Orangey-red colour. Spicy aroma with dark fruit. Chewy, very toasty and astringent. Fairly husky, slightly spicy and with good caramel notes.

Draught @ Hamilton’s, SD. Bright orange, barely any head. Fruity nose with guava pastry, custard apple, quite sweet. Slightly sticky palate. Nice hop character but the sweetness bothers me a bit: tropical fruit, bamboo. Nice stuff but not dry enough for my taste.

ON tap at Lucky Baldwins. Hazy copper brown with a creamy white head. Caramel aroma. Floral hops and pine taste ending soapy.

Draught at the brewery. They described this as a stronger version of their california ale. Pours a deep orange-amber color with a medium head. Sweet fruity and yeast aroma with pears and tartness dominating. The flavor is malty and sweet, with a little less tartness apparent than the california ale due to the added residual sugars, but still tangy and crisp. Definitely belgian leaning in character, and displays the house yeast tendency toward a dry tart flavor. Quite nice, but definitely less sessionable than the California ale.

Sample at Stone. This beer pours a hazy dark amber color with a medium beige head that diminishes slowly. Thin rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of malt and spices along with touches of hops and plum. Medium-bodied with sweet spice and malt flavors coupled with dark fruit and hops in the background. The finish is mildly sweet at first with touches of warm alcohol and hops in the aftertaste. Pretty good overall.