Strong winter ale by a trio of friends and entrepreneurs referring to themselves as "the Elite", commissioning beers from other breweries (two so far with seemingly more to come), based in Peer. The fact that they do not openly disclose their address, phone number or e-mail address says enough - but I have to admit that it 'speaks in their favour', to put it the Flemish way, that they at least disclose the breweries where their two creations to date have been produced, this is important information not all client brewers or commissioners give out. This spiced winter beer was in any case executed by De Geiteling, in itself still a young and tiny microbrewery in Limburg. Medium thick, regularly shaped, densely structured, pale greyish white, closed and stable head on an initially clear, warm and pure amber coloured robe with deeper bronze-mahogany tinge and some loose, tenuous sparkling here and there, turning cloudy and deeper brownish and more actually mahogany with sediment. Aroma of very strong spicing pointing at juniper berry, clove and grains of paradise, dominating subtler impressions of gingerbread, red apple, 'jenever', dry caramel, bubblegum, old dried orange peel, light brown bread dough, rusk, dried fig, medlar. Fruity onset in a cleanish way, some red apple, fig and unripe pear, relatively restrained in sweetness for this kind of beer but still some, more fizzily carbonated than expected with souring and minerally effects; smooth, slick body, light caramelly maltiness clearly diluted with white candi sugar syrup with bubblegummy effect, subtle bready and biscuity elements here and there but the whole feels a bit empty and definitely too thin and light for a beer of this strength. Lots of spicing early on as expected, adding these ethereal aromas and mild astringency, retronasally dominating again with piney juniper berry upfront and clove following suit; mild floral hops add volatile bitterishness but, unsurprisingly, the finish is scorched by 'jenever'- or gin-like alcohol, heating up the throat and palpably clinging to the teeth along with some residual sugars. Feels like a light amber beer drowned in jenever and juniper berries - perhaps something a lover of botanicals in gin would appreciate, but the beer as a whole lacks depth, structure and 'furnishing'. Empty-ish, way too light in body, ridiculously overspiced even for a winter ale and overly boozy: I was not expecting much considering these guys' premise and the fact that it was brewed at Geiteling, so I guess this one meets my expectations. Needs a lot more maltiness, more hop bitterness and a lot less spice - but I will try to ignore my personal aversion to juniper berries in scoring. Not my cup of tea at all - see Gouden Carolus Christmas and the like for better examples in this particular segment, if heavily spiced strong dark Belgian winter ales are your thing. Oddly, though, this one even outmatches that failed winter ale in a very similar style De Geiteling brewed for themselves (Winter Geitje). No more Geiteling for me, in any case!