Corsendonk Christmas Ale

Very impressive appearance with a large toffee-brown head. Okay aroma and a good fruity flavour, albeit with a lot of alcohol - a bad thing in my book at this still relatively low ABV.

Keg @ Akkurat, Stockholm Backlog 29 Dec 2004
Robust. Sweet. dades, rasins, nuts and the hole lot.

i decided to open this due to the fact that i got a raise from my boss today.....!!!! 750 ml bottle poured into a duvel glass 1/4 at a time.the first pour brought on a huge 3 inch head that took about 4 minutes to calm down.at first,it appeared a very dark brown.alot like a quad.although when i held it up to light,it was a very nice ruby red.this was a very nice surprise.then,the very first sniff i took was not a nice surprise.it was pretty much a medicinal aroma with a bit of the cork....not to good.now im a bit nervous,i brought the trappist glass up to my lips and recieved.....acid,carbonation,and medicine.is this the "lightly tart" they are talking about? so i decided to let it sit for a few minutes.(like i did the frist time i had orval)and ya know,it did the trick. the aroma then balanced out and gave me some spice,yeast,and a sour ending.the flavor was now really smooth.again,the spice came out,the belgian taste,and some malts in the end.if you have not had this.make sure you pour it into a glass,AND LET IT SIT FOR AT LEAST 5 MINUTES.now matter what the temp is,this christmas likes relax a bit before it goes to work.

750 Bottle. Pours brown with a large, fluffy tan head that diminishes mostly, shines a beautiful clear garnet-brown color when held to light. Aroma is sweet like brown sugar on fresh dark brown bread with a sprinkling of holiday spices. Flavor is malty sweet with some pleasing tartness as well, yeast, spice and hints of lemon and hops make for a full palate of flavors. Finishes with a lemon-grapefruit and maple. Medium body and gently building carbonation. Nice winter brew.

(750ml bottle) Pours a dark brown body with burgundy highlights and a moderate beige head. Aroma of molasses, mustiness, cinnamon, and cloves. Flavor of raisins and spices.

Dark ruby brown in color with decent head that lasts awhile. Light malt aroma. Flavor was fruity with a little malt. Could taste banana,apple and maybe cherry? Has a slight alcohol finish.

Draft, at the <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=617>Maple Tree Inn, Blue Island, IL. It may not be fair to rate this when I’m still coming off a cold, but I still find it very interesting. A deep ruby color, brown head with a hoppy taste all its own. Beer itself is a light blend of spices, some allspice perhaps, and dried apple. This was poured from a beer engine, so not much carbonation, and a flannel-type mouthfeel. Found the alcohol to be very strong only after the finish.

Very malty with sone citrus and noticable alcohol. The flavor is distinctively Belgian. I did not detect much in the way of spice in the aroma or flavor, so it seemed less of a holiday style and more of a straight ale.