1423
Piwoteka

Pours a pitch black coloration with a tiny, fizzy head that soon dissipates. Smells of caramel malt, dark fruits: fig, raisin and a hint of mild booze, chocolate and honey, the honey not coming through quite as much as you might expect from the style. Honey is a lot more apparent on the tongue than in the nose, but this also has strong caramel malt and dark fruit notes of fig and raisins, with lighter notes of toffee, chocolate, licorice, tobacco and booze, with a light herbal/earthy hoppiness as well. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some licorice and dark fruit notes lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a rich body and light/medium carbonation.

While I did enjoy this, it wasn't quite what I expected. Surprisingly bitter in the finish and while the honey is there, it's not quite as distinct as you might expect, staying mostly in the background. Perhaps this just speaks towards this being quite nicely balanced, perhaps it's because I estimate this to be around two years old, which shouldn't be a big deal with a dark, malty beer like this, but might cause the honey to fade, I dunno. Certainly an interesting and enjoyable brew that is somewhat reminiscent of a honey-infused cross between an Imperial Stout and Belgian Quadrupel.