bottled, thanks to henrikb. murky reddish brown, decent off-white head. plenty of spice in the aroma - nutmeg, aniseed and clove. plenty of stewed pear and plum, quite sweet but with some earthy dryness to keep it in balance

2004 vintage at the Blind Tiger. Deep ruddy brown beer with a thin white head. Aroma is excellent, sweet plums and light caramel, toasted malt and light dried cherry/raisin fruitiness. Light apple and plummy fruit as well. Spicy yeast, some clove and cinnamon. Flavour is a bit less impressive but has lots of caramelized Belgian malt, candi sugar and lots of candied plums, dried fruits and toasted malts. As it warms, some nice banana and smokey phenolics come forward. Sweet but not cloying and surprisingly complex. Good integration of yeasty spice/fruit and malty sweetness. Why they’ve stopped making this, I have no idea.

2004 version on draft at the Blind Tiger. Some belgian spices and malt in the aroma. The flavor has some bubble gum and spice, but maybe isn’t as smooth as one would expect. Decent overall.

<b>Date:</b> 11/05/1999<br /> <b>Mode:</b> Draft<br /> <b>Source:</b> Brewfest, Duramn, NC, Winter<br /> <br /> amber, rich malty aroma and flavor, well balanced, uninspired but desrving another review<br /> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <b>Date:</b> 03/05/2005<br /> <b>Mode:</b> draft<br /> <b>Source:</b> brick store<br /> <br /> dark brown, thin tan head, spicy aroma, rich malt flavor, nice ripe fruit character, mosyly dry, touch of balancing bitterness in the finish, needs a bit more depth but still quite tasty<br /> <br /> <b>Aroma:</b> 6/10; <b>Appearance:</b> 8/10; <b>Flavor:</b> 5/10; <b>Palate:</b> 5/10; <b>Overall:</b> 10/20<br /> <b>Rating:</b> 2.8/5.0<br /><b>Score:</b> *4<br /> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <i>The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.</i><br />