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St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

Percentile
98
overall
Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Belgian Strong Ale

Watou, Belgium

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
4063.86/5.03.85/5.0Winter10%95.2Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler
Commercial Description:
St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is the youngest descendant in the illustrious family of delicious Abbey Ales by Brewery St. Bernardus. This specialty beer of 10% alc. vol. is characterized by its deep dark colour, with a creamy, thick head and a full, almost velvety taste with a fruity nose. It's a seasonal ale, brewed annually for the holiday season. The long winter nights are perfect moments to savour this ale with or without friends and to enjoy its unique, complex taste and after-taste.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 marchcow (664), Coralville, Iowa, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/517/20
Dec 24, 2007    Updated: Jan 5, 2009
Bright fruity aroma with some hints of banana. Enormous frothy head and deep dark reddish brown color. Flavor is oak, cherries, roasted malt. Flavor improves greatly upon warming and becomes more complex. Good strong carbonation and rich creamy palate. Have consumed many over the 2008 xmas season and this is one of the best Christmas beers. Outstanding.


 AllAboutStout (605), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Dec 24, 2007  
Pours brown in color with a huge off-white head. The head was at least 2 inches and took several minutes to fall to a froth. Smell is belgian yeast and some dark fruit, figs. I’m not really getting a lot of christmas spice or taste in this. The mouthfeel is full and creamy, very nice. A decent beer, but I couldn’t help but to get something metallic out of the taste.


 GG (1620), NorCal, California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Dec 24, 2007  
NorCal December ’07 - Probably my third favorite Christmas beers of the night, behind Scaldis and Gouden Carolus. Still, that’s pretty damn good company to be in. The aroma on this beer was dark fruit, really figgy, ginger, brown sugar, cloves and molasses. Appearance was mahogany in color with a nice Belgianesque head. Moutheel was smooth and velvety. Flavor was earthy, spicy, sweet malts, and just a touch of vanilla. Excellent beer.


 marcus (1853), Sacramento, California, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/104/516/20
Dec 23, 2007  
This dark brown ale poured with a fluffy tan head. It tastes very malty and candied, like Pater with spices. It’s very carbonated with a perceptible hoppiness.


 Pastor (509), Maine, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/105/515/20
Dec 23, 2007  
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.


 ucusty (1881), Wake Forest, North Carolina, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/103/515/20
Dec 23, 2007  
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!


 fiulijn (7150), Como; Lausanne (CH); Malmö (SWE), Italy
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/57/103/514/20
Dec 22, 2007  
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.


 Dedollewaitor (3650), Odense, Denmark
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Dec 22, 2007  
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.



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