500ml bottle (batch 44, bb. Sept.08). Dense, brownish head over a mahogany coloured body. Pleasant aroma of roasted malt. Marked taste of aniseed with hints of dark fruits and burnt malt. Rounded bitter finish. Fits the season well, but the anise is bit too dominant (25.11.2006).

Bottle. Drak brown colour with a tan head. Sweet malty spicy aroma. Malty spicy flavor, hints of licorice. Lots of carbonation. Dry malty finish with some bitterness.

Bottled. A nice, spiced aroma escaped the bottled immediately after opening. Promising. It pours dark brown, with lots of carbonation and a lovely, dense, lasting tan head. Some sediments in the bottom. The nose is spiced at first, with coffee-like bitterness, hops and some sour notes. Quite roasted flavor with sweetness, hops, spicyness, dried fruits and notes of coffee. Some vinous notes as well. Pleasant mouthfeel, fullbodied and drying. The finish is warming and quite hopped, with a spicyness and an alcohol-note that lasts quite long. Nice! Rating: 7-4-8-4-15-3.8.(061106)

Bottle, 2008 vintage, #187. Courtesy of the brewery. Pours a very dark brown body, slightly unclear, under a finger thick, dense, beige head. Licorice, roasted malts, coffee beans, some notes of prunes and subtle resiny, citrusy hops in the aroma. Full-bodied, quite low on carbonation, rather dry, and with flavors of roasted malts, piney and citrusy hops giving a pleasant bitterness, coffee, a little touch of salty licorice and some dark chocolate. A tiny touch of sourness too. Fine roasted finish with a balancing bitterness. Really pleasant this year, but not so very Christmasy anymore. (090101)