2 Turtle Doves
Poured from a 750 ml bottle into my Chimay goblet. Appearance: Pours a dark, dark brown, with two fingers of slowly subsiding tan head. Decent lacing. Smell: A mild, smooth nutty-roasted aroma dominates. Some chocolate. A tart/sweet aroma in the background - some kind of fruit? Taste: There's a sharp astringency/tart flavor that comes forth right away, but seems to dissipate a bit as the beer warms. Some burnt malts as well, but that as well fades with time. The dominate flavors are smooth, nutty, and roasted malts. The alcohol isn't really that noticeable, although the beer warms a little bit as it goes down. Though this is classified as a 'Belgian Strong Dark Ale', there's not much of the typical 'begian' flavor here. Overall the flavor is smooth, but not particularly bold. Everything seems a little bit subdued. Mouthfeel: Very smooth and creamy, and not overcarbonated like a lot of Belgians seem to be. Nice. Drinkability: An enjoyable beer for sure, but I can't say it's one I would go out of my way for. I had no problem finishing the bottle, however. I'm looking forward to aging one for awhile, and seeing how it holds up. Good beer.