Poured from a stubby 12-ounce brown bottle into a Belgian-style chalice, the beer appears a rich, semi-hazed, deep brown with ruddy hues; a creamy beige head dresses the top, with a wispy center and ringed lace. Malty aromatics make their way to the nose as soon as the bottle is cracked, full with toffee, fruit, soft spices, metallics, faint flora, earth, fresh roots, a bready yeast edge and a deep, spicy and warming alcohol.

Lush feel on the palate, with creamy, smooth carbonation. Malt base is even, with the taste of dark overripe stone fruits, a distinct prune edge, and rounded juiciness, not overly sweet. Light charring in the background, some burnt sugars, a touch of orange blossom honey and some steeliness. Dry toward the finish, with a lingering alcohol warmth and spice, root and earth character, and a big yeasty smack at the very end.

The first sip introduces something smooth and creamy to the palate, but beneath lies something very powerful. Mouthfeel is dense, chewy, syrupy and slick with candied fruits and a massive malty backbone with caramel, toffee and toasted bread. The heat (perceived alcohol) on this one is quite high, with a big 10 percent alcohol spice that melds well with rye bread crust flavors, rounded with berry-like fruit esters that make your heart skip a beat. The palate is then subjected to a salty, sticky hop resin with a sharp citric edge that smacks of half a pink grapefruit with 10 sugar packets on it (just the way Grandma likes it). Hops character is actually quite complex, continuing with some dry aspirin. Rye and bready flavors become more pronounced in the linger, as the beer dries and sheds a near-carob character across the palate. Alcohol gets a bit fumy and warming. Finish is oily, resinous, herbal and raw.

Cloudy, it’s unfiltered and also contains yeast in the bottle, dirty straw blonde, topped with a thin, dissipating white foam lace. Husky with a light peach aroma. Light-bodied, a bit coarse around the edges, and a creamy carbonation. Tart and juicy peach flavors, nectarine skins, and Granny Smith apples flavors offer a lively citric smack on the palate. It’s a lightly hopped beer, so any hop character or bitterness is masked by the tartness, and there’s virtually no sweetness. Crisp as hell, and the dryness cuts to the bone. And after all of the commotion, there’s a thin malt base left behind, with a touch of wheat and sourness, in a surprisingly clean and more-ish finish.