Sitting down to enjoy a beer from our French brewery La Debauche is often a more cultural experience than you may have planned for. The label art on their bottles is both attractive and intriguing. It can take a few minutes to analyse the label, looking for a hidden meaning, cultural reference or simply a hint from the brewery as to what the beer you are about to enjoy should be.
‘Nevermore’ is the word muttered by ‘The Raven’ in the Edgar Allan Poe’s poem from the mid-nineteenth century. It is a tale of loss and despair, with the raven symbolising a dark and sorrowful state of being.
The beer is dark and imposing, but that is where the despair ends. It is a rich imperial stout, aged with American oak from bourbon barrels.
Dark chocolate, cocoa, roasted malts, caramel, coffee, licorice, vanilla and a hint of sweet bourbon meld well with the medium hop bitterness. This lifts up the body, with an earthy minerality drying the beer on the finish for a really well balanced and dangerously drinkable beer.
Go on – read the poem while you are sipping on this beer!
A big Imperial Stout, dark fruit, chocolate and a hint of sourness
A big and tasty imperial stout brewed with cacao, vanilla and orange peel
An imperial stout brewed with cacao, vanilla and orange zest, aged in Brazilian Amburana wood oak barrels
A luscious big imperial stout with cocao nibs and roasted peanuts
The name translates as 'lubricating oil', and that is a fair description for this rich and smooth imperial stout
Another 2019 Boreft Festival Beer, this is an imperial stout with chocolate nibs and fresh mint
This Borefts Festival beer from 2018 is an imperial stout with amarene cherries, finished on cedar wood
The flagship imperial stout from De Molen - 'Hell & Damnation'
De Molen's 'Hell & Damnation' Imperial Stout
De Molen's flagship imperial stout has been given a hazelnut twist
De Molen's 'Heaven & Earth' - s smoky, peaty Imperial Stout
De Molen's 'Malt & Mocha' is their winter seasonal coffee imperial stout
De Molen's 2018 Boreft Festival '9+1' beer is an imperial stout with added aloe vera
An Imperil Stout with 5 different barley malts, flaked oats and hand roasted coconut flakes
A slightly sour imperial stout with walnut extract, caramel and salt, aged in Bowmore Whiskey barrels
A blend of two of De Molen's imperial stouts, then aged in various barrels, blended again and spiked with a wild Brettanomyces yeast
A delicious Imperial Stout with the addition of Rooibos, a little lighter and drier than a typical IS
by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende
It is Creme Brûlée - dessert in a glass
by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende
A rich and luxurious Imperial Stout infused with coffee beans from Italy
It's a big dark lager, in the form of an imperial stout. And it is delicious!
Really this is more a cross between a Belgian Quadrupel and an Imperial Stout
A massive Imperial Stout, with loads of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee
A delicious imperial stout with oat flakes in the malt bill, and coffee beans, vanilla and chipotle and mulato chilli peppers
A wintery imperial stout with roasted chicory root
An oatmeal stout with a rich, creamy and luxurious chocolatey flavour
A delicious dessert beer, this is like caramel fudge in a glass
An imperial pastry stout with vanilla, toffee and dry dates
A really interesting, slightly sour Imperial Stout that has been barrel aged for 12 months and spiked with wild Brettanomyces yeast
A delicious imperial milk stout with the addition of coffee beans, cocoa beans and lactose
A big and tasty imperial stout that balances the sweetness with a good level of roasted malts and hop bitterness
Four malts, roasted barley and two hops create a beautiful Imperial Stout - with a Belgian twist.
This Bourbon barrel aged imperial stout is a three-way collaboration with Alvinne (BEL) and Velka Morava (RUS) brewed at Brouwerij Kees
Imperial pastry stout with vanilla, coconut and lactose
An oatmeal imperial stout with the addition of Jamaican coffee beans and orange peel
Imperial Pastry Stout with vanilla, coconut and lactose
An imperial milk stout with vanilla, cinnamon and lactose
A massive imperial stout with the addition of vanilla, marshmallows and lactose
A Belgian Imperial Stout, rich in chocolate, roasted malts and coffee
A Belgian style ale, something of a cross between and blond and amber ale
This black IPA from La Debauche is full of dark chocolate, coffee, liquorice with a little fruit and sustained bitterness
A really interesting, slightly sour Imperial Stout that has been barrel aged for 12 months and spiked with wild Brettanomyces yeast
A milkshake lager with popcorn and pineapple - a crazy combination that just seems to work
A delicious imperial milk stout with the addition of coffee beans, cocoa beans and lactose
La Debauche presents their interpretation of the classic Belgian Dubbel style
As the label suggest, this is an IPA brewed using all French ingredients
Described as an International IPA, this beer is full of mango and citrus
A lightly soured blonde beer with the additional of passionfruit and lemon
An IPA which mixes the influences of both the Anglo-Saxon and US versions of this style
A refreshing witbier 'hopped' with a healthy dose of jasmine
A Hoppy Wheat Ale with a light malt body and fruity, slightly spicy hop character
This big barley wine is spiked with Brettanomyces and aged in oak barrels for 18 months
A delicious milk stout with the addition of lactose
