Corsendonk Christmas Ale

had this with maniac4016. pours a dark tea color with a nice two finger fluffy tan head. aroma is caramel malt with some spices and a little alcohol. has a medium body with good lacing and just right on the carbonation. flavor is the same as aroma with some hops and Belgian yeast thrown in. as it warms the Belgian yeast comes out a bit more all together. not bad. the spices almost taste like cinnamon and nutmeg and there is a little citrus as it warms in the flavor as well.

Bottle. Aroma very typically Belgian with wide-ranging fruits and spices. Flavor can be a bit overly sweet at times (although it seems lately I find that to often be the case, so I think it’s just a personal phase), but the spices really balance things out, increasingly at the finish and increasingly throughout the bottle. I don’t really know my spices, but I do know that in beers if there are a lot of them I usually find them overwhelming and feel like if the beer needs so much spice there must be a lack of character elsewhere. However here I really love the various spices blended together and don’t find them overwhelming at all, rather very nicely complimented with that Belgiany fruitiness. Very nice. Update: pretty much just for personal use, but upon another go at this beer, I found it to have a refreshing tart character that I may have discarded as unnecessary sweetness previously...doesn’t make much sense that I did that, but, ya know, shit happens.

Bottle. Pours a dark ruby/brown with a small light colored head. Aroma of Belgian yeasts and fruits. Tastes of apples, pears, bubblegum, spices. Strong spices in the finish. A very good, very drinkable beer. I could drink this all day...

nice looking beer, with thick head & lacing. caramel/ burnt caramel on nose lively/malt on entry, with citrus at the end finishes somewhat odd & uneven, but not offensive. good, but not exceptional

Honey, malt, cream, hops, cloves and spices in the nose. Pours a dark copper beer with a large dissipating head. Soft mouthfeel, with alcohol in the vanguard, also sweet and tangy with a mildly hoppy finish. To be honest I was expecting a lot more from this beer.

Dec. 2006 - Excellent! Dark brown pour with finger sized head and immense lacing. Strong aroma of dark fruits, caramel and spices that reminded me of a Christmas spice cookie. Rich, full silky mouthfeel. Excellent...tops of the winter seasonal list for me so far!

Aroma: raisins, candisugar, spicy yeast, coconut, papaya...sweet, lilac. Fantastic.
Flavour: strange, fruit, surprisingly non-sweet even though it’s quite sweet. Very Belgian. Almost mint...
Appearance: red copper hue. yellow foam, quite thin leaving film. Clear.
Palate: very fizzy, heavy, thick. Lovely.

25cl bottle. Pours a very deep amber with some off white foam that fades to a thin ring, minimal lacing. Aroma is a little bit of licorice and a whole bunch of spice, lots of coriander and maybe some cardamom? Flavor is all cardamom, way too much, hardly a trace of malt. Meh, either my tastes buds have been raped over the years or this stuff changed drastically since my virginal one 7 years ago.