This came via a friend who is all calm on the outside and full out death metal on the inside. Only guy who I know that broke his hand in residency by punching a wall. Absolute hell of a guy. A medium, orange-tinted amber. Thinner appearance. Nose bursts with butterscotch and bread notes - something of a leavened dough. The latter yields a bit of yeast funk. Herbs and spices start to come out next - bay leaf, thyme, tad of eucalyptus. Earthy clay, dried cherry, slight tobacco. Youthful and grain forward - as in 2 years youthful (but no way to say for sure). There is a more coating feel than expected based on proof and appearance. The palate is a tad hot but not harsh. Following the youthful yeast funk the doughy rye notes the spice sets in - dare I say a bit of pumpkin spice latte. Plenty of light caramel, bit if fresh cut apple to round things out sweetly. Maybe a bit of a hot buttered rum or kettle corn finish. Does this make me think GWAR? Can’t say that it does. Frankly speaking, all I know about GWAR I learned from the film Empire Records around 20 years ago. Talk about flicks that I couldn’t tolerate as my current self (and may reveal faults of my former self). There is probably a dash of hormonal, teen spirit here - and maybe that’s where the nipple piercing, costume-wearing, death metal stuff kicks in? Sort of like sweaty socks and oily faces - this just needs more time. Like 10 years. And on that note, I’m pretty sure I would have called the cops on my former self and will take a moment to reflect on the divine mercy that has gotten me this far…