Apophatic
Monkish Brewing Co.

Monkish's anniversary ale, a "Belgian-style specialty ale brewed with orange peel, cinnamon, coriander seed and fennel seed." Review is of the first batch (Mar 2014); I had a few bottles when fresh, but this one's been aged. Unfortunately, I missed out on the second anniversary celebrations and don't have the most recent batch.

Pours a moderate head with the tiniest hint of dark flecks, that eventually settles down to a few millimeters of foam with some lacing retained. Body is very dark brown. A strong smell of Belgian and Christmas spices on the nose, with nutmeg forging the path, cinnamon drumming the beat, and the orange peel waving the flag. All the flavors in the official description are still prominent after over a year of ageing, along with notes of juniper, plum, and clove. Some hints of the candi sugar and caramel typical to a quad, but they're subtle and not overly sweet; this ale is primarily all about the spices, and it's very nicely balanced. Very little heat from the alcohol; the 12% abv is quite well hidden.