Name: Octane Overlord (2020)
Brewer: Moersleutel Craft Brewery (Netherlands)
Style: Classic Style Smoked Beer (Base Style: Imperial Stout)
ABV: 11%
Review Year: 2020
The 2020 variant of Octane Overlord is a “Russian Imperial Stout” brewed with smoked and peated malts by Moersleutel Craft Brewery in the Netherlands.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Classic Style Smoked Beer (32A) with the Imperial Stout (20C) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Pours black with a brown head. Prominent cacao nibs and roasted malt with a hint of alcohol composed the aroma profile. Octane Overlord was to style with its full body, low carbonation, and luscious mouthfeel. Rich dark chocolates and malts dominated the flavor profile with hints of cola, nuts, and chocolate syrup-like sweetness. The balance favored the bitterness marginally relative to the sweetness, while the aftertaste lingered with bitter chocolate, syrup sweetness, and lightly smoked wood. No phenolic smoke-derived harshness and no astringency.
THE VERDICT
Overall, the 2020 vintage of Octane Overlord is a very good Imperial Stout brewed with smoked and peated malts. The base is a robust Imperial Stout that showcased dark roasty coffee and malt attributes with a chocolatey accent. The smoked wood character only made its presence known very late and was light, so we think more of that in the aroma and flavor could elevate further this beer.
Related Reviews:
Moersleutel Craft Brewery
Beers From the Netherlands
View this post on Instagram
