8.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

750 ml bottle into tulip glass; 2015 vintage bottling. Slight gusher upon opening. Pours fairly crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a 2 finger fairly dense and flufy khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense foamy lacing clings around the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of huge raisin, plum, fig, cherry, pear, apple, pepper, clove, light banana, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, spicy rye, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, chocolate, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Incredible aromas with fantastic complexity and balance of fruity/spicy yeast and dark/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of huge raisin, plum, fig, cherry, pear, apple, pepper, clove, light banana, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, spicy rye, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, chocolate, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Large amount of peppery yeast spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of raisin, plum, fig, cherry, pear, apple, pepper, clove, light banana, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, spicy rye, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, chocolate, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast and dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/spiciness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Moderate dryness from carbonation and yeast spiciness as well. High carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and fairly crisp/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Alcohol is very well hidden with only slight warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an amazing Belgian strong dark ale! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast and dark/bready malt flavors; and very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.