Appearance: opaque burgundy-hued, slim head.
Aroma: A mad mix of dark fruits, spices, and Belgian yeast. Plums, raisins, brandy, red wine. A potent puree.Taste: Intense carbonation, generous malt, plentiful fruit flavors, bountiful hops. Just about everything is upped a notch in this delicious Belgian strong dark ale. Immaculate expression of trappist ingenuity. Or goodness, or grace, or genus, whatever fits the bill. Beautiful. Smooth, strong, and sharp all at the same time. Just the way I like it.
And here's what I originally wrote in December of 2002:
Muddy, dark purple; big, fuzzy, funky head.
Wondrous nose: cherries, berries, bananas, sugar and spice, some citrus.
On the tonque, something of a challenge. Pounds and pounds of flavor! Is it supposed to be a Tripel? The strength and the rather firm, full texture are a drawback to drinkability.
Other drawback is that the only place I've been able to buy this was in a wine shop that overprices and undersells it's quality beer. It was in a clearance bin, marked down. Maybe a better cared for bottle would have tasted differently?
Let's look at those notes as a snapshot in time, and a testament to a space in history, as well as picture of my changing palate.
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