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Appearance
It sounded like a shotgun when I popped the top off of this with the trusty old Bic. It then proceeded to gush pretty excruciatingly out the top of the bottle. Once it finally slowed down I poured it into my brand new Boulevard Smokestack Goblet. It is very cloudy, yet the reddish-brown color almost glows, and reminds me almost of a Flanders, which isn’t the last similarity I notice. The head is thin and an austere white. It dissipates almost immediately, but surprisingly leaves dense lacing.

Smell
The aroma is very in your face, with loads of dark fruit in the forefront. Raisins, plums, and an earthy funkiness. With everything going on, the one thing that is noticeably absent is any presence of alcohol.

Taste
Initially there is a light, caramel malt sweetness, which as it migrates across the tongue evolves into dark fruit, most notably raisins. There is also the typical Belgian yeast spiciness and apple through the middle. It finishes with some Flandery tart cherries. The complexity and balance are astounding, yet the flavors are more subdued that I would ideally prefer.

Feel
The feel is incredibly smooth and creamy. A touch more carbonation would work better as there is at best very little, but I think a lot was probably lost with all the gushing when I opened the bottle.

Overall
This wasn’t what I was expecting at all, but it was great. It’s almost a cross between a quad and a Flanders in many ways. The alcohol is completely absent, which never fails to amaze me with a well made big Belgian. I could drink way too many of these and get into all sorts of trouble.

Served In: Goblet