 FlacoAlto (2084), Tucson, Arizona, USA
Oct 27, 2003
Pours with a thick tannish head. A beautiful deep garnet color with a slight chill haze to it. This beer smells fruity (apricot being the most predominant aroma, followed by orange). There is a certain candy sweet aroma as well, maybe a hint of butterscotch. This beer has an outstanding aroma and I could just sniff it for ages. As I sniff it the head has barely lost its 2 inch thickness, it is well carbonated. There is a bit of maltiness in the aroma as well. It is definitely well carbonated tasting as well. It is lightly sweet, with a fruitiness that was promised in the nose. There is both a candied apricot and orange flavor here. There is also a slight sense of the alcohol in this one. The taste doesn't quite live up to the aroma but this beer still need to warm up a bit. I detect a hint of astringency in the finish, there seems to be some nice Belgian yeast fermentation byproducts here as well. The beer has some slight Belgian lacing in evidence as I slowly work my way to the bottom of the glass. As it warms up the beer becomes softer, though the alcohol is still evident. Becomes sweeter and maltier. the beer color clears up a bit as it warms too, it displays some nice orange hues as it is held up to the light.
blklab2007 (533), Connecticut, USA
Aug 28, 2008 11.2 oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass has a red amber color and a thin off white head. aroma is rich in the fruit with cherry, plumb, raisin, dark dried fruit, and light sweetness. light alcohol surfaces but not what was expected from a 9.5%, and there is light barrel wood. mouth feel is medium with light carbonation. flavor is loaded on fruit with a great sweetness level, rich malt base, and the alcohol just disappears. amazingly smooth, cherry, toffee, raisin, light molasses, and caramel touches. sweet and fruity but not too much in either direction, finishing with dark fruit and bitterness that creeps in. there is a slight chocolate hit in there that sneaks in on you. bottle has sat with me for a few months and who knows how long in the store.
hombrepalo (455), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Aug 25, 2008 Big Bottle! Pours with a nice fluffy head that fades to a thin layer of creamy off white. Aroma of dark fruit and belgian yeast. Flavor is of dark fruit, honey, and a nicely balanced bitterness that keeps sweetness from bogging everything down. The aftertaste is at first much like the primary taste but then a surge of chocolate with a hint of coffee comes from nowhere and lasts for a while. The palate is velvety and smooth with a medium to full body. Very nice.
changeup45 (561), Orlando, Florida, USA
Aug 24, 2008 Pours a hazy reddish-brown color, some floaties, with a lasting frothy head which produces some nice lacing. Aroma is tart cherries, yeast and darker fruits, such as plums. Nice carbonation. The flavor is fruity, apples, cherries, plums and grapes that are both sweet and tart. As expected there’s a nice dose of yeast in the flavor with some brown sugary notes as well. Well-rounded taste. Finishes a bit puckery with light bitterness. Good beer.
juiceisloose (302), Orlando, Florida, USA
Aug 23, 2008 Pours a dark reddish brown color with a big foamy, beige head that shows good retention. The head slowly recedes and leaves swirly lacing behind. There is a lot of yeast settlement that floats around as well. The aroms shows notes of plums, raisins, figs, and sweet caramel malt. The flavor is full of dark fruits dipped in caramel with some candied sugar, raisins and a hint of chocolate. This one has a nice sweet fruity flavor to it. Medium-full bodied and smooth on the palate with a sweet, fruity finish. This is a solid blegian ale and one that is very nice to drink.
machfive55 (43), Columbia, Pennsylvania, USA
Aug 21, 2008 My beer poured cloudy with chunks of something in it...probably yeast. I’m sure I got a bottle that was mishandled somewhere along the way. Despite this however, the beer was excellent and had a great flavor and aroma, but I found it tough to drink because I couldn’t get by the chunks floating in it. So, that said, I’m going to rate this pretty good, as the beer tasted great, it just looked bad...I’m giving it a 1 on appearance. If I ever get the opportunity to re-rate, I’ll certainly change things.
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