8

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

0.75 l bottle from 'Flaschenfreund', 2019 vintage, cellared for over a year. A little hazy, deep reddish amber with a thin, frothy, almost stable, off-white head. Sweetish, quite phenolic, slightly herbal, minimally fruity aroma of caramel, overripe banana, caraway, vanilla and light wood. Gently sweet, malty, rather phenolic, slightly herbal and a bit fruity taste of caramel, lots of vanilla, dark honey, caraway, light sultanas and a touch of overripe banana, followed by a long, gently bitter, quite herbal, gently boozy finish. Medium to full body, smooth and oily mouthfeel, almost flat. Gorgeous brew, very rich and saturating, a lot deeper and sophisticated than the base beer. The Aquavit fits in perfectly and takes it to another level. Really tasty and really different.