St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Watou, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Bottle poured into tulip. Appealing dark amber color with ruby red highlights when held to light. Thick, frothy head that lingers long. Beautiful, complex aroma of all those characteristics of a great Belgian dark: spice, yeast, raisin, fig, black cherry, sweet malt, sherry, fruitcake, caramel drizzled sugar cookie. Remarkable. Lively on the palate, ample yet soft carbonation. Taste is on-point as well. More Belgian spice is present upfront before a boozey middle gives way to a fruity, sweet slightly astringent finish. A dry, warming alcohol feeling sticks around for a while. Just a touch too sweet taste-wise, but just a fantastic beer overall.

Dark brown with amber and creamy tan colored head. Malty aroma with dried fruits, spice and alcohol. Malty flavor with fruity spicy flavors. Creamy feel in mouth. Get some warming from the alcohol but it is masked very nicely.

UPDATED: JAN 21, 2012 750 ml bottle into signature chalice glass, no bottle dating. Pours crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a nice 2 finger fairly dense khaki head with great retention that reduces to a thick cap that lasts. Some spotty lacing clinging on the glass as well. Aromas of huge cherry, raisin, molasses, candi sugar, caramel, plum, bread, pepper, allspice, and yeast spices. Nice and well balanced aromas with good strength. Taste of big cherry, molasses, raisin, pepper, plum, caramel, cinnamon, biscuit, and tangy yeast spiciness. Lingering notes of big pepper, allspice, dark fruit, molasses, and tangy yeast on the finish for a while. Nice balance of flavors with spiciness not being overpowering at all. Lively carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel. Pretty smooth drinking, but it is still a sipper at 10%. Alcohol is well hidden with only a warming after the finish present. Overall this is an excellent Belgian style Christmas ale. Plenty of nice flavor balance and good drinking for the gravity. After letting the carbonation die down in the glass, this beer really shines.

750 ml bottle a dark brown colored beer with a white head aroma malts caramel dark fruits liqueur alcohol and spicy flavor malts spicy dark fruits liqueur alcohol and some hops

Draft @ Dutch’s. Pours a dark copper color with a large, foamy beige head. The aroma has a nice mix of pitted fruits, cocoa, holiday spices, caramel, and yeast. The flavor has juicy dark fruits, cocoa, sweet caramel and holiday spices. There is a mild amount of earthy bitterness and bready yeastiness. Medium bodied with a lightly dry finish. The 10% is warming as it goes down.

from Au Grain d’Orge, Neuchâtel - hazy dark ruby-brown beer under a creamy and long lasting beige foam, nice lacework; aroma of yeast, banana and spices; figs maybe; velvety palate, pretty sweet with some late dry bitterness; long spicy, malty finish with lingering notes of matured bananas - too sweet to be really great

[ ASPETTO ] color marrone scuro, con riflessi porpora controluce, opaca ma senza evidenti sedimenti [SCHIUMA] color nocciola, media presenza , piuttosto grossolana e persistenza medio-bassa [ OLFATTO ] buona intensità : lieviti evidenti, note biscottate su un dominante fruttale che, combinandosi con note alcoliche, ricorda frutta sotto spirito. [ GUSTO ] intenso, con un inizio dolce ( biscotto , caramello); si ripopongono evidenti i lieviti e frutta matura (quasi fermentata) ; una leggera astringenza fa da sottofondo per un finale speziato e alcolico che si converte in un retrogusto che rivela a sorpresa una gradita amarezza. [ TEXTURE ] corpo medio, morbida in bocca; carbonazione media, percezione alcolica evidente COMMENTO FINALE la lunga attesa, aspettando cioè l’occasione giusta per aprire questa bottiglia da 75 cl (alcolicamente) importante, forse ha giocato a sfavore, lasciandomi nel complesso un poco deluso. Per capirci: prodotto molto buono, non c’e’ che dire: un complesso fruttato - speziato al naso come in bocca, alcol evidente che scalda e contribusce alla complessità della speziatuta finale, lieviti molto piacevoli. Di fatto, nonostante i 10 %, una christmas ale equilibrata, facilmente bevibile e con un tocco finale amaro che smussa l’impatto di ogni sorso, preparando il palato per il successivo. Nonostante tutto, come dicevo, mi aspettavo qualcosa di più, forse una maggior finezza complessiva o quel tocco speciale che si ricerca in ogni birra di alto livello; come in questo caso del resto. Quindi: buona, ma non eccellente.

750ml from IPB.
Appearance : Deep amber with medium foamy head. Lots of lacing.
Aroma : Big yeast with some spices. Light fruits, light caramel.
Taste : Yeast with overcooked caramel. Some spices as well. Mineral finish with lots of yeast and spices. Light astringency on finish. Some bitterness as well.. a bit more than usual for the style.
Overall : Not bad but nothing very special. Interesting yeast and spices. Interesting caramel notes. Nothing special...