effervescent refractions

I stayed mildly cautious about my anticipation of this beer since it was my first of Unibroue’s yearly editions and didn’t want to get overly excited only to suffer the potential disappointment. I had not read very much about it, so the whole experience was a bit of a surprise to me. The ominous big black bottles that Unibroue has crafted for its smaller batches essentially give no information to speculate on, not even the hint of a color. The resulting stream of bright resinous orange was therefore unexpected to me, but pleasant to look at nonetheless. A creamy white head sat on top as my trappist glass filled up and thinned out over time. Taking a sniff, I promptly exclaimed to my friend: “Waxberries!”. Indeed, the nose has a strong resemblance to the dried waxberries I had during my trip to China this summer. I don’t expect many people to have experienced this intriguing fruit, but its smell is much like sweet fruity ginger. I also noticed soft notes of green mint, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and other spices which I couldn’t put my finger on. Fruity tones also appeared gently balanced with apples and banana. The flavor had a little more of an alcohol bite than I expected which was further emphasized by the syrup-like quality of the liquid. The foreground seemed mainly occupied by light fruits, including apricot and green apples while cinnamon and wood gently stuck to the tongue. Because of its density and heavily spiced profile, I had to slow my pace and appreciate the long aftertaste. I would have a hard time drinking this regularly, but like an encaged wild feline it will readily allow you to observe its complexity.