Envious

Thanks to Neil Vigars for the recommendation. The final beer of our Wednesday night visit at Finnegan's Irish Pub. Instead of a tulip I asked for a Snifter. Unfortunately what was supposed to be a 12 Oz. serving was given to us four ounces short. Somewhat disappointing. Nevertheless we finished off then night enjoying this beer (and Three Philosophers) while talking to Limestone's Assistant Brewer Steve Woertendyke.

Appearance: Poor head retention. What was poured immediately dissipated into a foamed whitish ring. Micro bubble carbonation visible against the dark murky color with a rubied purple hugh to the light.

Aroma: Extremely aromatic with mellowed overtones of blackberries currants and brown sugar. Candied sugar sweetness and strong fruity complexity. The scent isn't sour or tart, its more so just really mellowed and caramelized dark fruit. Very little spicing, but what is there could be associated with clove.

Taste: Starts mild with an underlying dark fruit flavor and candied sweetness. Much of what showed up prominently in the aroma was hard and indistinguishable in the taste which was extremely unfortunate. The aroma had led me to believe that this would be a rich fruity beer but without the tartness of raspberries and more along the lines of overripe mulberries and currants. There is a simplistic malt flavor and woodiness that is masked by the complex fruity taste. The dark fruit flavor starts, but no sooner does it sizzle into a candied, wine extract like taste. A bit of a vegetal component at the end.
Mouthfeel: Medium body with a bubble carbonated texture. Some dryness from the alcohol and the strange finish. Still a smooth sipper and a soft texture once the carbonation dissipated.
Overall Impression: The aroma was fantastic and aromatically complex. The flavor was a disappointment from the expectation. Nevertheless I'm somewhat glad it wasn't like a Lambic by way of tartness or like berryweiss by way of fruited up-swill. It still maintained a mellow flavor and a hefty mouthfeel, but did still lack some palatable characteristics. As a very strange beverage, I had difficulty rating, so don't take my word for it, trust your own and find out yourself.