by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende
Fans of Emelisse will have noticed a rebranding taking place throughout the last year, and this was the result of the brewery being sold. The new owners of the labels and recipes of Emelisse are the Slot Oostende brewery, located not too far from Kees Brouwerij in Middelburg.
While the full transition took a while, all brewing and operations for Emelisse were moved to the Slot Oostende brewery in 2017. Former brewer Kees has his own fantastic brewery, and assistant John is now brewing with De Molen.
First introduced in late 2016, this is one of the newest creations for Emelisse. It is a sweet stout, with barley and wheat plus milk sugars, this is a very flavoursome beer for its modest 5.5% ABV.
Rich dark chocolate and vanilla on the nose follow through in the taste. Early rich and sweet dark chocolate and roasty malts, the vanilla is more subdued. The beer becomes drier and roastier with hints of coffee. Then finishes with a little sweetness again.
It doesn’t really have the creamiest of bodies that the name ‘Ice Cream Stout’ might invoke, but it is smooth and tasty.