Affligem Noël (Christmas Ale)

Brewed by Brouwerij Affligem / De Smedt (Heineken)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Opwijk, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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From a bomber. Aroma is a bit harsh and herbal. Flavor is sweet with a significant herb touch and a round malty finish. Touches of cinnamon and spice. Pretty good for this style.

Bottle. Toffee malt aroma. Medium brown color. Sweet toffee malt flavor with only a slight hint of spice. Not very spicy but very tasty.

Darkish red body with small tan head. Sweet aroma with toffee apple, overripe fruit, cinnamon and soem more caramel. Fitting for a Christmas ale. Alcohol shines through the sweet and modately rich taste. Tasty and dangerous. Paired exceptionally well with my speculaas (Dutch Sinterklaas cookies) with almods on top. Nom nom nom.

750ml bottle from Pick’s poured into a Trappist glass. 2009 vintage I believe. Pours a cloudy brown, almost purple, with a bit of white head that dissipates quickly. Aroma of lots of Belgian sugar, dark fermented fruit and some nice spices. Taste is light sweet and very very lightly sour. Taste is everything mentioned above with just a slight bit of sour green apple. Full bodied with a creamy texture. Lively carbonation and a long finish. Overall, very good. I would like to try a fresh one to try the difference but I think the almost 3 years of aging has made this very good.

Appearance: medium amber/orange with lots of floating specks and a vanishing creamy tan head. Aroma: caramel, raisins, yeast, and dark fruits. Taste: raisins, figs, prune juice, caramel, cinnamon, and a hint of clove. Finish: slightly boozy and a little bittersweet. Notes: For me, an average Belgian strong ale, which is still better than many other beers. Palate was drinkable, yet flavors encouraged sipping. Aroma was very sweet, so I was expecting a little more sweetness to come through in the flavors.

Sampled at a esbls tasting. I brought this. Dark brown and opaque. A off white head that does not last long. It smells kind of like shaving cream with light spice. I taste dark fruit, light spice, candy, anise. This is not bad but I am not a fan.

Dark amber/cider color; Medium slightly cream body; Aroma of sweet malt, some yeast, dark fruit, & spice; Flavor of sweet malt, yeast, caramel, dark fruit, raisons, and some chocolate; Nicely balanced; Overall, solid seasonal offering.

What a great wintry brew! Full of tasty caramel, dark fruits, cooking spices and a light hint of chocolate makes for a good dessert brew to have on-hand as the winter months approach! This brew gets much more tastier as it slowly warms up. Definitely a sipper and one that you will want to savor slowly so that you don’t run out too soon!

Deep reddish color with a fizzy head. Tastes like Christmas. Carmelly malt flavors. Nutty. Very smooth and well-balanced, not too sweet like some of these beers tend to be. Actually had some hops coming through. Good deal, on sale for $4.99. Admittedly, I am a total sucker for these Belgian Christmas beers.  

Light brown / amber colored beer. Average smell, ok taste. Smell and taste dark fruits. Decent carbonation, medium body.