Pullosta, ruskea, ohut vaahto, hunajan makeus vahvana

Lunch accompaniment. I thought this was Honey Beer but it is actually a Braggot which is a drink containing honey and malt. That is a Mead that contains malted grains. Which, I guess, is pretty close to a Honey Beer. Okay, semantics aside. The drink shows a dark copper face that allows the light to go through. A creamy lacing appears on the top and retreats to the sides. An interesting scent indeed: honey shakes hands with gingerbread dough. Is this a dessert? Let me sip. Sweet honey dominates. Not bad if we are talking about a Mead. It's powerful but not overwhelming. Biscuit, cookie, faint dark chocolate, sweet bun, perhaps very distant tea and dried apricot. And as if a hint of cardamom. Quite a package. But, unlike many supersweet Meads, this is not icky. The sugar doesn't glue my mouth shut. The body is fairly full. Or is it the honey that mesmerizes my gustatory sense? Anyway. The tail is a familiar malt–honey swirl but with reduced sweetness. Not much but still. The mouthfeel is full, lip-glueing, savory, spiced and desserty. Manageable, hence, appealing.

Lucid amber beer with fizzy carbonation serves a white airy head that elevates one finger high. The short retention kills the foam quickly, and all we have then is a still top. Honey, caramel and biscuit feature in the scent. Honey is the lead player and fairly bold already at this stage. Honey is truly ample also on the tastebuds. It's not particularly inviting but a Honey Beer must surely give the taste of honey. Biscuit, waffle, lemon curd and a drop of tea complete the list of flavors. The body is light. Honey gets somewhat diluted in the end, perhaps also slightly crisp with a malty effort. The beer feels light, very juicy, somehow traditional, sappy and surprisingly little lip-glueing. An interesting curiosity, obviously a very traditional brew that, however, doesn't appeal too much to my beer tooth. Still, I appreciate the fact that a Honey Beer tastes like honey.

Basically translucent but dark brown beer builds a silky beige head that shoots three fingers high. The short retention pulls the froth down to a lovely lace ring and haze on the top. Syrup, cane sugar, black coffee and a pinch of dark chocolate find their way to my nose. Nice and predictable. Syrup, malt extract, dark malt, brown sugar, molasses, cappuccino and dark chocolate. That's what the taste profile is woven of. Beautifully malt-forward. And moderately sweet-leaning. The body is light to light-medium. The finish allows one to experience a whiz of grassy hops before the familiar syrup–malt–choco medley brainwashes my tastebuds. The coffeeish element turns now slightly bitter. The mouthfeel is light, lip-glueing and balanced. Pleasant, the level of sweetness is under control. Still quite predictable. The age (bb 19 Feb) has no negative effect on the beer.

I'm surprised as I pour the beer in a glass: a Black IPA that isn't black but limpid, deep copper. Interesting. A velvety, creamy head climbs almost three fingers high and dissolves gradually to a neat fluffy lacing on the top. The nose receives interesting aromas: toffee, caramel and even a sweet nutty hint. Caramel malt maybe? Definitely out of the box when it comes to a Black IPA. The tastebuds like the unexpected flavors: caramel, malt cracker, much less toffee than in the air, nut, maybe hazelnut, and a bit of sweet multigrain bread. But caramel is surely the leading chord here. Otherwise quite far from the style – or any IPA for that matter – but the piney hoppy slam in the background draws a distinct link to it. The body is medium. Goes without saying that it's welcome at 6 %. The tail lifts crisper hoppy nuances higher in the ranking and makes the caramelly and nutty elements slightly bitter. The mouthfeel is medium, marginally sticky, lip-glueing at least, and crisp. Very different from what I anticipated – style qualifications aside –, but truly enjoyable anyway.