Sampled from a 9.3 oz corked brown bottle this beer poured a hazy medium brown color with a trace of a khaki head. The aroma was light sweet caramel, molasses and nut. The flavor was tangy and a touch sour with notes of nut, molasses, caramel, port wine, baker chocolate, wood and a hint of fruit. Very complex and interesting but also over the top intense such that it was not particularly drinkable. The mouthfeel was flat and moderately thick. Very interesting.

500ml Bottle: Vinous aroma of dark fruits, alcohol, malts, raisins, light vinegar, and some yeast. Poured deep amber/copper in color with a tiny, off-white head that disappeared immediately. Clear. Not sparkling. Flavor is medium sweet. Tastes of dark fruits, malts, raisins, candi sugar, nectar, resin, plum, and maple syrup. Medium to full body. Thick, viscous, syrupy texture. Soft carbonation. Sweet, vinous, syrupy, resinous finish is lightly chalky.

Bottle 2007 Vintage. Pours a nice darkred color. Aroma of caramel and some catpiss. Taste is oaky and sweet with lots of friuty notes. Finish is a bit sour and with plenty of acid notes. Great!

’05 bottle Pours dark brown, no head. Aroma soja, malty, get some fruity and barel notes. Taste of soja, oaky with some nice fruity presence (apple) giving the beer a bourbon aspect (Calvados in this case). There isn’t much nice about the visual aspect of the beer, it is just too bad that there is close to no carbonation.

Not sure how old my bottle was. There was absolutely no head and slight oxidation on the nose, but neither fact bothered me a lot. The aroma, surprisingly, evoked a lot of Belgian floral qualities. The flavor is sweet and somewhat tart, raisins, cherries, apple, maybe even some raspberry notes, plus a certain ale mustiness that I find appealing. Finishes like it starts. A very good old ale, which I would recommend though I’m sure it’s not for everyone, not even every beer geek.