malts, black coffee and fresh grass. Taste begins with sugar-sweet dark-roast coffee with hints of chocolate. Roast and bitterness slowly grow in the mouth and there are hints of sweet cherries. Near the finish roasted caramel malts and semi-dry bitterness take over with some alcohol-warmth. Aftertaste has sweet-bitter but also opposite dry elements.

Well, that was an Imperial Stout rollercoaster: from very sweet first taste to dry bitterness and then back to both, from strong black coffee through cherry, roast and bitter to malts and warm alcohol. Complex and multiflavoured ride with intense curves and calm straights, an excellent brew from the Dutch.

Ölbeat

The beer with differencies cries for a song with a combination of both rough and peaceful parts. The obvious choice would be a power ballad, so let's stick with it. Here we have a power ballad, that matches with Emelisse IRS:

Queensrÿche: Silent Lucidity (YouTube)

From the 1990 album Empire, the song was written by lead guitarist Chris DeGarmo.