Corsendonk Christmas Ale

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

This brown ale poured with a fluffy tan head, eliciting a pleasant fruity aroma. The flavor is smoky and malty, with a slightly bitter peppery herbal finish. There is the same carbonated mouthfeel as the abbey brown ale, but the only other similarity to that product is the color.

This is definately the best offering from Corsendonk. Excellent rich amber color with fantastic aroma of apple, fig, plum, etc. Pours with typical large head that dissipates. Very well balanced all around. Tastes of a more intense aroma. Slightly oily. Very grand Ale!

750. Deep ebony pour with thick, moussy, bubbly tan head that falls to film and thick swaths of lace. Some visible carb, nice dark tan bubbles, but only for a minute. Big sharp tart fruity volatiles; they’re only there on the nose for a couple minutes. The attack has some carby zip to it; also some sweet, grabby-but-not-cloying fruit flavors: pear, green apple, fig. Mid-palate has that caramel that you know will be there just from the darkness and viscosity of the pour. Finish is a little citric but only if you really listen for it; it’s a pretty neutral finale. This is delicious if not super-individualistic.

29.09.06 750ml bottle. Black tea colored medium teak with little to no head. Aroma is woody, smoky, and a bit corky with touches of sweet malts and oxidation (cardboard). Aroma is mostly that of old beer and I’m not sure how old this is, but it’s obviously not from this year. Caramel, leather, and must aromas and flavors with mostly pear and plum notes to entice. Finish is nothing to write home about, kinda dry, kinda not dry, kinda old. Whatever is happening, it’s tasty.

Vey slight barnyard aroma. Slight apple aroma. Sweet and malty. Some caramel. Creamy. Medium body. Nice beer. Didn’t seem to be spiced.

This beer came dark black with a slight purple glow. Smelled of cloves, prunes and bread dough. Tasted almost like fruit cake with maraschino cherry, red grapes, ginger and rye bread. Mouth feel was medium with a light carbonation. This was a lot of fun to drink. The next time I have one of these, I’d like to be in front of a fire on a cold winter day with some ginger bread cookies.

Nice dark brown pour with a smallish beige head. I was overwhelmed by the sweetness of this beer. Little in the way of fruits and spices. Finished with a tartiness. I was pretty disappointed.

750 mL bottle, BB 9/25/05. Poured a clear, deep garnet with a tall, creamy cap of beige head. Nose was quite spicy, with dark fruits (plums, raisins, and figs) and herbal hoppage. Flavor began with the darker fruits (plums prominent)... with smoked beechwood plus woody and herbal hops across the middle, and mild citrus at the edges. Finish was of dark fruit, alcohol, and smoked herbs. Smooth across the middle, but a bit fizzy at the front and back-ends. Solid brew.