Abbaye des Rocs Speciale Noel

21 Dec 2004 - Lovely hugely sweet earthy aroma. Darkish cloudy brown colour with a lasting brown head ans sudsy lacing. Huge hop malt and prune fruit flavour. Nice malt aftertaste and good bitter balance.

750 ml bottle opened at the very end of the Ratebeer Mondial gathering, so I got a nice big sample, ha ha! Lasting big white frothy head atop a dusky brownish yeasty body...thick bready, farmy, caramel-infused nose with hints of tobacco...in the body, black tea seems to appear in a dream dominated by cigar ash, wine-filled caramels, and prunes...toasty, smoky finish...a bit of a disappointment from this fine brewer, too harsh and ashy, but interesting and worthy of a second try under less palate-destroyed conditions.

Draught. Malty, spicy aroma. Sweet flavour, hint of orange. Creamy mouthfeel, slightly syrupy.

Hazy copper colour with a tan head. Mostly malty aroma with a fruity sweetness. Caramel sweet flavor with a light hoppyness and a dry finish.

Aah, a nice big bottle all to myself. This looks very good in the glass, a deep plummy colour with a creamy, satiny yet firm head. This is the roc that is not in a hard place. There is a very typical BSA fruitiness and mustiness in this beer and a lot of plum pudding ingredients come to the fore. In the mouth the ABV is quite obvious as is the intensity of flavours that make this an all things good beer. I must try to get another bottle for the winter months

Draught at DBF 2005. Brown coloured with a small off white head. Sweet spicy and herby aroma with notes of dried fruits. Sweet flavour with lots of fruits and spices - especially ginger.

Dark brown colour with a small off-white head. Yeasty fruity aroma and taste. Medium body and a sweet finish.

Draft at DBF2005. Sweet and fruity nose. Dark brown body, small white head. Sweet flavor, some yeast, nice fruityness. Good one.