Abbaye des Rocs Speciale Noel

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

Copper colour with a lasting off-white head. Big, complex aroma - raisins, dates, blackcurrant, port. Quite sweet and full bodied.

Bottle (from Bitter Virtue)> For once no excessive sediment. Nice spicy flavours and sweetish biscuity malts. Straightforward flavours well executed.

Bottle (75cl) at home - shared with Mette - while eating the christmas dinner. Dark red/brown - offwhite head. Wheat, licorice, red berries, chokolate, hoppy, spicy, alco-burn finish. Very nice. A bit too high carbonated !!

Bottle from ~2000. Dark, hazy brown. A lot of yeast sediments. Extremely spicy with a lot of citrus tones. Soft and snoot. Rather sweet and very malty.

Bottled BB 2005. Christmas Eve, what an excellent choice to pick this one. Hazy brown coloured, small dying brown head, big chunks of yeast floating around. Very complex aroma, molasses, malts, liquorice, walnuts and fruit (not sure which ones though). Sweet flavour, some alcohol and notes of ageing, thick mouthfeel. Flavour is not as impressive as initially imagined considered the aroma, but the finish most certainly compensates for this: it lasts and lasts. Never having had a fresh sample of this brew i wonder whether ageing has been beneficial to its complexity, but at least i can say that an aged (about 4 or 5 years) version has outstanding qualities (especially in aroma and finish). Very nice.

[Tasted at Carlsens.] Sweet aroma and flavor. Notes of banana, butterscotch and bubblegum. Very much a sweet beer.

A ruby beer, with a very big beige head. Sweet aroma with yeast and spices. Also the flavor is very sweet, spicy and fruity, with a light hop presence. Full body and long finish. Overall a very good christmas beer.

RE-RATE: From bottle @ Brassigaume fest. Russy brown with amber highlights. Beige head, good lacing. Sweetish, dark-malty nose with caramelized raisins. Flavor brings immediate depth, dark fruits and dessert spices with touches of sour grain, bitter hops and rum. Awesome balance. When you think of Christmas beer, this is the sort of thing that ought to pop into your head. Glad I tried it again, more complexity than I noticed before.

Previous rating: 6/3/6/3/12=3. From bottle at Kerstbierfestival. Tasty but typical barley wine... Like Bush, heavy sweetness and achohol leave me wanting some bitter or sour for balance. Not the complexity I’d hoped for, but still warming.