Bush de Noël (Scaldis Noel)

Attractive pour of deep caramel with a thin, cream colored head. The nose is dried fruits, sweet, but it goes a bit like rubbing alcohol. The flavor is complex with maltbrown sugar, dried fruit and a nice oak like finish. A bit creamy on the palate. A distinct heat that lingers in the finish to remind you that it’s 12%.

On tap at Kulminator, Antwerp. Pours dark amber with a creamy longlasting white head. Spicy aroma like cinnamon with some sweetness like banana. Very complex taste with dark fruits, spices, brown sugar and a little alcoholic bite at the end. Great stuff.

25cl, from De Hopduvel Gent, complex X-Mas brew, very heavy, clear, good head, good brew, more balanced than the regular Bush

Courtesy of and shared with heavy (thanks!).
Dark amber-orange body, bigoff-white head. Malty nose, grainy, with distinct alcohol. Malty taste again, sweetish grain, alcohol present but less noticable than in the taste. Not my type of beer I guess as I don’t like it when alcohol shows and it certainly did here. It’s ok enough, a fine beer, but not too flashy.

8.48oz Bottle, ’07: Ruddy brown w/ a small biege head. Aroma is of caramel malts w/ a hint of alcohol. Perhaps Noel is Belgian for alcohol, which really kind of kills anything else that may be going on in this one. Lousy way to end this tasting, that’s for sure...