Black Damnation sounds more like something you would encounter at the gates of Hell rather than a delicious beverage, but delicious beverages they are!
Made using Struise's Russian imperial stout 'Black Albert', they take different spirit barrels and age it in them to provide each Black Damnation beer with a unique flavour.
For Moccha Bomb they used Kentucky bourbon barrels and aged it for 2 years to give an extra-rich flavour to a beer that was already touted as a classic stout.
The rich, almost sweetness of the bourbon is the main smell along with a touch of the metallic, and it's very heady too - the 13% ABV making itself known right off the bat.
The pour is a lot thinner than I expected it to be, but despite this it is rich and flavoursome, with a body that is a lot thicker in the mouth than it is in the glass.
The initial flavour is largely booze: strong stout mixed with that light, sweet bourbon flavour. It soon develops though and there's a big hit of dark chocolate and coffee bitterness which works really well with the strength.
The aftertaste keeps that sweet bourbon flavour, with the slight burn at the back of the throat you get with high ABV big beers, but there's also a lot of dark chocolate there too to make it a real stunner.
The Black Damnation series from Struise always has the same logo design, a coloured print-style intricate design with the skull featuring at the bottom. Presumably to tie in to the whole 'damnation' theme. The colours change depending on which edition, but the theme is generally the same.
Despite looking very busy, the label is actually quite simple in it's design. With information about the beer on the back along with the beer style and bio.
It's quite a striking label in a way that would definitely stand out on a shelf, and it's definitely one that we'll be keeping an eye out for.
If damnation doesn't scare you and you want to experience this headrush of a stout, then you can get your damned hands on them for £7.50 from Brew Cavern.