Elaborate bottle that I acquired for the somewhat bargain basement price of $16.99. Delighted to get it for that kind of money since there seems to have been a very mixed reception for this beer.

Poured into the champagne flute, the appearance lives up the style with a hazed, darker than one might expect, peachy, golden body and a hugely effervescent head.

The nose offers a dry, acidic alcohol aroma that is promising.

The tastes on the other hand are nowhere near as dry as I was expecting, and give (in parts) quite a lot of sweetness and apple taste. The beer also comes across with quite a heavy handed syrupy feel and is nowhere near as dry as I was expecting or hoping. In fact, the beer is really quite viscous and not easy to drink.

A beer in this style would need to be WAY drier, crisper, lighter and less sweet if I were to go near it again. I didn’t dislike it as such, but this beer is far too laborious for the style and couple with the alcohol is quite a big effort.

Not an easy beer, and I’ve had many better in the style and it seems as though these two brewers ought to have come up with a better beer.

At $16.99 I wasn’t happy with the price, at a higher price point I would have been increasingly annoyed.

2010 Vintage.