Seven Island Brewery – Let's Learn Beer!

need some shade

by Ceit
May 16, 2026May 16, 2026

Time to venture down to the beer stores, and Be Hoppy is hoppin’. It seems like somebody’s having a party, but hard to tell who and what for. In any case, it’s good for places to be busy, even if it’s less comfortable for me. Not too many stouts in the fridge right now, but there is a rather eerily beautiful can on the shelf. Oh, it’s Seven Island! Now it has to come with me. There is a small note on the can that Polish Stu Mostow also has something to do with this, but that is not a deterrent. There is a series, apparently, of Dark Ages stouts. This one is Light Devourer, an Imperial Stout with pecans and creme brulee. Not a pastry stout? Still a find, and now that the resurrected fridge is with us, it will cool off properly.

A delicious pour, maybe festival worthy, with a rich dark brown beer and a milk chocolate head. The bubbles aren’t quite even in size, but it doesn’t dissipate very quickly. It’s not terribly aromatic, but there is a promise of chocolate and liquor, possibly with a foundation of toast. It has a prickly entry, in spite of being a very smooth tasting beer. It is somewhat candied, with a little bit of butterscotch and caramel. The toast might be slightly burned, but not to the point of making the drink unappetizing. The smokier flavors fizzle out pretty quickly, leaving a desserty essence. It’s not quite a pudding pastry beer, but it definitely leans in that direction. The creme brulee is certainly present, and maybe it’s those pecans that are providing a slightly savory and gritty undertone. Despite the growing weight, it remains slippery and lively. It’s no Trees For Life, or even Passage Temporaire, but Light Devourer is a beer that can hold its head high.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €9:50

décimo

by Ceit
January 3, 2026December 14, 2025

On the tenth day of Beermas I went and got for me
Ten drug lords delivering
Nine priestesses priesting
Eight pirate maids a-sailing
Seven boney swimmers
Six geese post-laying
Five gold nuts
Four obvious non-kiwis
A three-time remade masterpiece
Two guarding lions
And a crow glaring silently

Hey…isn’t that a scene from a Tarantino movie? Not the famous one, that other one, less famous and sillier. Well, maybe not, it’s been a while since I’ve seen it, or any Tarantino movie for that matter. Suggestions for holiday films? Ok, not only is it stirring film nostalgia, it’s an imperial stout (finally!) and from La Quince. A safe bet if I’ve ever heard one. Maybe I’m stretching the definition of lord, but I imagine people in illegal occupations do a lot of leaping. If not physically, then morally and philosophically. Collaborator Seven Island is a Greek outfit, so philosophy is almost certainly a part of this beer. I seem to recall an earlier collab with Yria that resulted in a stout that would leave you one the floor – almost literally, since it was a seventeen percenter. Midnight Call looks powerful, but manageable. Let’s find out!

First time in a while I don’t get a good head on the first pour, but there is a little beige crown there. While not pitch black, it’s a pleasing dark brown, hot fudge syrup if I had to compare it. The aroma is pretty standard stout, a little toast and earth. Wow, it’s a real mouth filler! The taste is surprisingly subdued for such thickness. It hits hard with bitter, but then there’s a support structure of something sweet. Could it be the oats? It has kind of a breakfast element to it. There’s a tingling to the sip, like a thousand teeny tiny bubbles at once. It does leave a sticky residue on the lips, although no unpleasant aftertaste or other problems. Is it one that you’d get a hankering for at midnight? A secret treat that has to come under cover of darkness? That might make it more exciting, but stouts are a pretty acceptable indulgence. I would call for this beer any time.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €7.50