“STORY SERIES — This Belgian Style Strong Amber Ale has a complex, intense and sneaky character, just like Reynard the Fox. With fruity aromas, medium malt intensity and yeast derived herbal and peppery flavours, it makes this beer the flagship of our range.”

Glassware: English pint.

Appearance: Slightly hazy peachy/orange hue and a light, fluffy two finger crown. Excellent retention and lots of lace being deposited on the glass.

Aroma: Getting real strong Belgian vibes from it. Very interesting…it gives off half Saison half Tripel characters with its spice-driven yeast profile, semi-sweet malts and herbal/earthy old world hops. Heady wafts of pepper-crusted orange, apricot, floral peach, a kind of dusty caramel and a subtle zesty lime. Some very distinguishing scents here. Really diggin’ it.

Flavour: A lot of that quirkiness has doubled down here. Especially the spicy yeast/phenols, tangy orange and the floral peach/apricot. Really good support in the form of herbal hops and that strange dusty caramel sweetness. Super complex and multi-layered finish of floral stonefruit, peppery spice, orange citrus and a dry, rounded bitterness to balance.

Mouthfeel: Quite chewy, smooth and gelatinous. Medium bodied and the 8.5% ABV is positioned favourably.

Overall: There’s a lot to like about this. It’s a tad mysterious as we can’t really classify it. Yeah, the label says it’s a strong Amber Ale but it’s much more intricate than that. It’s yeasty, spicy, semi-sweet, fruity, warming. Ooft. Got it all.