Corsendonk Christmas Ale

Brewed by Du Bocq
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Purnode-Yvoir, Belgium

750 mL bottle from a Trappist glass. Lot 6536. WOAH...pours with a 5+ finger head into a Trappist glass. This is the foamies beer I have ever seen. It leaves nice lacing on the glass. Pour is a dark brown murky color with a tannish foamy head. Aroma of grape, bread, and spice. This may sound weird...but I definitely got the aroma of Fruity Pebbles cereal. The taste is also remniscent of that Fruity Pebbles...its a mix of light fruits and dark fruits. The breadiness is there in the aftertaste, but is a litlte lighter than I might prefer in a ":Belgian Strong." The mouthfeel is very full and the spices really help this, but the aftertaste is fairly empty other than the warming sensation of the alcohol. An undecidely good beer. I was just a little bothered by the fake-ish fruity flavor. The fruit bouquet weirdness was the only thing that held this beer back.

Pours a dark ruby amber with a small offwhite head. Aroma is of dark fruits(raisin and plums), spices, bubblegum, chocolate and citrus. Taste is dry with undertones of ginger and bubblegum. Alcohol comes through in the finish which lingers. Smooth mouthfeel that is unexpected with the high carbonation.

Pours a copper red color with a medium to thin head. Aroma of dried fruit and caramel. This beer has some flavor characteristics of the Agnus, but darker, richer and obviously as a Christmas ale, full with spices. Very flavor. Enjoyed this beer.

This brew pours ruby copper color with a decent head. The sweet aromas of caramel and dried fruit shine through. The caramel and sweet malt flavors are delicious with some subtle spices coming through.

Poured a dark brown with a medium white head. The aroma and taste were much the same to me: citrus, spices, malts and a hint of alcohol. Finish was a little dry and bitter. Decent body. Glad I tried it.

Pours a dark amber. Nice foamy beige head that lasts a bit before going to lace. Sweet spicy caramel aroma. Taste of malt spice herbs caramel licorice. Finish is a light bitter citrus spice, semi dry. But there is also a hit or shock of alcohol as well. The spice aroma and flavor is a bit unique. It is a medium bodied brew. A weaker finish than most others in it’s style. Although I wouldn’t call this a favorite, I like it. Again, a unique spicy flavor.

One of my favorite experiences as a beer critic is drinking an American take on a niche foreign style and then trying the real thing and seeing what the difference is. Recently, I enjoyed Saranac Belgian Ale, but having tried Corsendonk Christmas Ale I can now understand where they were coming from. Not that one is superior to the other, but I just appreciate each on its own.

POUR, COLOR AND AROMA

For some reason, Corsendonk Christmas Ale poured to a monstrous layer of head which I had to let sit for a few minutes before I could pour the rest of the bottle into my glass and then let it sit again. The head eventually calmed down to an off-white, foamy, almost rocky shape which lingered throughout the life of the beer and left some lacing on the glass.

The beer itself has a clear, dark maroon or mahogany color with only a little bit of noticeable carbonation. The aroma reminded me of an authentic German hefeweizen with a strong mix of spices as well as hints of sweeter notes and some citrus, although clove was detectable in the nose alone.

TASTE

My first thought upon trying Corsendonk Christmas Ale was how familiar this beer tasted. Although its style is quite different from the German hefeweizen, that was the first thing that came to mind upon drinking it. This beer is definitely not an unfiltered wheat brew, but in terms of flavor it is similar.

Clove, fruit and spice are the most predominate tastes with perhaps some chocolate and caramel malts playing a significant role in this beer’s flavor. But unlike a hefeweizen, Christmas Ale has a much softer, milder mouth-feel in that it’s not an assault on the palate. This is a very inviting, warming, enjoyable flavor that maintains its strength throughout the life of the drink.

FINISH

As vivid as the flavor is, Corsendonk’s finish is quite smooth. This is a perfect compliment to its gentle mouth-feel. I found the beer actually softened as it warmed and surprisingly, the alcohol was not noticeable in the taste or the finish.

BODY

I’m not a fan of overly-potent beers and will always raise an eyebrow at a brew that has an alcohol by volume percentage of six or higher. However, Corsendonk Christmas Ale is one of the few exceptions I’ve encountered as its potency of 8.5% ABV is barely noticeable. In terms of actual weight it does not feel like a very heavy brew. I drank two bottles within an hour and they satisfied me, but did not overwhelm.

FINAL THOUGHTS

My only caveat about Corsendonk Christmas Ale might be that it would have had a richer, well-balanced taste sans clove. Regardless, this beer is very tasty and unique in and of itself. Topped off by a smooth finish and surprisingly light weight this is definitely a very impressive brew.

NOTE: watch the video version of this review at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d55eBcGaE6w

I ve wanted this for years and 1 snowy night the mountain came to mohammed. I could not pin point the spices ,i was not sober , but these spices intertwined with the malt emphasis and boozy character are exactly what i dig in festive beer:. Classy.