Corsendonk Christmas Ale

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

Bottle. Dark brown / amber color with white head. Aroma of sweetness with spices like plum and coriander. Orange touch. Plum and maltiness. Creamy and soft mouthfeel. Good finish !

250ml bottle. Pours a dark red with a thick white head. Malty aroma with some spicy notes and a bit of chocolate. Taste was nothing special though, just a typical Belgian ale taste. Palate was a bit thick. I didn’t quite get the lingering finish. Drinkable, but nothing to write home about.

Bottled(250ml). –Shared with Doggythedog at the Hopdevil in Zagreb
Reddish brown coloured, medium beige head, fruity and slight alcoholic nose. Quite ordinary but pleasant "Belgian taste". Malty, fruity and of course spicy. Pleasant sweet alcoholic finish.

Pours a deep dark amber w/ full semi creamy froth slowly receding to blanket and garter. Aroma of sweet steak and rock candy. Medium nectar w/ ample residual effers. Flavors approach malty sweet at first w/ dried fruit. Black cherry and plumb being the focus w/ some melon in there running around. There is a curious smokey earthiness about this brew. Finish is long on flavor w/ a slight acidic style bittering yet stays sweet. Overall: sweet and earthy. Slightly out of balance. Goes well w/ grilled, seasoned chicken.

Bottle at the Hopdevil in Zagreb shared with ozujsko (thanks!)
He ordered the Gouden Carolus Christmas and got this. Ah well, it was better for me as I haven’t had this one before. It poured a nice, huge beige thick head that went away at a medium pace on top of a dark red body. The nose was nice, raspberry jaffa cakes, candied fruit, a bit earthy and chocolatey. The taste was similar. Dark sugar, smooth, dark fruit (raisins), a bit spicey. Just a touch metallic. Pleasantly sweet and smooth. A noticable chewy hopiness in the background that carried into the aftertaste. Didn’t impress me as much as its Gouden Carolus counterpart, but it’s still a great beer.

750ml bottle. Dark brown/amber with white head. Creamy & soft mouthfeel. Sweetness with spices like clove & coriander. Orange touch. Plum & maltiness. Warmth from alcohol. Good finish!

Reddish brown with big brown creamy head. Slightly thin aroma with complex spicyness. Lots of cinnamon and coriander in the taste - ending on a citric note.

Molasses and citrus blend nicely with bready and spicy notes in the chewy malt forward aroma. Opaque darkest brown body is topped by a huge and fluffy, fine bibbled tan head that recedes slowly and coats the glass with lace. Bready malts are joined by a treacly sweetness with some spice and citrus fruitiness. Never cloying and alcohol is never apparent. Tannins and light orange character emerge and strengthen as it warms. Very drinkable. Medium body with moderate effervescence that bombards the tongue with pointy little bubbles. Tulip glass. Cellar temperature. Bottle (BB 16/09/07, leftover from YeHa 2005).