pLOOM
nanoPruul

33cl bottle, bb in 8m.

Murky reddish shade of brown. More like Chimay Red than Blue. So the "dark" in the style is a bit of a relative term. Head is solid but not particularly thick and dissipates soon enough, as per style. Description on the label claims plums and nutmeg as ingredients. That's intriguing, I do not think I have often tasted nutmeg spiced beer, and one would think plum usually comes via the yeast and malt combination in this style..

If the premise was one of intrigue, the nose introduces a stark mystery, It is as if one would be smelling the spicy side of gose... tartness tempered by an oriental spiciness. Not at all the aroma of a say Rochefort-based BSDA. Upon reflection, reason starts connecting the dots and hands out the conclusion that it is the tartness of an undried plum coupled with the nutmeg, which to me at least always smells (if not toasted/roasted) a bit like tart berries. Suspense.

Taste lands somewhere between Belgian abbey and a modern spicy fruit ale. There is the medium body with just enough malty sweetness for balance, and restrained yeast notes, quite spot on for the style as far as that goes, with the continued tartness of a fresh plum and strong nutmeg aroma. Strong but not coarse. I would not call this BSDA in a blind tasting, but it sure is tasty. Personally, never cared for discratizations without a transparent score or any theoretical framework behind it. This works.

Kudos to this nanobrewery and I am now wishing I had purchased other beers from them. Some people might nag about the murkiness but such things have no effect on the taste and can be handled with investment if the approval of those who think crystal clear beer of a certain colour indicates quality is desired.