Géants Noël des Géants

Brewed by Brasserie des Géants (Brasserie des Légendes)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Irchonwelz, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Pours a very cloudy red brown with some floaties and a offwhite very thin bubbly head - not very appetizing looking. Flavor is very watery and thin, a bit earthy, with nutmeg and cloves. Aroma is sweet with some floral notes. Overall, a very underwhelming belgian. Pass.

Bottle. Hazy amber with small head. Aroma is tainted slightly by pedio. Spices are here, too. Cinnamon, nutmeg. They complement the cookie malts. Alcohol apparent at the end of the aromas, which also impart a biere de garde character as well. Sweeter flavors come out in the flavors. Becomes a bit sugary but the cinnamon lingers and dries the palate, which is nice. Sounds interesting but I did not care much for it.

Pours a thick, muddy amber into the glass, with a tiny retentive suds cap that leaves sparse lace. The nose is of medicinally sweet caramel, raisins, hazelnuts, molasses and vanilla. Semi-sweet flavors going on here, with lots of rich dark fruits built on a hazelnut malt base. A yeasty mid-palate brings forth a "berry" take on molasses and vanilla. The finish is fruity, with hints of dry spices to close the finish. The mouthfeel is smooth, the texture is slick... all the while, a slight carbonation level provides just enough activity to the palate to keep things interesting. A decent brew, fair enough. After awhile, it gets a bit medicinal for my tastes. An ok offering.

Bottle, from trade with Papsoe. A clear, sparkling beer, amber to copper in color, and topped by a dense off-white head. Slightly berry-sourish on the nose, with a healthy dose of malts and caramel. Gives a quite sweet impression. A spiced note is also present, and there’s some hop scents. The mouthfeel is quite dry, even though it’s no problem tasting the residual sugars. Some spicy notes and caramel chime in, and towards the end there’s a pleasant bitterness. There’s alcohol warmth too, all the way, and I find it too evident, but not over the top. Overall, a decent beer, well suited for a quiet night by the fire, it’s not the beer you enjoy with the Christmas food. 100227

Drank from the tap at the Blind Tiger Ale House in NYC. Tons of stuff going on in this beer. Sugar, spices, a little bit of fruit, and some breadiness all mix together to make an interesting beer.

THOUGHTS: My first beer of 2010 — and it was a good one. Obviously very Belgian. Sort of between a dubbel and a trippel. Hid alcohol very well. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a clear, dark, brownish, amber with a small to average, off-white head that kept a thin sheet and left excellent lacing. The aroma was bread, cookie, toast, caramel, crackers, biscuit and hints of chocolate; doughy, spicy and musty yeast; honey and brown sugar. The initial flavor was sweet and slightly acidic; while the finish was lightly sweet and slightly bitter. There was caramel, toast, nuts, yeast, cherry, apple, dough and spices. The light to medium body (leaning to medium) was a little syrupy and then dry with fizzy carbonation and a very lightly astringent finish.

Appearance: Pours a lightly hazed, amberesque body with a airy, meringue-like, whitish head. Smell: The modest aroma has an overall earthy quality to it, sporting notes of caramel and stale dark bread, with undercurrents of herbs, spice, and, at least for me, a notable grape fruitiness. Taste: Dry, dark maltiness pass along some tastes of dark bread and dark caramel. The flavor is accented by a seemingly dried herbal flavor. Touch of spiciness reminiscent of cinnamon, though it seems no actual spices were harmed in the brewing of this beer. Belgian yeastiness. More of that bold, fruity grape juice character carrying over from the nose, more easily gleaned on the amply carbonated, drying finish that provides a bit more spiciness and some alcohol warmth. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-high carbonation with a light, lively mouthfeel. Drinkability: It does display a curious complexity, but I simply didn’t care for the particular mix of flavors going on in this one -- like a first date where there was just no connection, no spark. However, it’s one I may potentially revisit in the Winter of this new year. Look! I’m putting in on my 365 Days of Puppies calendar this very moment (Dec. 5th, a Golden Retriever pup)!

I picked up a bottle of this at my local bottle shop and shared it with BeerBaron617. This is the third "holiday" Belgian beer I have had this season, and I think it’s my least favorite. It poured a nice chest-nutty brown with a small off white head. It had a subtle aroma that was a bit spicy and had some dark fruit notes as well. I enjoyed the peppery aftertaste it left. It had a light mouth feel, which seems to be a bit different from what these kinds of beers seem to have. Overall, it wasn’t mind blowing, I wouldn’t purchase it again... but it has it’s merits. It is well rounded, and I think it would go well with any winter meal.