3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle 33cl, a clear dark amber beer with good creamy head. Nose is on spices and caramel malt. Aroma is on creamy sweet caramel with licorice and cardamom notes, some anise hints too. Fruit notes are on apricot and dry grapes, good body, well done beer a bit too much anise in this one.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Aroma is dark fruit/plums with a hint of alcohol. The flavor is similar to the aroma along with a candy sweetness, almost like bubble gum. Its difficult to screw up a BSA, this didn’t, it was pretty good.
4.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
On cask at the 2012 NWAF, Manchester. Pours a dark ruby - brown colour with a thick, light tan head. Aroma of liquorice, caramel, alcohol, Christmas spices, plums and rum and raisin chocolate. Liquorice flavour upfront with alcohol quite prominent and plums, rum and raisin chocolate and caramel notes. Moderate carbonation with a great chewy mouth-feel and light CO2 prickle. Amazing!
3.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Poured dark purples with thick head for 10.5. Smelled fruity slight oak and licorice. Tasted licorice, plums, and oak with alcohol aftertaste
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: JAN 19, 2012 [ ASPETTO ]
color marrone scuro, con riflessi porpora, velata
[SCHIUMA]
color beige, buona presenza, compatta e media persistenza. residuo resistente
[ OLFATTO ]
buona intensità con note caramellate, zucchero, un consistente contributo dato dai lieviti ed un fruttato che si mescola con sentori alcolici
[ GUSTO ]
un dolce iniziale, con sfumature di malto, caramello e forse cioccolato, segue un fruttato complesso con note di frutta secca e con un acenno di atringenza che mi mescola con uno speziato finale a cui contribuisce in buona parte una alcolicità fino ad ora ben nascosta. Retrogusto persistente, con ancora qualche reminiscenza del dolce ed un piccantino sulla lingua, frutto degli abbondanti 10 gradi; accompagna un leggero amaro tendente all’erbaceo, che lascia una sensazione quasi legnosa.
[ TEXTURE ]
corpo medio, mantiene una certa morbidezza, media carbonazione, percezione alcolica (sorprendentemente) media, concentrata soprattutto nel finale
COMMENTO FINALE
natalizia intrigante, dinamica, non stopposa. Alcohol all’apparenza contenuto, che interviene quasi come comprimario e solo nel finale da la stoccata decisiva. un delizioso pourporri di note fruttate, lievito e una maltatura solida; nel complesso mi è apparsa più equilibrata e facile da bere di altre natalizie super blasonate.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle poured into tulip. Exquisite appearance, dark ruby red/brown in color with a substantial slightly beige, frothy head that lingers long. Light yet aromatic aroma of yeast, dark fruits, hint of oaky vanilla. Soft and slick on the palate. Spicy, fruity, and sweet upfront before a nice dry bitter finish laced with fig and plum. While not mindblowing, a very solid Belgian holiday seasonal.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
[330ml bottle, Appellation Wines, Edinburgh] Hazy golden amber pour, decent white head. Sweet liquorice aroma, star anise quite prevalent. Flavour of chocolate malt, before the aniseed comes out on the finish. Sweet but never cloying, a really good Christmas beer – the balance is superb, as is the hidden alcohol [15122011]
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
bottle. dark copper pour with nice head. brown sugar, spice, rasin, fruit cake. nice balance of sweetness, alcohol and carbonation. medium body thay makes this an enjoyment. great beer.
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