Corsendonk Christmas Ale

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

Well, I reckon you’ve got to drink a Christmas beer on Christmas. This one’s much more enjoyable than I remember. A lush Belgian brown at its base, this one blows past the usual nutmeg-and-cinnamon dosing with some very lively flavors: orange peel is very prominent, along with some dried cherry or currant, and a wee bit of toffee in the back (not getting any smoke, but that may be for the best). Crisp and lively, rather than cloyingly sweet, this is a refreshing change.

This beer is a nice dark caramel brown. A nice crisp head on top of the beer gives this beer a lovely Belgian ale appearance. Great looking beer. The beer has a nice fruity aroma to it. The beer smells just like dark fruits, light caramel, malt, and yeast. Very pleasant aroma that is not too much on the nose but just right. Some of these Belgian Ale’s can have a poor smell to them. Wow, perfect blend of malt, yeast, citrus, caramel, and dark fruit. The beer could be slightly thicker, but it is a Belgian ale so you can imagine how carbonated it is. The palate is fine. I don’t want it to seem as though I am complaining. Overall, this beer has a nice aroma and appearance. The beer is well balanced and tastes great. A great brew.

Pours a beautiful deep cherry red with a tan head. Has a slightly spicy aroma as well as some banana. Taste is sweet with dates, raisins, rum predominating. Little hop presence. There may be some additional spices added to this brew possibly cinnamon or nutmeg, but if present are very mild and self-effacing. Finishes a bit sweet and underattenuating.

8.5 oz bottle courtesy of tjthresh. Pours a deep reddish-brown with a creamy, beige head that diminishes to a thin skin at the surface. The nose is a nice spicy/malty blend of orange, cinnamon, light cloves and black tea. This aroma reminds me a lot of a wassail that my friend, Liz, made for her Christmas party several years ago. Quite nice. Light to medium-bodied and slick with a spicy, lightly dry finish. The flavor, more-or-less, follows the nose with a big malt front and a strong emphasis on the cinnamon and cloves. While I enjoyed this one quite a bit, it walks that fine line (for me) of being almost too heavily spiced but also being fairly well balanced. It’s a nice Christmas brew, but one is about all that I can handle. Thanks again for this one, Tom!

Pours a reddish brown with a small foamy tan head. Aroma of malt and apricot. Taste is sweet, fruity and malty. Nice carbination. Very nice Christmas ale.

brown burgundy with a small fluffy head. sweet spicy orange aroma. smooth and lightly carbonated. candied bitter orange peel and a little earthy chocolate, with a light floral hop note. very balanced and not too spiced which is a nice change from others

On tap at the Sharper Edge Bistro. Pours a cloudy light brown with a decent beige head. The aroma is amazing; exotic fruit and yeast draws you in. The taste is a light and sweet fruity mix, some strong spices, a sweet malt, a tiny alcohol presence, and a limited hoppy bitterness. I really like this beer. I’ll be looking for it next Christmas. Awesome in many ways.

Had this on draft at a local beer establishment. Nice frothy head. Flavors were strong and spicy with hints of apricots and malty. Nice flavor and not too citrusy.