Abbaye des Rocs Speciale Noel

Brewed by Brasserie de l’Abbaye des Rocs
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Montignies-sur-Roc, Belgium

2000 vintage (7 years old) at the Kulminator, only 3euro. pours dark with red tint and creamy tan head. nose is pretty awesome with fruity notes of raisins and berries with big caramel malts and hints of toffee and tobacco. flavor is bold, dark, fruits, and tobacco. there’s a charred note to it that seems to bottom out the palate leaving it flat and short, possibly this has well past its peak but the soul of this beer is still intack as well as its fine flavor. mouth feel is full carbonation perfect and smooth a nice beer but the charred note seems inappropriate and doesn’t enhance the beer but overwhelms the other delicate notes.

Bottle,33 cl. (bought @ Willems). Dark brown (light reddisch shine), with creamy beige head. Aroma caramel, yeasty, malts, port ?. Medium body. Taste is complex, fruity, spices, sweet, a bit citrus.

Another christmas brew picked up mid July at Sugaya. Reddish brown with a nice light tan head. Very nice aroma. Sweet mats, alcohol, dark fruits, spices, raisins, chocolate, mmm. Though the alcohol is very noticeable in the flavor, it isn’t distracting. Roasted malts lead the way, alcohol, molasses, raisins, dark fruits, some sweetness, and spices. Nice, medium body with plenty of floaties since I wasn’t careful during the pour. Mellow, yet complex enough to add excitment. A great choice even though it’s the wrong season.

dark amber coloured body with a small white head a sweet malty aroma light alcoholic toughes and a nice sweet finich

This sweet malty bomb of a Christmas brew has a big roasted malt base highlighted by seasonal spicing, dried fruits, touches of well-hidden alcohol, and brown sugar. Very well made beer, just a little bit of an odd choice to wash down a jambalaya on July 18th! Thanks Cornfield.

2000 vintage bottle at Kulminator. Dark brown with a creamy, almost yellowish head. Intense raisins and chocolate aroma. Raisins flavours with dry cellar character and a hint of chocolate. Soft texture- I believe aging has made the body somewhat lighter. A treat.

Bottle, BB end 2007, Cellarbrations Bull Creek, WA Pours an awful looking tawnyess, with floaties a plenty of darkfruits, rum and sherry in the nose. Flavour is strangely linear, maybe poorly handled or old, hint of date, prune, cinnamon, moscovado sugar and other burnt sugars.Very dry. Good, but I assume better closer to production.

bottled. Not very impressed with this one. All the usual characteristics of the belgian christmas beers (dark fruits, caramel, malts), but this one is a little off. Tastes like the fruit has gone bad and it’s been drowned in cola. I’d like to have a re-rate, though I recall hating it the first time I had it a few years ago.