The winter version of Crispy Li, in itself the follow-up to Smokey Li but a different beer altogether; the regular Crispy Li is an amber coloured ale with cascara, the husks of coffee beans, even if the term originally refers to the bark of the cascara tree, which is something very different botanically speaking. Anyway, the coffee version of cascara returns in this winter edition, but is accompanied now by massala (the Indian spice mix usually - but not always - containing cumin seed, coriander seed, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and clove). A complex spice beer, in other words, always a challenge - which I have to thank tderoeck for, who was generous enough to offer me a bottle. Medium thick, pale greyish beige, mousy, small-bubbled, stable head gradually showing gaps here and there, on a misty, ruddy mahogany-hued deep amber coloured beer with small 'dusty' particles floating throughout, shifting to a cloudy, ruddy bronze with sediment. Outspoken, indeed very clearly spiced aroma of (real) clove, indeed dried coffee berries (the 'cascara'), cranberries, cinnamon and cardamom from the massala also clearly noticeable, dry cinnamon sugar cookies or cinnamon crumb cake even in combination with the malts, plum, herb tea, coriander seed, old 'speculoos', homemade pear juice, fresh bay leaf, dried apple peel, volatile background whiffs of rosehip, cumin seed, parsnip, rusty iron, brown cardboard. Fruity onset, sweetish apricot and red apple surrounded by sourish cranberry and insufficiently ripe plum or nectarine, with both components well in balance; softish carbonation, slick, bit glueish mouthfeel. Brown-bready and dry cookie-ish malt backbone, sweetish (though not too much so and still dried a bit by the sourish aspect too), slight toasty bitter aspect in the finish matching well with the coffee bean husks, which act slightly spice-bitter and aromatic with only a vague reference to coffee. The massala, meanwhile, becomes increasingly prominent, with especially the clove, coriander and cardamom dominating retronasally. Rather earthy finish, with a 'deep' and late hop bitterish note, accompanying the lingering cascara and (partial) massala spiciness; the sour aspect, though remaining gentle all the way through especially for a 'Flemish red' style beer, keeps thing light and relatively refreshing, but age has added a dusty old cardboard-like oxidation effect as well, that interferes a bit with the spices. The soft sourness and spiciness linger on for quite a while after swallowing, with a trace of that dry cookie-like maltiness underneath. I still have to get my hands on the regular Crispy Li, I guess that one is a bit less spice-forward and a tad less malty perhaps (from what I read), but this one is not the worst Belgian spice beer I had to date - perhaps because it has a spice profile more reminiscent of the Far East than is normally the case, a nod to the tea part of Li O Lait I suppose, the coffee and tea house for which this beer was made. I would drink this again fresh I would ever visit Li O Lait, but I'm guessing that the spiciness is even stronger in a fresh one... Interesting and original beer, more easily drinkable than I was fearing, as I am not the greatest lover of spiced beers.

Roodbruin bier met weinig schuim. Smaak is heel licht fris zuur en fruitig met iets van bessen en pruimen en een vleug massala kruiden. Apart maar best fijn bier.

2/I/20 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker), shared @ Ardennes holiday, BB: 31/XII/20 - (2020-10)

Pretty cloudy dark amber to brown beer, practically no head, unstable, dissipates immediately, non adhesive. Aroma: fruity, sourish, quite some vinegar, earthy, tobacco, flemish red, berries. MF: soft carbon, medium to light body. Taste: soft acidity, bit roasted, spicy, dry, little chemical, bitter touch, sour berries, red currants, fruity. Aftertaste: sourish, funky, fruity, some tannins, little bitter, earthy touch.