Midnight Sauce
Fifth Hammer Brewing

i was so impressed with these guys when i went there a few years ago, they killed it across a range of styles, so i was pumped when my buddy included a can of this belgian dark strong in the box he sent out to me, i was eager to crack this one. its a technically rock solid and classically styled example of a type of beer most american brewers never get close to nailing, i was immediately impressed with this, and the can conditioning shows. it pours a slightly cloudy deem amber color with an almost hard to control frothing head thats light tan in color and rises high as any belgian version of the style, great foamy lace and long retention. it smells and tastes traditional too, molasses and fig, golden raisin and anise, honey and maple, white pepper and almond, very dynamic, very autumnal, the grain profile is earthy and sweet and delicious, while the yeast contributes a whole lot, estery in a unique way, fully complimentary to the grain complexity, and really flavoring this quite a lot. the texture is amazing, soft and sweet, round and almost creamy to me, effervescent and alive, not too rich and heavy, but also sort of decadent, just a little warmth from the alcohol as it sits, but its not unwelcome. overall this is a banger, as good as any american producer is doing with the style, and frankly downright impressive. seems like these guys do everything well! major thanks to my friend for including this in his beer mail shipment!

Big, fluffy head poured from a 16 oz can. Nice translucent, golden-brown color with a hint of red.

Small has some big spice and malt.

Taste is big and malty with the pleasant funk you'd expect from a Belgian. Nice malt character with a savory bitterness. It's pretty boozy which makes for a nice long finish.

A nice, strong Belgian.