Tuninator
Tun Tavern

it pours a murky purple-brown, inky and rich. A single finger of light tan head swells slowly, and backs down just as quickly to mere traces of its former self. Lacing dots the inside of the glass as it drains.

The aroma brings a very sweet malt air into play, short of cloying, but not by much. A rather vague hops presence wafts in toward the close, but shuts down before it can linger.

Upon sipping, the mentioned sweet malt character flexes considerably, laying an almost cloying graininess across the palate. As it ebbs, the flavor becomes a bit more intricate, allowing notes of dark cherry and plum to surface, bringing a fruity tang to the fore, along with a present but indistinguishable hops aura. The maltiness re-asserts near the end, and the finish is populated by another go-round of syrupy sugariness, leaving traces on the tongue and lips. And yet, in spite of the sweetness, as it reins in just before it clobbers too hard, the flavor is enough to come off as warmly pleasant.

Medium to heavy bodied, combined with the sweetness, the coating it lays down is thick and almost chewy. The lingering sweetness is a very real presence at the finish.

Well, it's malt first, last and always, with the merest nod to what hops are there. There's never any semblance of balance here, but the malt elements are well-blended, yielding a nice progression of flavor components to slide over the tongue. The ABV is never really hinted at as you're drinking it. That is, until the second one sends its fog brainward and you know something more than the norm is at work. Or, until you read the beer list and see the ABV. Whichever, it does limit the drinkability, and unless you're really into some serious sweetness with your meal, you'll likely look elsewhere, as I did. As an apertif, perhaps, but even then, only one. So no real issues here, but it never knocked me out of my seat.