Viime viikonlopulta jäänyt merkkaamatta. Tämä oli ihan toimiva vahva dark ale. Rukiinisuutta, melassia, karamellisuutta sekä sellaista kuivempaa tammisuutta. Syvän intensiivinen, runsas ja täyteläinen, lämmittävä ja väkevä, mutta vahvuuteen nähden alkoholi yllättävän hyvin aisoissa. Melkoinen slow sipper.

Advent Calendar 2023, Day 24. Yesterday was an incredible feasting spectacle, I couldn't even think of cracking this open then. Today is a good day for completing the calendar. Not sure if this beer is a threat or an opportunity. The ABV clocks a horrendous 17.4 % 😳 Dark Ale is an interesting style, not always lucrative but sometimes it's a really positive surprise. The can is a cutie, 8.45 fl.oz. ≈ 250 ml. The appearance is muddy, deep dark brown. Almost black but still not. The relaxed carbonation unlocks a fluffy, cappuccino-colored head that gets boosted to one finger. The foamy crown shrinks gradually to a thin lace ring. The scent is interesting as it changes from inhale to inhale: the nose receives first intensive molasses, rye bread and mild-roasted malt. A slam of lingonberry and a coffeeish note join the row. Then, after a while, I lose some of those elements and spot, instead, cherry and dark chocolate. The molasses never really disappears but changes in intensity. Not a bad experience so far, I like the various dimensions here. Alright, the taste. Strong. Reeeeally strong. Uuhhh. Colossal syrup, brown sugar, dark malt, cacao nibs, dark chocolate, alcohol. As if Bourbon. However, this is not a BBA version to my understanding. Extremely intensive flavors but, interestingly, the alcohol doesn't disturb at all. Very sweet, of course. The body is sturdy. Definitely. The finish is still sweet or very sweet but not as excessively as upfront. Syrup, molasses, chocolate, cacao, something berry-like, maybe blackcurrant jam this time. I still can't get rid of the idea of barrel notes here. Give me a song or rhythm, making them sweat, that's what I'm giving them; now, they know, the aftertaste's talking about the Slammer. The mouthfeel is robust, heavy, thick, sappy, chewy and sticky. It's strong, intense, deep and a bit alcoholic but not boozy in my opinion. Rather manageable, even balanced to some extent. Warming, for sure. I first thought that this might be a disaster. It wasn't. It proved actually truly nice. The ABV is ultra-high but it's balanced successfully with superdeep flavors. I could even think of repeating this when relaxing next to a live fire and just sipping slowly without any analysis. 🖤🤎🖤