Corsendonk Christmas Ale

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

Pours dark blood red with a large head. Nice malty sweet aroma but the flavor wasn’t as good as the aroma would make it seem. Fruits and raisin flavor with a warming feel from the alcohol

The few days that follow Christmas are an emotional shipwreck. For about one month the entire Western world (and much of the non-Western world) goes into a serious and uncharacteristic fever of charity, peace and tolerance. Moreover the capitalist system gears up for an omnipresent display of gifts and gadgetry that would test the envy of a Saint. Yes, it’s a good time of year. So good, in fact, that when it ends it hits like a hangover leaving everybody speechless. We fiddle with our new toys, but a new iPod or a soft new pair of pants won’t bring Christmas back. Only a lot of patience will, and every December 26th we relearn the lesson of celebration’s ethereal and temporal nature. It arrives with great fanfare, only to be whisked away in an instant. I didn’t forget the lesson this year, in part thanks to the unique and mighty tasty Corsendonk Christmas Ale. Of the now two Corsendonk beers I’ve tried, both have exhibited a fascinating tendency to develop a swelling flavor, only to suddenly disappear. The tongue is wrapped in a delicately flavored brew and then seconds later it finds itself cold and lonely, and demanding another sip. It’s a cyclical process that sounds tortured, but I think it’s really rather addictive. If the Corsendonk planted itself on the tongue for a drawn out aftertaste it’d be a different beer in composition and meaning. In my mind this is a trait wholly belonging to Corsendonk, and it fits as well here as it did in the Pater. Before it dashes off, the taste develops an initial sweetness with Bosc pear and fig. After a few seconds of this it switches to salty, cheesy and woody character. It’s this mainstay of the flavor that has me coming back for more. The two part flavor storytelling, as it were, is made of two very mature and developed prongs. They’re the sort of tastes you’d find in gourmet cooking – mild yet sipid. And in today’s deluge of cackling Imperial Stouts and screeching Imperial IPAs a little moderation is a very valuable thing. I could see this Corsendonk pairing with a wide array of food items, especially light meats like pork, but as a standalone experience it’s more than capable. More than worthy too. It’s only lackluster quality is its appearance, but after smelling it that becomes marginal. It’s a simple cedar brown head above an acutely dark red brew. But that first smell is pure bliss. Oak, cherry, cream, malts, cheese and a very pungent rye greet the nose with alacrity and amity. It is an experience I won’t soon forget. In all honesty I hope to make this a Christmas tradition, popping one of these sometime in every December from here until the fates see fit to take me from this mortal coil. It’s a good way to spread a little Christmas cheer…through my veins. But if you share it with others you might spread Christmas that way as well. Just let every taste remind you that Christmas is not forever, and should be cherished much like every sip from a bottle of Corsendonk Christmas Ale.

Pours a deep bloody amber with a thin tan head, and leaves no lacing. Great sweet Belgian malt aroma, yeasty and has a sweet fruityness. The mouthfeel is nice and creamy. Smooth Belgian malt flavor with some evident brown sugar, toffee, dates, some coriander spicyness. The alcohol is very well hidden. Long lingering smooth slightly roasted malt finish. Smooth, rich, rounded, a nice Belgian Ale.

Small 11oz bottle. This beer is amazing once it comes out the bottle, in my top 10 when it comes to appearance. This brew is so hard to describe as far as looks the head is so thick and has the look of a homeade cappucino/milshake with a taned look to it. aroma is smoky and citrousy somewhat of a pinaepple smell. Taste is sugary, with a blend of cinnamon, pine nuts, and coriander with some ginger tossed in. I would love to try this beer again and see what i think on the next one.

bottle. Sweet aroma of malt, raisins, yeast, and cherry cola. Pours a clear brown body with a good size head and carbonation. Good flavors of currants/raisins and malt. Very smooth and well balanced. Good brew. Cheers!

750 ml bottle. Pours a deep red/brown with a thick creamy head that lasted through the entire glass. Aroma is malt, raisins and plums. These same traits are also present in the flavor along with some cinammon. My bottle was not at all sweet, and in fact was a bit dry I thought, which is about my only complaint. Still, quite enjoyable. Shared this with some friends and was a nice way to begin the new year’s celebration.

750 ml bottle. Dark brown/redish body with huge beige head. Aroma is malty, candysugar and spices. Flavor is sweet candysugar, malty, yeasty, spicy and some raisin. Long aftertaste with a hint of bitterness. A pleasant, rather sweet, but well balanced beer.

Bottle. 75 cl champagne-style. Amber colour with a beige head. Aroma is sweet, malt , caramel. Flavour is sweet, malt, caramel, yeast, roasted, hop.