Thanks go out to Rustydiamond for hooking me up with this via South Bay Drugs – nice piggyback shipment Lance, thanks buddy.
Impressive 750 mL bottle, thick and heavy glass and thick gold foil on the neck. Nice presentation. Bottle lacks the champagne dimpled bottom. No vintage noted on the bottle, but must be fresh (Late ’07/Early ’08). No cork, no cage, just capped.
Poured into te Ommegang chalice the head is small and lacks much depth, and the body is a light, brownish/red. Little lace. When the light hits the glass in a certain manner it looks REALLY red – literally!
Nose is mainly brown sugar with a touch of alcohol and a touch of Belgian yeast.
Sweet, mild alcoholic raisins and plums are the main competing tastes. Rich malts follow in the finish and aftertaste with a touch of subtle alcohol. Has a certain maderia sherry quality about it. Obviously the taste improves with a touch of warmth.
Very nice offering in most respects with the only fault in my book being the mouthfeel. I thought it was a tad thin for the style.