Aroma: “Pleasant caramel and pale malt sweetness, with notes of biscuit and toffee, and fruity notes of red apples, pears, cherry, and raisin. Hint of phenolic, coming off a bit like cinnamon or nutmeg. Some lighter fruity esters, perhaps from hops, and enjoyable complexity.”

Flavor: “Malt sweetness and apple fruity ester flavors give way to a dry, spicy, bitterness that lingers all the way through to finish. Medium body. Sweet cherry, pear, fruit sweetness. Some earthy spice adds to the beer. Alcohol warmth is present from the start through the finish with high carbonation. Almost as much phenolic as esters, which makes it harder to discern the other aspects of the beer.”

Overall: “Nice fruit and malt sweetness and good alcohol warmth, but finishes very dry and fairly bitter. Suffers a bit from overpowering phenolic character, coming off as spice and even bordering on plastic, which is then accentuated by the extremely dry finish. Would prefer a touch more malt and ester character.”