Authentique Blonde de Noël

Formerly brewed at Authentique Brasserie
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Blaton, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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UPDATED: DEC 17, 2006 Hazy orange; slim rim of white foam. Sharpish fruity and caramel nose, bit of sugar apparent. Tastes like soured honey. Not bad, though resembling a spritzy mead rather than a beer. Very carbonated, fizzy drink. OK, but not truly great.
Retry 2006 No head, fully hazy ochre-amber beer. 4/5 Grapey, hops, a bit dusty and cake-like malts. 7/10. Sweet, with again fruit taste, that is not unlike grapejuice, without the excessive sweetness and no apparent carbonation. 6/10 In the MF, however, the carbonation is there as a short sparkling feel, even when not visible. Rather light to medium body. 3/5 Remarkable, but somehow unfinished tasting. 13/20

Kerstbierfestival 2007 Intensiv hefiger und leicht süßer Geruch. Mittelstarker hefiger Antrunk, kaum malzig, ein dezentes Kräuteraroma stellt sich nun in den Vordergrund, hefiger und hopfiger werdend. Lasch hopfiger Nachgeschmack. Test vom 20.12.2007, Gebinde: Glasflasche Noten: 12,11,12,12,-,11

Amber to ruby color, pretty strange for a "blonde de noël". Nothing blond about this baby. Smelled overwhelmingly like sour apple. Also a sour taste, with little sweetness in it. Sweet-bitter aftertaste, but the sourness keeps dominating the palet. No expiration date, but I’m afraid I got a very old bottle (Hopduvel, Gent). Fair enough, next time I went, they gave me a new one for free, but it tasted just as bad as this one. Needs to be revised, with a younger bottle.

33cl bottle at home, iRate: low bottle fill. Pours a hazy amber with almost no head. Oddly mead like aroma of fermented honey, just like one of my meads done with the westmalle yeast (it didn’t work out). Floral esters with pear juice and some cardboard. Strange yeasty and solventy character. Flavor is much nicer than the aroma. Touch of wet paper on the front but then amber malt rolls in. Light chemical solvent underneath a pretty nice spice character. Ends with malt, spice and a bit of rich earth. Some rubber comes in as the beer warms up.

(Bottle 33 cl) Clear deep golden with a creamy, off-white head. Somewhat strange tart fruit aroma. Medium-bodied, fruity - overripe fruit - and a very distinct underlying acidity. Finishes dry. Clearly this must be infected. 311008

Bottle. [Tasting session @ Papsoe, 31-10-2008] Large fine bubbled white head that mostly lasted. Fair display of lacework. Clear golden color. Aroma of yeast, orange peel, Christmas spice, mild herbal notes as well. Over the palate came infected sour malty notes. Medium bodied with an average carbonation. Because of the infection the sour notes overpowers the sweetness. Mild sour spicy finish.

33cl, exclusive brewery, from De Hopduvel Gent, not complex X-Mas brew, not balanced, cloudy, good head, nothing special, needs to be revised

A Mes rate: 33cl bottle at Kerstfest, Essen.
Slightly hazy dark gold with a thin white film. Aroma of orange and white spirit. Spice, bread and malt liquor flavour. Pretty poor to be honest.

33 cL bottle, Kerstbierfestival 2007 in Essen/Belgium. Pours hazy orange with a lacing white head. Fruity aroma, some peach and oranges. Flavour is sweet malty with a classic belgian yeast note providing a nice smoothness to the brew. Finish holds a nice lingering fruity spice note. Classic belgian, yet different although not really Christmassy.

cloudy blond with a average white head a herby malty aroma a herby malty taste with a little bitter alcholic finich

Bottled. Orange colour, not much head. Aroma is spicy, fruity, yeasty and mildly alcoholic. Flavour is quite much the same. Malts are also bringing a certain sweetness and mild breadyness to it.