A dark beer of course doesn’t always have to be a Stout or Porter in order to convince me. Even though I tend to prefer especially those two styles of beer, there are also other styles that really caught me. Lately – I would not have thought it would ever happen – I also started to find some pleasure drinking selected IPAs, the epitomes of the craft beer movement. But today we’re not dealing with a hop monster but with a Belgian Dark Ale: The sonorous Noir de Dottignies.

The Noir de Dottignies comes from the Belgian Brouwerij de Ranke from the province of Hainaut. It is a top-fermented beer with powerful 9% vol., which – just as I like it – brings an explosion of bold flavors within the glass. Thanks to 6 different malts they are plenty of roasting flavors adding a very complex and aromatic dimension to the beer. The Noir de Dottignies is a highly recommendable brand, especially now, as it slowly starts to get cold outside.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose the Noir de Dottignies turns out very strong but not too strong. Baked bread, malt and complex spices caress the sense of smell. In terms of taste it is a very full-bodied and rich beer with the sweetness of black bread and roasted malt. It’s really very, very tasty.

Buying Sources: in specialized stores or online