UPDATED: DEC 20, 2021 From the Bottle at Chris O's Pre-GBBF Shindig 30/07/2011 Malt aroma. Amber coloured and bitter with some alcohol present. A hint of dryness in a malt finish.

French stout, it sounds a bit contradictory, but the brewery was apparently founded by a Belgian. Light beige, creamy, thinnish, not very stable foam, colour a very dark burgundy, not entirely black yet. Lots of cooked red cabbage aroma (DMS) apart from black coffee, iron, bitter chocolate, quite strong liquorice (effectively applied here), candied dates. Dried fruits in the mouth, metallic with rather flat carbonation and therefore rather thin body, chocolatey and lots of liquorice, toasted malts, some roasted bitterness, quite short finish. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled too much by big imperial stouts but I cannot say I really enjoyed this.

Sehr dunkelbraunes Bier mit schöner Schaumkrone. Geruch sehr röstmalzig, schokoladig, dunkle Früchte. Geschmack intensiv röstmalzig, schokoladig, Kaffee, dunkle überreife Früchte.

La noire à la réglisse 7% : nez très fruité (fruits rouges), un peu sucré, bouche sur le café, peu de réglisse, légère, finle courte sur les fruits rouges et le café.

On tap at "la fine mousse" in Paris. Black color, tan head, coffee/smokey aroma, bitter chocolate-smokey flavors, nice full and dry mouthfeel, has a nice hop bite in the finish, a nice tasty easy drinking stout. N

I carried this back from Paris. I believe the photo is my bottle. Very dark brown color. Hazy. Cold coffee and grain flavor. I can’t smell or taste any licorice. Unpleasant aroma of dust. Nearly flat. It sucks to haul a beer 5,000 miles and find it to taste like this.

Courtesy of JK. Murky brown color with no head. Aroma of molasses and caramel. Light chocolate. Some dry sherry. Grainy and lightly metallic taste. Slightly sour malt. Dry.

courtesy of Antonio Rey - black beer under a dark beige foam; fair notes of licorice and yeast; fizzy and with a good malt body; black cherries and licorice in the aftertaste, low bitterness, dry and fizzy creamy finish

Bottle from La Caves a Bulles. Nice head with good duration. Color is dark brown. Aroma and taste are rich licorice, roast malt, caramel and hops.

Het begint als een zuur, niet eens naar dubbel smakend, meer een anderhalfje, bier met een hoop suiker. Het schuim ontbeert het dikke dat je krijgt van echte ingrediënten zoals mout, tarwe en de eiwitten daarin. Het is een suikerbier dat ook maar houdbaar is tot kerst van hetzelfde jaar. Zou het bier daarvoor niet bewaren maar gebruiken bij het koken van de mosselkes zodra de R in de maand zit.