A pitch black beer with a brown head. The aroma is of chocolate and alcocohol, combined with a slight acidity and alcohol - a super aroma. The flavor is sweet and very roasted, but also with strong notes of vanilla, and light notes of alcohol, towards the end quite bitter coffee notes comes along, before the final is dry and alcoholic. It is a shame, that this is not made anymore. For me it was the top beer of RBSG 2006.

Draught pint at the Malvern location on 10/6/06 with Dickinsonbeer.
Head retention seemed to leave a little to be desired on the beers we had this day, but other than that, a lucid bronze body is clear and shows minimal carbonation. The white head is initially small and dissipates rather steadily, leaving behind light, spotty lacing.
Fresh, crisp, biting and bitter hops in the nose are luscious and wonderfully utilized. Very strong aroma, with delicate honey notes dancing in the background and a very dry, crisp yeast bite on the end. Light minerals, appropriate to the style, from the yeast, but not overdone. Nor is there any trace of anything unauthentic here. I sometimes feel that hallertauer hops lose out to styrian goldings in their combination of dryness/snappiness and aroma/flavor (styrian having both the dryness AND the more complex flavor), but not so here. This is like the most lush and fertile grass, soft and fuzzy but at the same time poignant and crisp. And that’s just the aroma.
The flavor struck me right away as, well, a Bohemian pils. You sort of keep in the back of your head a model of what the perfect example of a style would taste like. This came really close. The hops are about 90% flavor and 10% bittering, just leaving enough bitterness to help aid the yeast in clearing the light malt. They are fully dry, wonderfully grassy and almost fruity, they seem so fresh. Must have been a freshly harvested batch of hops. The malt is medium-light to light in texture, without being watery or too lean, yet at no time does it assert dominance or build up on the palate. Warm honey and very slight baked dough notes, provide a substantial medium on which to display the hops. The attenuation is perfect as well, not being too dry as to get bready or papery, and having enough sweetness to fend back yeast-derived acidity. And last but not least, the yeast on the finish might be even more stunning than the hops. It’s full of that mineral-like lager yeast bite that is so charming about this style. Crisp and snappy, finishing dry and urging another sip. Supremely drinkable, no brewing flaws.
Tough to critique this one. I suppose the carbonation, while not poorly represented here, just dosent have what a tight, bottle conditioned carbonation has. This one is a touch loose at times. The aroma, while chalk full of hops, could, perhaps stand a touch more malt nuance, while maybe you could have a more robust maltiness (though it’s difficult to do so without messing up the balance). I’m reaching though. It’s hard to ask for much more than this.

750mL, bottled Nov 2003, drunk on 9/14/06.
Fabulous bottle conditioning job leads to, even at almost 3 years of age, a dense, rocky, mountain of off-white head that is well-retained and provides sheets of lacing. High clarity from being well-settled out, with tiny bubbles still rising in the liquid. Deep orange-magenta with strong copper and auburn hues.
Almonds, pale sugars, rich butter toffee and a decidedly snappy, borderline tart, Belgian yeast are well-integrated in the nose. Sweet, richly extracted malts up front give way to earthy, crusty, more dry flavors and then finish on a lightly acidic, fruity Belgian yeastiness. White bread dough, angel food cake, lots of sweet almond paste-like notes. The aroma is very strong as well, with no alcohol noted. Absent are any stale/oxidized notes.
Creamy sweet malts in the flavor showcase rich, sun-baked honeycakes, minor fruit esters and a touch of vanilla and toffee. Almond notes on the finish grow slightly dry and almost biscuity, while the complex yeast notes evolve from lightly acidic, yellow/red fruits to a more robust dryness and more integrated soft fruitiness. Unfiltered texture is vastly sumptuous, while the frothy, engaging carbonation is done well enough to showcase this beautifully done malt, but keep it from growing cloying. A dry, lightly dusty/earthy note hangs on after the finish, providing more authenticity and dashing any possibility of this being an overly clean, American example. Thanks to Bucknaked for the bottle!
2006 draught at Kennett on 10/7/06.
Favorite beer of the fest and deliciously drinkable. Really the best of both the saison and BdG worlds. Not too heavy on the malt, yet what is there has both honey, biscuits, light graininess and just a touch of toffee. Hops are perfumey, moderately done and give off grass, lilacs, lavendar and I like Ernest’s suggestion of honeysuckles. Very well-attenuated, though not bone dry by any means, without any overyeasting (no meatiness, overt doughiness) and no crude phenols/esters. Strong mouthfeel boasts a moderately tight carbonation, especially given the draught nature. Not too much acidity and a nice lack of nuttiness relative to the style, as a change of pace (no almondskins). Moderate fruity esters are reserved, but aromatic. Very clean for a Belgian, and definitely notable as being American-made, but not in a bad way, in my opinion. I guess you just either like McKenzie’s Belgian approach or you don’t. Raising the score a little.