What sap

It's not autumn, but I figured Anchor's BigLeaf Maple "autumn red" should still be OK to drink, being 6% ABV. It's not really red, more of a coppery orange. The smell is enticing: a fruity spicy sweetness, all candied banana and toffee apples. I experienced a little trepidation at the prospect of a sticky sugary mess, but that's not the case. The flavour is clean as a whistle, presenting clear maple syrup woody sweetness as the centrepiece, garnished with gunpowder spices and a sprinkling of roast. And it's the maple and spice that gets left behind in the aftertaste, not the cloying syrup.

My finishing impression, even this far from autumn, is of one of those typical American pumpkin beers, only without the unsubtle flavour additions. Something as well put together as this shouldn't need to wait until the far side of the equinox.