The Dutch brewery De Molen has specialized in combining interesting flavor nuances. Sometimes they are quite opposite pairs, in other brews the elements go together like pitch and sulfur. Zoet & Hout (sweet & wood in German) is a pairing that belongs to the second category: for its wonderful porter, the brewery combines strong peat with delicately melting chocolate and a hint of liquorice.
Zoet & Hout has the color of freshly brewed mocha and is crowned with a milk-foam-like cap of ivory-colored fluff. Peaty smoky notes jump out at you immediately, but the scent is even more varied and complex: the top note of peat is joined by a heart note that brings warm spices and coffee to the nose, and finally there is a base note that delivers a classic porter repertoire of cocoa and roasted malt. The flavor profile is built on the same principle. A firework of dark peat, spicy liquorice and subtle laurel blossoms on a velvety base of delicately melting chocolate, roasted espresso and creamy caramel.
The brewery recommends serving this complex masterpiece at around 9 degrees Celsius with a chocolatey dessert or cake. Our favorite to accompany Zoet & Hout is an oven-fresh brownie with vanilla ice cream and a dollop of salty caramel sauce.
De MolenWater, barley malt , malt extract, liquorice powder, oak chips, hops
