Alliance - Barrel Aged by Dubuisson
De Brabandere

Pours a very dark amber color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has caramel and fruit hints
Taste has caramel and fruit flavors
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A great barrel aged Quad

Presentation: 750mL brown bottle with a "best before" date printed on the back. Served in an oversized wine glass.

Appearance: The thick, dense, tan colored, two and a half finger head stays around for a while and leaves behind a foam layer and a lot of beautiful lacing that covers the entire glass. It's a mesmerizing, deep, dark almost pitch black color. A hint of a very dark, reddish brown shows up when held up to light.

Smell: A very complex aroma of damp wood, inky grapes, black cherries, brown sugar, toasted bread, anise and raw cocoa. 

Taste: It's a rich flavor that starts off sweet with brown sugar, plum and molasses. It finishes with some darker and ever so slightly bitter flavors of dark chocolate, coffee and wood. It's all very well balanced though, it never gets too sweet or too bitter.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied but not overwhelming, silky smooth but it has a medium high carbonation bite too. It's a perfectly balanced texture that only takes a knock because it does start to get cloying after a while.

Overall: There's a reason these two breweries have been around for so long. The level of quality and brewing artistry in this beer is simply stunning. A masterpiece that's just a joy to drink.