Corsendonk Christmas Ale

Best by date January 2007, Sampled July 2006
Pours with a large, initially three and a half finger thick, amber-cream colored head that leaves a rocky, lace leaving texture as it slowly falls back into the beer. The beer is a dark, brownish color with a touch of amber. It shows a brilliantly clear ruby hued beer when held up to the light. Rich, aromatic notes of concentrated malt greet my nose. Notes of raisins, dates and figs mingle with sweet notes of caramel, toffee, . both a spicy note of clove and bit rum-like hot alcohol are just slightly noticed among the other notes. Overall the aroma is quite sweet and almost even a bit sticky; very desert like in its aromatics.

A creamy mouthfeel is balanced almost immediately by a tingly carbonation. The beer is not nearly as sweet tasting as the aroma would suggest, which is good as I was not sure if I was up fro a sticky brew. Notes of concentrated malt are here though. I get notes of dark caramelized fruit, notes of burnt raisins and roasted plums. Light notes of toasted malt join a hint of roasted grain. The fruit notes are what really stand out here; this brew is rich and satiating, yet actually not heavy and even a bit light and easy to drink, though I would characterize this as being light on the palate. Some spicy cola like notes are also in this beer as well as some light notes of clove. Actually the cola like note is definitely interesting, it is mostly the caramel flavors from cola, but definitely some of the spiciness is in this beer as well. This beer is quite interesting, perhaps a touch on the simplistic side, but quite good none the less.

<font size=-4>Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=698>Plaza Liquors, Tucson, AZ<font size=-1>

Dark cloudy cola-mahogany colour. Sweet aroma of flowers, coriander and honey. The flavours include cherry, honey, oak, smoke, lemon zest. Extremely complex. Long, strong finish with some alcohol. Very good as a whole.

Draft. Pours a dark brown with little head. The aroma was spicy, with some excellent malt notes. The flavor was very smooth. Malty, with a hint of cinnamon, cloves, hint of tart cherries. A very even flavor, but not as intense as I would expect from a strong ale.

This one poured slightly lighter in color than I like my dark Belgians - amber red instead of red-brown. The head was also less than typical but sufficient and long lasting (with good lacing). The aroma was not as sweet and fruity as other dark Belgians (something slightly sour in the aroma). However, the flavor was very respectable, combining a noticeable presence of hops (kinda like the way the golden tripels bring out the hops) with the spicey and malty base that is typical of a Belgian strong ale. If this one weren’t 8.5%ABV, it could be a decent session ale.

Dark brown/ruby. Frothy, tan head. Pumpernickel bread, dark fruits, roasty malt, spices. Full, smooth body. Excellent.

Bottle sampled with Stegosaurus, pours an amber color with an off-white head. Aroma of sweet malts, spices, and alcohol. Flavor is sweet, spices are present, citrus, i loved this brew.

750 ml bottle poured a clear ruby brown with a small, lasting amber head. Aroma was malty and spicey. Palate was medium bodied and dry. Flavors of sweet malt, spices and a bit of fruitiness with a dry finish.

33cl bottle from Dorstvlegel, Antwerp. Attractive brown beer with beige sparse head. Rich, malt spice, cinnamon aroma. Fine in mouth, finish has more dark dry malt, spice, brown sugar. Hmmm. Yeah bit nothingy in the middle but the aroma and finish are good