Dark, dirty brown pour, rather unattractive. Bubbly head forms quickly, but leaves equally quickly. The aroma is all malty alcohol. It’s obvious that this is a high alcohol brew, but 12% still seems mighty high.

The initial tastes seem “Belgian” to me, almost like a strong dark Belgian, but these fade quickly to give a sugary, rich dry finish.

There is certainly a warming sensation on the way down due to the alcohol, and there are some very sweet pineapple and pear based esters in there in addition to the more obvious cloves and bananas. Frankly I didn’t care for this much. A little too much of everything for my taste.

This is also a (relatively) very expensive beer and there are many other examples of similar styles and beers (dopplebocks) that are cheaper and superior.