The deep ruby colored beer has a sand-colored head that mixes bubble sizes like a rocky outcropping atop a mountain. The foam in the middle stays solid as the dune underneath just fizzles away, and the result is a clump resembling a sponge in the center of the glass with a strong ring on the sides and lacing galore as it goes down. The aroma is spices, prunes, pine, and a bit of citrus.First sip is making me wonder why I smelled plums. It's an overall bitter beverage with heavy spices, pine, and citrus, and it is very dry by the end. Do I like it? Umm... yeah, I guess it's pretty good. The malt isn't really asserting the kind of caramel or bread that it needs to balance anything out, but the bitterness isn't too bad, and the flavor is deep. But, a gulp is the way to handle this.
Tip-in is strangely sweet with citrus peel and some caramel malt while carbonation does little more than sparkle slightly. The middle spreads into heavy spices above very light caramel, and the citrus mixes with a surging pine to dance the dark dance while raisins try to assert ever so slightly at the back of the throat. The finish is very dry with spices raining down until the trail off ends in a bitter feud with everything in the world.
Bottom Line: Complex and excessively aggressive, this isn't everyone's kind of beer, but it is mine.
4.0/5
