Style: Spiced Beer/Specialty
ABV: 9.0%
Origin: Opwijk, Belgium
Appearance: A crystal clear dark copper color with a small off-white head. Bubbles are small and diminish quicky, so I expect this to be quite prickly.
Aroma: Fruit and spices, but very faint, even after swirling in the glass several times.
Taste: A lot going on here! Belgian yeast, fig, molasses, a hint of ripe cherry and then a light dose of clove and cinnamon spice comes through, especially as it warms up a bit.
Mouthfeel: Seems full bodied at first, but the high amount of carbonation makes the aftertaste light, prickly and dry. A warming alcohol burn at the very end.
Overall: Christmas (spiced) beers are not my favorite style, but I always look forward to them each year because they are constanly changing and always interesting. Overall, this is a good beer, but I think less carbonation would improve it considerably.
Read much more about this beer at my Belgium page.