Cupitt’s Belgian Dark Strong Ale

Rating:

23244060_768030066714474_4809796368563128603_n“A dark, decadent and complex Belgian Ale displaying caramel, burnt toffee, plums and spice. A beer to savour.”

Served in a Trappist tulip. This seasonal release offers a light burgundy hue which is capped by a wispy overlay. The head quickly forms a ring but still manages to deposit a wavy lace down the sides of the glass.
Certainly isn’t trying to hide the booze here. Even with the glass resting on the table we can still pick up astringent notes of alcohol and hints of ethanol. Once it’s up close it’s a lot better (thank god!) those estery accents such as pear, rosewater, bubblegum, apple pie, clove and banana runts waft out. Very rich and sweet malt at the base, filling out with toffee, caramel and plum jam. It’s a basic Belgian make-up but quite nice all the same.
Flavour-wise we’d put it somewhere between a dubbel and a tripel. There’s some sweet dark fruit character here but also a somewhat dry and slightly sharp spicy/phenolic yeast note to it. The strong presence of booze carries in to the flavour profile while the finish is sweet, a little spicy and a little toasty.
The texture is dry, warming and well rounded. The 9.1% ABV is bold and quite strident. 30 IBU, medium bodied and mildly carbonated.
Can’t say we’re totally thrilled by it. While there are some good Belgian aspects we still feel that it’s a bit muddled and a bit underwhelming. Middle of the road representation of the style to be quite honest.