Triple - Brakspear

This is an English ale which I picked up from a major supermarket.  Had it a few times in the past many moons ago, and vaguely remember liking it
This bad-boy is a 6.7& ABV, bottle conditioned beer, with serial number B99378.  How novel to have an individually numbered beer!

In the glass, this ale appears a deep coppery cherry colour, with a frothy off-white head which offers decent retention and great lacing

The smell is rich, sweet, syrupy - whatever you want to call - with toasted malt, caramel, dark fruit, mild citrus notes, some spice and lashings of booze.  Smells awfully inviting

Initial taste on the palate is fruit cake, sweet caramel malt; accentuated and punctured by alcohol which comes to fore instantly.  Very warming and rich.  This develops into raisins, prunes, nuts and spice.
Finishes with enough spicy hops to offer up some balance to the boozy sweetness.  Linger is gently grassy hop bitterness and a spicy sweetness

The mouthfeel offers a warming, complex, full-bodied feel which makes this endlessly sippable.  Hardly any astringency and carbonation levels are perfect.  Considering this is so sweet and rich, it manages to avoid being cloyingly sweet and coating the palate (Just about...)

This is something that would be great with a roast dinner on a cold winters day, or as an alternative to mould wine at Christmas!
85% - Good