750 mL bottle, paper wrapped as in the BA database picture. Pretty impressive presentation. $15.99 from Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA. Cap has an extra plastic appendage on the underside and it comes off with some force.
Pour is a very attractive, orange copper color with some excellent creamy head, with persistent, spotty coverage on the surface of the beer and some nice lace. Head characteristics (in terms of retention) are especially pleasing.
Somewhat musty, light sherry notes appear early in the nose. A touch of alcohol too.
Tastes have a lots of caramel based notes but the large sweetness that usually follows such a start in the style, does not materialize. Rather we get a sudden bitter, dry taste plus some very distinct herbal notes. The earthy bitterness lingers and holds off the blast of sweetness that I am expecting all the way through to the finish – it just never comes! Light, warming alcohol in the finish as well and a little more herbal character.
Enjoyable but definitely NOT a typical, Belgian Strong Dark. There is an absence of dark fruits, a definite serious lack of sugary sweetness, some missing alcohol and some herbal hop-based bitterness that one would not expect. Having said all of that, I WAS expecting something different given the origin – these Italian beers are a law onto themselves and they reflect some interesting taste profiles.
Perhaps more Dubbel like in the final analysis.
Well, interesting but I really prefer a classic BDSA. Has some interesting herbal qualities which I general i like, but it doesn’t quite come together for me. Like many of these Italian offerings, whilst I have enjoyed some of them, I have also found them to be poor value for money.