Slaapmutske Christmas (Kerstmutske Christmas Nightcap)

Brouwerij Slaapmutske
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Melle, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Appearance: muddy red brown with one finger of creamy tan head. Aroma: muddled notes of warm brown bread, honey, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon, with some hints of cherry and pear. Taste: raisin, caramel, toffee, plum, cherry, figs, and wet cardboard. Finish: medium long, with lingering sweet malts and spices. Notes: Average at best. Flavors seemed a tad muddled, and there are a ton of Belgian holiday specials better than this. Not a bad beer per se, but one can find better.

Bottle at Gainsbar. Dark red with golden head. Aroma fruity, strawberry bit of marzipan, bit sweet. Taste similar, lots of fruit, light spicing. Bit of cherry too. Good starter.

Pours a dark amber with a small head. The aroma is all sweet malt, caramel, bread, sugar. The flavor is the same, a bit too sweet for me.

On draft at Monk’s Cafe. Poured deep brown with virtually no head. Flavor is biscuity with toffee present along with numerous dark fruits, most noteable are plums, raisins, and figs. Medium bodied. Rather smooth. Have had a Slaapmutske glass for years so glad to finally have sampled one.

33cl bottle. Dark brown colour with a medium lasting and beige head. Aroma is toasty with hints of red fruits. Flavor is candy sugar, toasty, moderate sweet, dark fruits and toffee. The final is dry with a moderate sweetness.

Dark ruby-brown with a tall, fluffy beige head. Aroma is spicy and yeasty with dark fruit, caramel, and herbal notes. Taste is sweet malt, dark fruit, caramel, spices, powdery yeast, and grassy hops. Body is medium with a strong bubbly carbonation. More spice and yeast notes during the finish with dried dark fruit, caramel, light toffee, grassy hops, and grape skins.

Cerveza color caoba. Con espuma cremosa y pegajosa. Muy bonita en copa. Olores a maderas jóvenes y frutas. Cuerpo muy equilibrado y con la perfecta combinación de gas. Muy fácil de beber. Sabores a especias, pimienta, plátano, melocotón. La mejor cerveza de navidad de las que he probado.

UPDATED: DEC 6, 2012 330 ml bottle. Pours a dark brown with medium head. Aromas of roasted malt, caramel, and dark cherries. Flavours of malts, burnt sugar, and light spices. Nice.

Whole Foods, Bowery 33cl ($5): Pours a brown color with a creme color head. Aroma is dried fruits, molasses, and malt. Taste is sweet, but not too much. Some stickiness in aftertaste. Mouth feel is lighter than would have been expected. Fruity flavors throughout. I think that there might not have been enough malt. This is not very subtle or complex, but it is drinkable enough.

330 ml bottle into tulip glass, 5171009 code on cap. Pours very hazy dark red color with a nice 3 finger fluffy khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Spotty foamy lacing clings to the glass, with plenty of streaming carbonation. Aromas of cherry, raisin, prune, caramel, molasses, toffee, nutmeg, clove, pepper, chocolate, biscuit, toast, and yeast spices. Fantastic aromas with great balance and complexity. Taste of raisin, caramel, toffee, molasses, toast, biscuit, chocolate, nutmeg, pepper, earth, and yeast spiciness. Lingering notes of dark fruit, molasses, toffee, caramel, toast, biscuit, chocolate, nutmeg, and yeast spices on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity and robustness of flavors; with no cloying on the finish at all. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a creamy, lightly slick, and slightly prickly mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an excellent Belgian Christmas ale. Nicely complex, robust, and balanced; very smooth to drink. Really enjoyable offering.