The 11.2-ounce stubby bottle pours a muddy copper with a creamy and frothy beige head and sticky retention. Decanted carefully to keep the dregs (which are plentiful) from pouring out of the bottle. Yeasty, lightly vegetal, metallic, with a subtle spiciness and sweet alcohol in the nose. Light on the palate, with a prickly carbonation and creaminess in its wake. Delicious dark fruitiness of cherries, raisins and ripe plums. Very malty, with undertones of sweet chocolate, mild coffee and caramelized sugars.

Crisp, dry edge. Spicy alcohol, a splash of coriander, and a slight tartness that helps tease and tame the sweetness.

Soft, drying, powdery feel in the finish. Incredibly more-ish, as in, why, yes we’d to have another. And with a very deceptive 11 percent alcohol by volume, we will.

Brought to us in 16-ounce pints on tap, the condensation-covered glass and dim lighting yielded a shimmering copper-colored brew with a tawny center and a slight touch of haze. Atop the brew, a wonderful tight lacing with more than ample head retention and stick. Aroma is big, with notes of resinous pine, grapefruit, distinct fruit cocktail characters and caramelized sugars spread on toasted bread.

Out of the 12-ounce brown bottle pours a coppery-colored beer infused with ruby hues and topped with a beige cream lace. The distinctly clean lager aroma is a bit sugary and boozy, with some alcohol spice, and steely caramel in the nose. Full and rich-bodied, with a near-chewy center. Creamy, silky mouthfeel. Tremendous malty base, with a deep-rooted non-cloying sweetness and a juiciness reminiscent of overripe stone fruits, meaty and fleshy. Suggestions of booze-soaked banana bread, toasted grains, burnt sugars, slight leathery bite, with a spicy and warming alcohol and soft vanilla bean notes emerging under the caramel base. Hops are quite delicate, but present with suggestions of pine, watery citrus rinds and flora. Whispers of smoke? Perhaps. Finishes with a big, rounded residual sweetness and a touch of fresh dark breads, but all in all, it’s rather clean.