Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours lightly hazy deep reddish brown color with a 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of caramel, toast, biscuit, brown sugar, banana, pear, apple, raisin, pepper, clove, light chocolate, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Nice aromas with good complexity and solid balance of dark/bready malt, earthy hops, and yeast ester notes; with good strength. A bit too estery. Taste of caramel, toast, biscuit, brown sugar, banana, pear, apple, raisin, clove, pepper, light chocolate, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Moderate amount of earthy bitterness/yeast spice on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toast, biscuit, brown sugar, banana, pear, apple, raisin, clove, pepper, light chocolate, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, earthy hops, and yeast ester flavors; with a great malt/bitterness/yeast spice balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a smooth, moderately creamy, and lightly slick/bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good imperial altbier style. Well balanced dark/bready malt, earthy hops, and fruity/spicy yeast ester flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the ABV. A nicely enjoyable offering.