beer_name: La Dragonne
text: Sampled May 2007 Well I did not serve this hot as I was supposed to, so as a compromise I have served it at a warm room temperature of about 72F (22C). As advertised the beer is quite still, it pours with a dark, opaque, blackened purple amber color. The aroma has a woody spice character to it reminiscent of a root beer or spruce beer. Notes of orange syrup, cinnamon, anise, allspice, sassafras and some cola-like cardamom are noticeable as are a lot of other spice notes that one would generally associate with a dark, sweet, rich spice cake / bread. Concentrated fruit notes that smell quite berry like, perhaps similar to blueberries, touches of cherry brandy, and figs, but ultimately probably a product of the juniper berries. The aroma of this must absolutely explode when heated up as it is incredibly aromatic already. Only lightly sweet, but it is enough to accentuate the juniper berry flavors up front. There is actually very little, it any bitterness here at all and this tends to accentuate the natural sweetness of this brew. Cola-like flavors of cardamom mix with something that reminds me of Dr. Pepper; in fact Dr. Pepper flavors are quite an apt descriptor for the character of this brew. Without any carbonation this beer is fairly light feeling, it has the same heft as a lightly sweet port does, it even has some flavors reminiscent of port. Orange peel is noticeable as well, but it seems muddy, perhaps caramelized or even approaching a browned orange character, if that makes sense. An interesting beer, it certainly would be appropriate as a mulled beverage after a long day on the slopes, but I am not sure if it really fits in to my lackluster lifestyle. Still it is enjoyable and is certainly worth trying.