Corsendonk Christmas Ale

Brewed by Du Bocq
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Purnode-Yvoir, Belgium

Bottle @ Beer Circus Nov’07. Pours dark copper colour with slow fading head. Aroma is earthy / grassy / dark fruits . spices. Taste is sweet / spicy / dates & dark fruits. Pretty complex but definitely enjoyable.

Dark brown with tiny head. Sweet malty aroma with overripe fruits and yeast. Flavor is sweet with roasted malt, overripe fruits and spices. Warming alcohol in the end. Good balanced.

750ml bottle topped by a cork and a wire cradle shared at a New Years party in Tromsø. Big shot and smoke when opened. Deep dark brown body under a light brownish head. Sweet aroma of fruits and malt. The flavour is filled with xmas spices and candy sweetness added by yeasty notes. Powerful, but rounded palate (thanks to Esben for providing the bottle) (12.01.2008).

(25cl bottle) Clear, reddish amber colour with a big and lacey off-white foamy head. Sweet, slightly dusty and roasted malty aroma, bready with spicy notes of anise, cinnamon & thyme. Bitter-sweet flavour, quite light bodied according its abv; moderate, slightly fizzy carbonation. Moderately roasted malty body with strong spicy notes from the beginning, that leave not much room for other flavours; slightly bitter and spicy finish with a fairly good alcohol management. Way too spicy and unbalanced, thus very overrated stuff.

(bottle) A dark brown body with a small, disappearing brown head. Aroma is sweet and fruity with a small hint of alcohol. A more subdued flavor than I expected, but that makes it very smooth and drinkable. Dark fruit, sweet and (slightly) sour ale flavor with an more alcohol in the finish - but not too much. Medium bodied.

This is a vertical tasting I am doing. This is the rating of my fresh example. The beer pours a rich amber, somewhat like the color of syrup. The aroma is yeasty, spicy, with notes of pear, apple, and caramel. It is very effervescent, and when one first sips it, the bubbles envelope ones tongue. Flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and bitter orange exist under the velvety malt blanket in one’s mouth. There is a slight citrusy flavor, almost like that of coriander though I don’t think that that is present in this beer. This beer has a lingering aftertaste of spicy yeast and bread and leaves a somewhat sticky feeling in the mouth after it has been swallowed. This beer is smooth in some aspects but retains a strong spicy bite which provides an interesting contrast in one beer. In a few years I’ll add my second tasting!

Red. Pretty strong aroma. Smooth, creamy, good body. Flavor profile is a little weak though.

0.75 l bottle. Dark ruby color with thick diminishing beige head. Sweetish, malty, caramelly, toasty, bready and vinous aroma with raisins, prunes, licorice and dark sugar. Sweetish, caramelly and chocolatey flavor with dark fruits, clove and pepper. Sharp carbonation.