Abbaye des Rocs Speciale Noel

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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UPDATED: MAR 6, 2005 Nice deep red-brown colour, with a fair bit of yeast and weird patches of good head retention. Great aroma very similar to regular AdR - heaps of spices - nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, pepper. Yum! Doesn’t taste as good as it smells, like most of this brewery’s products, but is nice nonetheless and improved with a bit of air and warming. Quite light-bodied, and perhaps a bit light on flavour, but spicy like it smelled, with light but nice maltiness, a nice, faint, alcoholic edge and perhaps a touch more bitterness than I would care for. Nice beer, but it didn’t change my life. And frankly I’m not convinced it isn’t the same beer as regular AdR (my bottle said 9%, I think.)
RR: Grabbed this at Purvis on a surprisingly cold early March night when nothing else stood out - great decision!! This beer didn’t grab me much when I first had it but last night it just out muscat/tokay/port-ed the real thing. All the beautiful sultana and brandied apricot flavours with a sublime smooth and intense malty sweetness. Probably closest to a muscat, without the cloying sweetness that really turns me off. Coriander and nutmeg in the aroma. Flat out brilliant, only a slight muddled fruit flavour detracts from it. (Previous rating 9/3/6/3/14=3.5)

750ml bottle from Bierzwerg. Ruby red colour with small head. Aroma is malt, yeast, spices. Flavour is sweet, xmas spices. Best christmas beer.

33 cl bottle @ home, BBE 28.08.2012
Bottle starts to foam after opening and mixes up all the yeast – a very typical opening ceremony for this brewery.
Aroma has ripe fruits and toffee typical to an aged belgian ale. Flavour has ripe, dark fruits, apricot, licorice, some anise and spice. Nice and rich.

(bottle) pours a murky ruby-brown colour with a frothy off-white head. aroma of bubble gum, herbal hops and peaches, prominent alcohol and some popcorn. flavour is bread dough and marzipan, caramel, coffee, with a mellow fruitiness and hints of yeast. heavy-bodied with average carbonation.

Bottle Black with a small head and low carbonation. Medium body with some sweetness.One dimensional lacking complexity but still a reasonable winter beer.

Bottle Deep, muddy brown body. Off-white fizzy head. Aroma of hops, yeast (no caramel or spices as one would expect from the looks). Lightly bitter, lightly sweet flavour. Not very well balanced.

Bottle at the congress, stoke. Brown beer, dark fruits , some caramel over compensated sweetness. Not keen ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Amazing. Doesnt matter what time of year. Just amazing. Up there with the best. You need to try it. Strong, delicious, well blended and perfectly balanced. Awesome

Ruby red pour with a great beige head and lacing with little bits of yeast floating around the glass. Vibrant floral bouquet, caramel, earthy and fruity. Medium carbonation and sweet from the caramel. It leaves a warmth in your mouth and would be great on a cold night. Quite complex but very tasty with raisins and slight red wine quality. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

In the winter you can have good surprises... a very good beer looking like the Brune from the same brewery.

Bottle. Deep brown with a pillowy off-white head. The nose is spicy and sweet, dark fruits, caramel, some alcohol. The taste is sweet, yeasty, a bit hot. Complex. The body’s full, the carbonation aggressive. Points marked down for the overabundance of yeasty bits. Overall, quite nice.