Blood Moon Presence
Proclamation Ale Company

It pours fairly opaque after a mini-gusher on opening. It's kind of a muddled brown ruby color. When it gets to room temp, it is brilliantly clear and beautifully red highlighted sherry color. Healthy beige foam that leaves a sturdy ring and thin cap o' bubbles.

The aroma is strange. I get very faint red wine, alcohol, then a mixture of dark fruit like fig, candi sugar, brown sugar. Fairly strong apple. A whiff of banana. Some breadiness and caramel. It's a bit hard to 'splain. It's in the ballpark of a quad but seems to have other elements.

For me, the confusion continues into the taste. The wine grape aspect is more assertive and is accompanied by a healthy tannic bite that fishes peppery. There's sweetness, fig and prune flavor, brown sugar and molasses, overcooked caramel. Honey. Not overly sweet but sweet flavors. A little bit of acid. I get apple on the aromatic side, a touch of clove, and a very ripe banana. There's a peppery/clove bite on the end and almost a Juicy Fruit aromatic.

I find the feel almost unpleasant. It is medium bodied at best and fairly well carbonated. Dry, but it sticks in the throat - not syrup but it just catches there. The alcohol is definitely noticeable. There's a slight fruity bitterness.

Appearance: Pours a clear russet color with a frothy Belgian head; good retention and clumpy lacing

Smell: The red wine must is prominent, bringing an aroma similar to a fortified red wine like an Australian Muscat; elements of caramel and prune

Taste: Rich in tannis, the fortified red wine creates a glidepath from start to finish, while the more familiar Belgian Strong Dark elements of candi sugar, dried dark fruit (prune and fig), spice cake and caramel interweave; the finish is a blend of both components

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation; doesn't quite capture the Belgian mouthfeel

Overall: Think fortified red wine mixed with a BSDA and you come close to capturing the flavors of this unusual brew; a really unusual combination and kudos to the brewery for contemplating it but not something I would seek to revisit

Thanks, Rug, for the opportunity

So I just picked this bottle up last night at Proc. Last time I was there I got 2 cans of Moon Presence, the base beer of this one. I had 1 so far (not reviewed) and felt it was a bit hot so I decided to give the other one some time to age out. However, when I saw this one I knew I’d crack it immediately, it just seems like a perfect beer for the holiday weekend. So let’s get into it

Pours an opaque medium brown with 2 fingers of creamy beige head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves decent lacing

The nose really brings the grape must vibe, but it’s in this strange way that somewhat overtakes the yeast character. Idk it’s hard to describe. I’m picking up on aromas of tannic red wine, brown sugar, molasses, burnt caramel, raisin, apple skin, and dark bread

In taste it leans even more into the weird fermentation character with some grape thrown over the top of it. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting red grape skin, molasses, raisin, candi sugar, cocoa powder, light clove, and dark bread. The swallow brings notes of red grape skin, burnt caramel, overripe banana, clove, molasses, apple skin, dark bread, and light candi sugar

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a silky beer. Finishes mostly dry and fruity with not much booze for 11.5%

This is a strange, non-traditional beer. It's weird and doesn't feel like it's integrated very well, but it has a certain charm to it as well, so I have to give it a little extra credit