Troubadour Obscura (Mild Stout) (bottle)
Ursel, Belgium
8.2% ABV
This was one of the Christmas season specialty ales we got at the store. It's been in my coal room for a couple of months, but with a beer like this that shouldn't affect the quality.
Pours dark brown, slightly amber, with a thick brown foamy head. The head leaves significant lacing on the inside of the snifter. Beautiful. Smells strongly of Belgian yeast, slightly tart, with a bit of a roasty backbone underneath. Hints of sourness, perhaps some lactobacillus?
Flavor is very complex. Strong roasted malt notes up front, much like an ordinary British stout, but with a significant Belgian yeast presence. Also some sourness, again probably from lactobacillus, and with a dry malted aftertaste. Sourness becomes more prominent as the beer warms. This beer has a moderate thickness, with a low carbonation and a mild drying astringency on the back of the tongue. Very slight chewiness.
Overall this beer seems like an almost perfect mix of a great Belgian Strong Dark Ale and a nice British stout. Could be a bit more tart, could have a bit more complexity, but overall, very nice.
My overall BA rating: 4.35/5
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