Eternal Pursuit
Level Crossing Brewing Company

 

great beer, cool can art, i think this place is awesome but nobody ever talks about them. this is a belgian dark strong thats shows a ton of technical competence. its true to style but its also really distinct and original. great yeast profile here, neither too dark nor too sweet to allow complexity to shine, and i think it really is quite drinkable for what it is, lighter in body than many, and without that obvious candy sugar addition so many of these have, yet it doesnt sacrifice flavor or richness, really well done. deepest of amber colors, pushing chestnut, with a less than belgian tan head but pretty frothy nevertheless. the nose on this is great, fortified wine, licorice, cherry pipe tobacco or shisha, rum raisin, brown sugar, and a little darkening roast without any bitterness, faint citrus peel and clove too from the yeast. obvious belgian character up front in the flavor, molasses to the taste, cocoa, fig and date, maple, and finishing spice that makes this kind of wintery, even without appreciable booziness above a low warmth, white pepper, anise, toasted coriander, and orange, delicious. good carbonation but not quite the bottle conditioned creaminess of proper belgian example of the style, still its active and popping and drinks a lot lighter than it is. i love the yeast being restrained enough for this to be nuanced beyond it, and i like its depth without going all the way dark, smart build, dubbel-esque, artfully executed. the can says volume one, cant wait to see what volume two is!

Look: Pours a deep ruby red with a thin gold head. Gorgeous beer.

Smell: Cherries, dark fruits - plums, grapes. Fantastic aroma overall. Like a fine red wine.

Taste: Cherries, roasted malts, caramel, plums. Very dark fruit-focused.

Feel: Thin, light carbonation, dry finish. A little boozy on the tail end but it feels right for the style.

Overall: Wonderful offering by Level Crossing. Would absolutely buy again.

Great tan head. Nice mahogany brown color. Lots of dark caramel malt and dark fruit on the nose. Perfect hop balance for the style. Not too bitter or too sweet. Caramel up front, followed by a pleasing dark fruit presence and mild alcohol warmth. Very competently brewed Belgian style ale.