Abbaye des Rocs Speciale Noel

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

Keg @ Akkurat, Stockholm Backlog 16 Dec 2004
A refreshing winter beer. Very complex. Raisins and hard toffe initially. Develops into red currant and raspberries. A very nice mix.

Chunky opaque brown,large lasting beige head.Sweet malt nose with plum and light yeast. Sweet malt and cherry/plum taste with light alcohol heat.There is a hint of another ingredient I cannot pick out.

(330 ml capped bottle, bought at Borough Market, London.) Pours with a collossal head, beer is clear reddish brown but with an enormous amount of lumpy yeast floaties which are not dissolved in the beer when pouring, thus making the beer in the glass look rather unappetizing - you may actually feel the lumps when drinking. I normally prefer to pour the yeast in with most bottle conditioned beers (enhances the flavour IMO), even when the brewers tell me not to - but in this case it is definitely not to be recommended! Aroma is initially surprisingly mild and one-dimensional malty sweet, improves as the beer warms up - vinous notes with some toffee and oak appear. Flavour is caramelly, oaky and spicy, with a nice alcoholic warmth. Decent enough, if disregarding the lumps.

Sedimented chestnut appearance. Cobwebby yeast aroma with plum, cherry, peach and sweet dark malts. Spritzy carbonation and a full body. Peachy, slightly perfumey, cherryish and plummy palate with rich malty depths and a hint of chocolate. A little alcohol in the finish. Warming, rich, fruity. Joyeaux Noel, Brasserie des Rocs!

An opaque chocolate brown with a large foamy tan head. Caramel, bread dough, cocoa, prunes, corriander, black pepper... wow. rich, malty sweet, spice....peppery, wonderful. It dances across your tounge, light on it’s feet. The 9% is well masked, only rearing it’s head in the aftertaste. A dangerously drinkable beer! Merry Christmas!

Caramel, toffee, dark pit fruits (raisin, plum, fig), ginger, coriander, chocolate, molasses in the complex, sweet, spicy aroma. Darkest mahogany-brown body shines with a ruby tone and is covered by an immense, lasting, dense, rocky, tan head that laces all the way down the glass. Brown sugar, molasses, doughy yeast, mild roasty bitterness and fair spiciness though not quite as thick and complex as the aroma suggests. Alcohol is never apparent. Medium-full body with soft texture in the mouth. Creamy, fine-bubbled low carbonation. Bottle. Thanks, JoeMcPhee!

Bottle from The Alex in Derby. Bottle conditioned. Very dark murky brown colour. Smelt a bit like washing up water. Loads of yeast in the bottle & despite a careful pour a few big chunks floating in the beer. Tastes ok though, but a bit too sweet for me. Fruity & floral notes

33cl bottle from Pitfield’s in London. Malty, sweet, fruity and spicy aroma, quite sumptuous and full with notes of milk chocolate, coriander, ginger, anise, toffee, flower petals, orange, raisin, plum and faint musty herbs. Dark, murky red-brown color, copious amounts of sediment, with a fine, creamy, lasting tan head and sheets of lacing. Flavor is richly malty, estery and spicy, lots of brown sugar sweetness and a dusting of cocoa with hints of clove and a variety of dark fruits before a long, warming, earthy and lightly musty finish. Exceedingly smooth and creamy on the palate with a full body. Full of complexity and highly flavorful.