Almost pitch black, but a few reddish hints show up through light. Gets a medium sized light brownish, quite creamy head that shows good enough persistence and lacing. Average intensity in a simple but pleasantly clean aroma: dark bread, hints of ashes, a pretty big per style caramel malts contribution, perhaps a vague hint of red fruits/fruit cake. Taste notes as per aroma: good taste intensity, nicely clean. Definitely on the sweet end for the style: roasted notes are mellowed by both softness and sweetness and there's a sirupy feel in finish/aftertaste; perhaps a bit too sweet for the style in the overall balance, but still enjoyable. Medium body, average, soft bubbled carbonation; goes down quite quickly for the abv with a just a hint of softness/creaminess. Overall: an interpretation of the style that stands somewhere between craft and commercial. Not too interesting and a bit too sweetish, but still clean, well made and enjoyable.

Pours deep amber with reddish hints, a bit hazy. Gets a medium sized head, the slighest off-white, good enough persistence and not much lacing. Quite good intensity and nice depth in the aroma: a quite strong caramel base with a biscuity note as a plus, the slightest vinous hint, fruity notes of candied orange with lighter stone fruit hints. Feels quite vivid in taste too: notes more or less as per aroma (though i can't get the vinous component now), maybe with just a hint of herbal notes to bring a bit of freshness. A pretty sweet beer in the overall balance, both in taste and aftertaste: a clean and decently deep, far from unpleasant sweetness, but it can get a bit annoying when drinking a full bottle. Good taste definition in a nicely clean taste profile. Medium body, medium to high carbonation; a decent easy drinker for the abv with just a hint of creamy fullness. Overall: labeled as a biere de garde by the brewery, but very loosely one. Anyways, a well made, slightly old-style, more or less belgian ale.

Pours a quite attractive mid amber, pretty clear, small to average sized white head, good enough retention and hints of lacing. Very typical bitter aroma with a biscuity, slightly nutty malt base with a complement of delicate fruity notes (citrus jam, hints of apple). Stumbles a bit in taste: nothing major, but it lacks the easy but soft feel of a good bitter; plus, sweetness and bitterness fail to find harmony and feel quite disconnected. Taste notes as per aroma, average taste intensity. Pretty light in body, average carbonation (a bit more than usual per style), easily drinkable though, as mentioned, it seems to lack that hint of depth that comes from softness. Ok, but definitely not exciting.

2025 bottle. Pours a deep, partially hazy red; gets just a few carbonation bubbles that disappear instantly. A surprisingly quite subdued (and also a bit undefined) aroma: a soft, wet wood like base, maybe with a dough like hint to it, light fruity notes (more raspberry than cherries actually), hints of lactic sourness. More pronounced sourness (and a bit more vividness) in taste: mainly lactic, and slightly soft-feeling, as the smell suggested, still backed up by a good amount of sweetness. Notes as per aroma; again, i get more raspberries than cherries. Still a slightly unclean/undefined taste, but the beer finds a good overall sweet/sour balance. Medium body, very light carbonation with a hint of fizziness to bring a bit of liveliness; feels mostly slick on the overall. Maybe an unlucky bottle, but what i had was no more than a decent/mediocre sour.