Nostradamus
Presentation: 750ml corked and caged brown bottle with a cool, trippy label. Best before 3/2010 clearly notched. Appearance: Slightly hazy dark mahogany beer with a big, thick whipped light-tan cap. Nice sheet lacing and good retention from this one. Smell: BIG dried apple and oaky cider notes. There's some sweet caramel in here, as well as a little dark fruit and booze as well. Overall, this is a bit too cidery and fruity for me; I'm not sure if it was supposed to be like that, but there could definitely be some more malt in here. Taste: Tart spiced apples. There's not a brett/lactic sour presence here, but there's definitely a hit of fruity acidity. This is surprisingly dry as well. Finishes with a bit of baking spice. Again, I'd like to see some more malt character here. Mouthfeel: Creamy, and lusciously soft Drinkability: Medium...splitting this with the wife was even a bit more than I wanted Conclusion: This is pretty interesting, kind of like a spiced version of Pommeau de Normandie (a Norman apple cider/Calvados mix). It's esoteric, funky, but a bit over the top for me, a little bit too brash, boozy, and spicy (especially considering the brewery doesn't use spices in this beer) for me.