This is one of the prettiest beers that I’ve seen in a while. A truly deep red-brown pour, with a great head and some fantastic lace. Bone white layers are left behind in the glass. Unfortunately, the look is the high-water mark for it.

The beer drinks very light, considering the style and the look. That’s both a good and a bad thing. It makes the beer drinkable and easy, but TBH it really lacks the depth that it should have, and that either style (see below) demands.

Plenty of caramel, plenty of sugar, and as such a lot of sweetness. Is this a Winter Warmer? Is this a Belgian Dark? Not sure, but either way there is a LOT of room for an increase in depth of taste. The beer gets a little drier and bitter on the finish, and that’s in contrast to the sweet Belgian notes up front.

6.6% is not really represented either. It feels thin, lacks depth (again), and fails to deliver. Mouthfeel is also too thin for any category that this might fall into.

This is beautiful and frankly quite disappointing. There’s so much missing here that could have been great, and the beer feels underwhelming and without depth. Too sweet in the final analysis too, and lacks any spice element. Mmmm … I have a LOT of time for Leffe, but this beer is one that could be used a stick to beat the brewer. A shame.