Hel & Verdoemenis (Aged in Scottish Barley Whiskey Barrels)

I do not drink a lot of scotch. However, I have enjoyed mostly every one I have tried. I find the rich, smoky flavor, as well as the vast differences between the blends and the single malt scotches to be particularly fascinating. I do not typically buy a lot of scotch because I buy a lot of beer. I have been told that once you really get into single malt scotch, it becomes a very expensive venture. I already have that with beer, I can't justify both. However, I got a chance this week to try a beer that brought both worlds together. From Brouwerij De Molen in the Netherlands, a variant of Hel & Verdoemenis(Hell & Damnation) combined scotch & beer by taking a smoked imperial stout and aging it in Scottish barley whiskey barrels. The bottle also describes the beer as “heavily peated,” and I would want and expect no less. Everything here sounded fantastic but if you read my blog, you know I have said that before to disappointing results. So would these complex flavors work well together? Or would this purchase be another expensive mistake?

If I had to describe this version of Hel & Verdoemenis in one word it would be smoky. That dominates the aroma, as well as the flavor. Charred caramel, dark chocolate and a lot of alcohol also come through in the aroma as well. Actually drinking this beer was a bit of a journey. Initially the strong flavor of peaty smoke, caramel, dark chocolate, vanilla and oak delighted my palate. The 11% ABV was very noticeable as well, especially in the finish but it worked here. As I made my way through the glass I began to notice a sea salt-like finish begin to come through. I know that some scotches have a slight saltiness to them, so this was nothing unusual. Unfortunately, it just did not work in the context of this beer. The more it warmed, the more the salt water flavor clashed with the smokiness, chocolate, and caramel of the stout. The finish also began to develop a sort of vegetal flavor which I am assuming is seaweed. The more it warmed, the stronger this got. It got so potent, I began to dread taking a sip for about the last third of the beer.

As I finished the beer, I could not help but think of what a missed opportunity this beer was. I was hoping not to say it, but the truth is I did not like Scotch Barrel Aged Hel & Verdoemenis. However, this is a style I definitely want to see more of. Bourbon Barrel Aging is wonderful and I believe Scotch Barrel Aging has potential to do some really nice things in the beer world. I really want to see more breweries taking chances on the style like Brouwerij De Molen did here.

Overall I would rate Hel & Verdoemenis Smoked Imperial Stout aged in Scottish barley whiskey barrels a 2/5. There are some really nice flavors here, unfortunately they just do not work well together.

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!