First sip, and this is a strong beer rearing up and kicking me in the face. This is not just its 10.1% ABV talking here, there is a lot of flavor packed into a single beverage. This beer could stand up to a heavily curried meal and still bring something to the table. What would it bring? I'd have to say the overriding taste is mostly molasses and a bit of the aforementioned cherry. I'm not saying it has actual cherry in it, but it has cherry in the same way that mahogany sometimes has a bit of cherry color in it - it's not artificial, but it's not actual cherry. Let's dissect a bigger draught...
Tip-in is a bit bready with malt and that subtle hint of cherry right off the bat. The middle has heavy figs and very sweet hops. The finish is very malt heavy with another wave of sweetness sliding down the tongue.
All told, I've had many beers that were much worse, but I can't say this is a favorite. The middle fig and sweet malt combo is not particularly nice. As a result, the effect of the beverage is to imply that you really should be eating something very flavorful to balance it out.
1.5/5