Abbaye des Rocs Speciale Noel

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

Draught at The White Horse on Parsons Green (London), amber with a filmy white head. A roasted malty aroma with a touch of pineapple fruit. Very smooth at first with citrus and spice flavours, followed by a grainy maltiness and more spice in the finish. Very good.

Brown of color with a orange head. Sweet aroma with orange notes. Sweet flavor with orange, pretty sweet in my orange. Nice finish with dark fruits and spices.

Deep red/brown color with some haze. Head is a light tan and diminishes relatively quickly. Aroma is slightly astringent and spicy. Taste is sweetened malts, with alcohol, rich spiciness, dark fruits, cocoa, and vanilla. Body is velvety smooth with a slight alcohol burn. Finishes spicy with rich sweetness comprised of chocolate, caramel, sweetened malts, and followed up with slight alcohol. Really nice one.

Another Belgian interpretation of the holiday season, another definition of the Christmas atmosphere. I can’t help but notice as I accumulate this wonderful collection of beers, how varied they are and how accurately their conglomerate portrays my emotions. This Abbaye des Rocs pours with the the usual chunkiness and a ruddy complexion, topped in an attractive, speckled white froth. The aroma is salient, full of sweet spices and rich malts, interwoven with delicate notes of Bourbon and the sourness of Champagne. Nutmeg, black pepper, cloves, anise, allspice and lemon peel are paired with milk chocolate, mild coffee and caramel. Fruity white wine appears as well, highlighting figs, dates and dried pears alongside cashews, raisins and cream. The full spectrum of coffee develops on the tongue, from the astringent bitterness of espresso to the smooth complexity of latte. Sweet chocolate, caramel, bread and a hint of smoke reinforce this malty palate and provide padding for the warming alcohol. Peppermint, anise and Amaretto add the subtle but necessary layer of complexity rounding the mouthfeel. More carbonation than I expected from des Rocs, but the brew makes up for it with a long roasted aftertaste to leave you melting in your armchair.

Bottle: Poured a hazy reddish dark brown with off white bubbly head. The smell is sweet fruit. Sweet metallic spice malt with a candi caramel finish.

Bottle. Dullish blackish brown beer with a strong head. The aroma is mulled and spiced and the flavour is bold, roasted, and gently bitter with a touch of fruit peel. Overall an average Belgian beer.

Bottle. Peppery aroma with hints of dark fruits and some hard to define, but not unpleasant, sourness - almost like soy-sauce. Flavor is sweet and malty with a good sugary finish and balanced bitterness. Unfortunately the spices overpowers everything and almost ruins an otherwise pleasant beer. That is very sad, as Abbaye des Rocs usually brews excellent beer.

Very carbonated fizz az it pours. Lovely dark thick brown in the glass. Thick off white head that faded leaving clots of foam. Malty nose with citrus fruit. Very rich flavour, sweet malt, bread, citrus fruit, alcohol. Like a boozy malt loaf. No artifical flavours, nothing metallic or chemical. Long aftertaste. For me too malty - started off enjoying it, but I couldn’t finish the glass. It was like an alcholic vitamalt.