Southampton Grand Cru
Copper in color and cloudy with a large beige head. High carbonation is evident and the head retention benefits, though not as much lacing as expected. The nose has a good amount of butterscotch and Belgian malts, acidic sour cherries and plenty of other fruity esters. The alcohol is evident as well. I wasn't too appetized by the scent, but as soon as this hit my tongue I quickly discovered a complex and tasty brew. The malts and fruits that seemed more separated in the nose come together very nicely with a moderate amount of sourness, creating tastes of dried cherries, rum raisins, candi sugar, and a plentiful amount of Belgian style flora and phenols. The finish is lightly cookielike with a hint of dried fruit, and ends drier than it would seem to. This is a full bodied beer with moderate to high levels of natural fine carbonation. A nice beer, though it doesn't really tickle my personal taste.