Named after the underworld of Norse mythology, yet the beer in the bottle is more warming than haunting. Twelve percent, dark as a November evening, with candy sugar, caramel and a whisper of bourbon barrel. A winter night in a bottle.

Expert description of Enigma Winter Helheim Quadrupel Beer

Enigma Winter Helheim is a Quadrupel from the Belgian brewery Enigma in Heusden-Zolder, Limburg. Quadrupel is the name for the strong, dark Belgian abbey-style ales with full malt and dark fruit, and Winter Helheim delivers on that with 12 percent ABV and 31 IBU. It is brewed with a strongly fermenting Belgian yeast and is the brewery's winter beer.

The beer is aged on oak chips from bourbon barrels, and you can taste it. The bourbon note sits on top of the malty sweetness without taking over.

Enigma is known for playing with new yeast strains and aromatic hops, and for colourful labels. Much of the range is hop-driven, so Winter Helheim is the dark, warming counterpart, with a name taken from Norse mythology.

Tasting notes

Aroma

Caramel and dark fruit lead, with a hint of chocolate and bourbon behind.

Taste

It opens with candy sugar sweetness and a light touch of clove. Then come dark fruit, caramel and chocolate, with the bourbon note appearing in the background. The body is full and the carbonation soft, so the beer slips down despite its 12 percent.

Finish

The finish is warm and sweet with chocolate and bourbon. You can feel the alcohol, as you would expect from a beer at 12 percent.

Specifications

Name: Winter Helheim
Brewery: Enigma
Country/Region: Belgium, Limburg
Beer style: Quadrupel
ABV: 12%
IBU: 31
Size: 33 CL
Fermentation type: Top fermented
Serving suggestion: Serve at 8 to 12 degrees Celsius in a beer glass that gathers the aroma

Flavour profile

Dark fruit · Caramel · Chocolate · Bourbon · Spicy · Sweet · Full-bodied

Did you know?

Hel rules over the dead in Norse mythology, and Helheim is her realm. Her name lives on in the Scandinavian word for hell, helvede.

See our full range of Enigma Brewery

Listen to our podcast:

In Edinburgh, a whisky producer approached Innis & Gunn with a request to test how beer tasted after ageing in used bourbon barrels - the result was so popular that the brewery started brewing beer for the barrels instead.

Expert description of Innis & Gunn Original

Innis & Gunn Original, also known as The Original Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale, is aged on used whisky barrels for up to 51 days. Like the world's great wine and whisky producers, Innis & Gunn strives for flavour depth, complexity and body in every beer it makes, and Original is defined by exactly this approach.

The 51-day ageing on whisky barrels gives flavours of caramel, vanilla and oak, seasoned with a piquant touch of hops. It is a Scottish ale where the barrel ageing is not just a gimmick, but an integral part of the recipe since the brewery's founding in 2003.

Tasting Notes

Aroma

Caramel, vanilla and oak, with a hint of hops.

Taste

Sweet caramel and vanilla, balanced by a piquant hop bitterness.

Finish

Soft and round with lingering oak notes.

Specifications

Name: The Original Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale
Brewery: Innis & Gunn
Country/Region: Edinburgh, Scotland
Beer Style: Scotch Ale
ABV: 6.6%
Size: 33 CL
EAN: 5010327658544
Serving Suggestion: Best enjoyed at 10-12°C, pairs well with grilled meat or strong cheese

Flavour Profile

Caramel · Vanilla · Oak · Soft

Did You Know?

Innis & Gunn came about by chance, when a whisky producer asked the brewery to test how beer tasted after ageing in used whisky barrels - the response was so positive that it became the foundation for the entire brewery's concept.

See our full range of Craft Beer

Listen to our podcast: