Happy INTERNATIONAL STOUT DAY 2025! 🍻  Celebrated on the first Thursday of November every year. I toast it with a Stout, of course. The beer is dressed in murky black. Subdued carbonation. The head is off-white and seriously restrained. And dies fast. Roasted malt, aniseed, licorice and a bit of rye bread in the scent. Predictable. The taste profile is slightly sharp with generous roasted malt, licorice, raw aniseed, cough syrup, rye bread and faint ash. Straightforward. Predictable, too. The body is medium. A bit substandard for the ABV. The finish is a continuation from upfront, not really an evolution though. The mouthfeel is medium, roasty, modestly sharp, woody and lip-glueing. A decent deliverer.

Oh mama! This looks turbid! Really messy! Colors milk chocolate brown. Posh carbonation. A creamy beige head grows three fingers tall and dissipates gradually to a generous lace ring and lacing on the surface. The retention is long. The scent is attractive with brown malt, milk chocolate, a pinch of cookie and a caramelly twist. A dry-hoppy wink cheers my nose timidly. Caramel is copious on the tongue. A hoppy touch is not hair-thin but quite gentle anyway. Milk chocolate, cacao nibs, cookie and a good slam of brown malt complete the journey. Lovely! The body is medium to medium-full. Ends with loads of brown malt, chocolate, cacao and cookie but... no caramel. A deviation from the beaten track. The mouthfeel is medium-full, soft, smooth, gentle and a bit candy-like. Attractive, not very Belgiany though.

Late check-in of Advent Calendar Beer #️⃣1️⃣2️⃣. This is the last remaining check-in of the 24 beer strong advent calendar. The complexion is relatively hazy, dirty orange. The carbonation is a tad restrained as it manages to create a soapy, off-white head that fails to reach half a finger. Soon the top witnesses a thin lace ring only. The olfactory provision is composed of wheat biscuit, medium-sweet malt, banana, apricot and orange peel. A grassy hoppy injection tweaks the package marginally sharper. Strong malt, biscuit, Belgian yeast and grassy hops merge with a set of fruits, such as orange pith and peel, apricot and a hint of banana. Whitepepper seasons the cocktail. A pleasant experience. The body is medium to medium-full. The aftertaste is similar to upfront. The mouthfeel is medium-full, Belgiany, lip-glueing, spiced and slightly tangy.

Advent Calendar Beer #️⃣1️⃣7️⃣. Today's beer is... a Bock! Of course. The appearance shows a turbid, milky deep orange face. The carbonation is slightly fizzy and lives short. A creamy soapy lacing is what I have on the top of the beer. Soon it's a marginal ring only. Bitter orange peel, lemon pith, wheat malt, Belgian yeast and a piney hoppy tang constitute the olfactory galaxy. A modest whitepeppery twist completes the fragrance. Well... this is supposed to be a Heller Bock but gears the impression rather to the direction of Belgium. Medium-strong malt, bitter orange peel, lemon pith, pine needle, dry grass, whitepepper and bitter yeast is what my tongue is able to enjoy all the way from the start to the finish. A fairly uniform and well attenuated trajectory. The mouthfeel is light-medium to medium. It's somewhat tangy, dry, drying and marginally spiced. And Belgiany. Why is that? I don't know. Nevertheless, the mouthfeel is not exceptionally strong or intense. Follows the style qualifications quite liberally.