This beer has a wonderful aroma of spicy Belgian phenolics with light toasty malt blended in along with some pleasant raisin-like esters. There is no discernible hop aroma. The flavor matches the aroma well, although the alcohol jumps out and is quite warming. There are no hop flavors and the hop bitterness is just there to balance the malt and keep it from being too cloying. This is definitely a sipper for a cold winter evening by the fire.