St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

Well two days till Christmas so time to pop the cork on this one. The bottle poured ruby red with a large billowy light coco brown head. Aromas of Belgium yeast, fruit and spices (cinnamon, ginger and clove) filled my nose. This ale has a full creamy mouth feel with carbonation that tickles the tongue. The first thing I noticed about the Flavors was sweet fruit figs and raisins with a nice balance of Christmas spices. A nice bitter finish that is not to over whelming, almost the typical peppery bite. The alcohol is extremely well hidden and this beer will sneak up on you. Great holiday offering from St. Bernardus hope to find another one for next year.

Pours a nice shade of mahogany with fizzy & thick tan head. Candy sugar and fresh baked bread on the nose. Malty backbone with loads a caramel. lovely warming qualities, and slightly acidic!

Corked bottle at Plan B
Mahogany color, creamy head. Belgian aroma, some malt yeast and vegetables, candi sugar. Medium body, a lot of caramel, some sweetness, but not much complexity. The alcohol warms a bit.

75 cl. bottle. Dark amber with a fabolous red hew & creamy stable & lasting head. Sweet, vinous/port, matured, deep malty, warm & complex aroma. Dark fruits & yeast. Perfectly balanced. Smooth & filling palate. Wauw - up in the same class as ABT 12.

750ml $10.99 Binny’s Orland St. Bernardus Christmas Ale pours the darkest red imaginable. If this beer is not directly backlit it borders on black. When backlit there’s a mahogany hue with tiny carbonation bubbles rushing to the surface. A one finger beige head formed on the pour that had strong staying power from the massive amount of carbonation. Leaves drink lines after each sip. An excellent looking beer. Smell is full of candy and spice. Brown sugar, gingerbread cookies, some spicy yeast, cinnamon, and dark bread. This beer really does bring out the smells of Winter and Christmas. The massive carbonation seems to get in the way of the flavors slightly. It’s good without a doubt but the carbonation has things moving far too quickly. All the aromas mentioned above are present in the flavor as well and meld nicely. Flavor is slightly more spicy with hints of pepper. The carbonation is a little too much. Does give a nice frothy mouthfeel but pushes the flavors through too quickly. Leaves a nice tingle on the back of the tongue. This beer goes down easily and is definately enjoyable. That said, two goblets in a sitting is enough for me. Another beer of the highest quality from St. Bernardus. Of course that’s to be expected. This beer has some really nice Christmas spicing. 12/17/07

750 ml bottle purchased at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. Poured a cloudy brown color. Head was tall and cocoa colored with decent retention and lacing. Attractive aroma of distinct yeasty bread dough. Smelled a bit like a bakery. Clove and a whiff of banana came out by the by and were accompanied by dark fruits and alcohol. Warm alcohol and lots of bubbles greeted the tongue. Not sweet, but not bone dry, either. Spices and bready malts dominated the flavor as predicted by the aroma. There was plenty of clove and alcohol flavor with a hint of roasty malt and spiced banana bread. Great beer.

My Bottom Line:
Festive black pepper seamlessly follows the intelligent dried cocoa, as dates and cherries are amassed to offset the twitching alcohol warming in this, yet another highly successful Belgian Strong Ale from one of the world’s best breweries.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A heavenly tower of unyielding foam thrones and laces within the chalice atop the mahogany-laced darkest of browns.
-Carbonation is frothy and bubbles initially expansive; a little breathing does wonders for the mouthfeel.
-Its fragrance is at first delicate, but bready yeast develops soon enough to embolden the calculated desserty spices.
-Some roasted malt flakes whirl about serenely.
-The entire flavor profile is entirely balanced and the dessert spicing so wisely integrated.
-Cloves are also perceived in the spiciness, but no real spice stands out.
-The fruitiness seems to be slowly candied throughout the tasting.
-This is complex and highly drinkable for its gravity; what else would you expect from St.Bernardus!

Bottle.

Pours like a rusty version of the Abt 12 with course bubbles and a lively head. Aroma is lighter and more unripe than a quad. Actually this is a super dubbel in many ways., with more cherry and fig than roasted chocolate. The palate sizzles with a popping creamy coating and just a touch of nutmeg.