[Bottle] Pours a cloudy brown with a medium beige head. Aroma is basically fruit snacks and other sweet dark fruits. Flavor is a bit artificial. All malt and not much else. A little bit of smokiness in there, but it is quite subtle. Fairly dry.

On Tap-Judges Bench-Ellicott City Md.-Mahogany color w/a moderate off white head. Sweet malty aroma. Sweet roasted malt flavor hit you right away, also had some dark fruit to it along w/some raisins & figs, but the malt was most prevalent. A little sweeter than most scotch ales, really seemed like a Belgian & a Scotch Ale combined. Different, but pretty good.

Date: 2/12/08 Beer info: Bottled in green 750ml bottle 8.0%abv BB 26 10 2010. Sampling Notes: Served chilled in chalice. Dense tightly-packed persistant tan head atop at ruby-highlighted mahogany body. Spicy nose, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, brown sugar, liquorice, vinous dark fruits, yeasty funk. Nothing that really screams beer, but intriguing. Moderate creamy carbonation, velvet-like body, dense palate overall. Some alcohol warmth present, as is some drying spice and bitterness. Excellent complexity on the body, reminsant of a Christmas cake/pudding at time; brown sugar, nutmeg, glazed cherry, cinnamon, dried apricot, liquorice, sultana, vanilla. Finish is quite boozy, slight note of sherry, lingering woody dryness and bitter note. Different sort of dark Belgian strong ale. Certainly a spicy offering, drier as far as malt and ester character goes. Maybe I should have kept this for Christmas, the flavour really seems to fit that mold!

Brown with a huge head. Spicy and sweet aroma. The flavour is malty and sugarish, spiced and fruity. A bit too much of everything and a little too little of interest - that pretty much sums this beer up.

A little disappointed here. Shared a 750mL with a buddy. The aroma was decent, but both the appearance and taste were thin and watery. I have enjoyed better Scotch ales and Belgian fusions. For a fine example of the later, grab the Dobbelin IPA by this same brewery = excellent!