Dark Hart
Lakes & Legends Brewing Company

 

after drinking through most of the beers on the tap wall here, i have formed the conclusion that these guys just really know what they are doing, especially on the belgian type stuff. all the beers were built expertly, and this one is a great example of how they work. there is a ton happening on the grain side of things, a nicely layered treat of cocoa, roast, burnt bread, raisin, rum, vanilla, dried cherry, fig, and peppery spice. its quite complex, but its also really smooth, really clean for what it is, and balanced by a somewhat lighter tasting yeast that pulls a lot of the fruity aspects out of the darker grain bill, really its pretty genius. the body isnt all that big, but the alcohol still isnt exposed, this drinks a lot lighter than its 10.1% abv, thats for sure. its dry too, less residual sugar in the end than expected considering the mulled berry and molasses note in the middle of it. nice and bubbly too, lots of life, even for a strong ale, makes a lot of sense. one of the more unique beers going here. these guys deserve a lot more credit from the beer geeks for stuff like this!