7.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Apparently contains naked oats, (Australian) Bush Tomatoes, Muntries (a native berry that’s a bit like a spicy apple) and is aged in an old Grappa barrel. Not obviously an English Strong Ale. Not that I have a better filing suggestion. Bottle. Clear gold - a thick coat of sediment remains adhered to the bottle - with a white head that’s soon less than a coat. Aroma of funky cider and white grape focaccia, but I guess there’s some toasty malt there too. Full bodied but not heavy, sweet with straightforward but quality pale malt underpinning the apple and grape notes. Not much if any bitterness, but a musty astringency balances the sweetness. Some spices - mace, other Chinese "medicine"- like things I can’t place. There’s an odd pulpy woodiness to it too. There’s a "things that lived in the barrel but don’t mean to intrude" feel that’s really nice now. I wonder whether it will stay that way or take over. Interesting, good, highly original.