Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, 2016 vintage bottling. Pours lightly hazy deep orange/amber color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big apricot, pear, apple, white grape, peppercorn, clove, light banana, caramel, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, hay, straw, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast and dark/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big apricot, pear, apple, white grape, peppercorn, clove, light banana, caramel, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, hay, straw, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Moderate yeast spiciness and herbal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of apricot, pear, apple, white grape, peppercorn, clove, light banana, caramel, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast and dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from bitter/spiciness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, fairly crisp, and moderately creamy/bready/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal alcohol warming for 7.3%. Overall this is an excellent Biere de Garde! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast and dark/bready malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.