De La Senne Zinnebir X-mas Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

330 ml bottle, as X-mas Zinnebir, from Ølbutikken, Copenhagen. No vintage mentioned on the bottle, so I assume it is 2010, and that this is the same recipe as 2009. ABV is 6.5%. Mahogany colour, huge beige head. Spicy aroma, also notes of dark dried fruits, caramel and brown bread. Soft and rich moutheel. Malty and spicy flavour, some caramel and brown kandij sugar without being too sweet, some roasty notes, well balanced mild Christmas spices, peppery and hoppy finish. Very enjoyable.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Nice, simple Belgian-style ale. The beer pours a dusky copper with a big, frothy head. There’s a lot of fruit, caramel, raisins, dough and floral hops in the aroma. The flavor is lightly sweet with a bit of hop bite in the finish, but it’s mostly an exercise in Belgian yeast and malt. It’s a good but somewhat simple Belgian. The mouthfeel could be fuller. That said, it’s not bad for the abv. The beer generally packs more than most of comparable size, and that’s always a good thing.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Pours a somewhat hazy cola brown with a VERY thick, it not overly persistent, light tan head. Aroma is sharp, malty, yeasty and just a little fruity. Flavor is quite strong, being yeasty and malty with an undertone of spice and more than a hint of fruit, mostly apple and pear. Texture is fizzy, tingly and rough, leaving a fruity and slightly bitter aftertaste.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

another brew from the Christmas Beers of Belgium imported by Shelton Brothers (MA). I was hoping to find a diamond in the rough in here, but so far i've had two decent beers and this one...easily the weakest of the three. Not TOO bad, but totally unispiring. Maybe my patience is thin, but I probably won't even bother finishing this one. Just don't care for it. It started well...it was the first from the pack to not have heavy sediment around the inner ring. plenty on the bottom, though. Not a little light yeast, mind you, but a thick brown sludge. Poured nice enough though. Big effervescent head, though it disappeared quickly. Smells of light fruit and some spice (fairly typical), but a little astringent. Taste was more of the same, but a touch less pleasing. Either this just isn't a great brew (although the average before i rated was a hearty 3.7), or Shelton Bros need to cut down the transit/shelf time. Tasted a little stale. Won't be back. Can't imagine rating this a 4+...

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 5

2007 version. This Belgian Ale pours a murky dark brown color from a 33cl bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is roasted malts, fruit, yeasts and sweet. A medium bodied Ale. The malts are fruity and sweet with a touch of brown sugar and toffee. There is a roastiness that is prevalent and a touch odd. The hops are earthy. Perhaps a touch overly spiced. There is some astringency going on here that is hard to ignore. Nice carbonation. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter and astringent.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

bottled@Kerstbierfestival, Essen (2007 vintage). Amber colour, small beige head. Aroma is fruity, slightly hoppy and also spicy. Flavour is malty, caramelly slightly hoppy and yeasty. Wellbalanced. 6 6 6 7 6

Bottled@The 2nd ES/CS Beer Tasting. 2008 vintage. (thanks XA!). Hazy orange colour, small off-white creamy head. Aroma is sweet malts, some spices, raisins and yeast along with some slight caramel malty notes Flavour is being quite similar in a very nice balance. Raisins, spices and sweet malts in the aftertaste. 7 6 6 8 8

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

Fairly well carbonated, with only a touch of work I easily get a four-finger thick, amber to dark tan colored pillow of froth sitting atop a deeply burnt, amber colored brew (not quite black, but close enough). Surprisingly when I hold the beer up to the light I can see right through it; The light shows a brilliantly clear, and I mean brilliantly clear, deep ruby hue that is absolutely gorgeous. the head leaves lots of lacing as it slowly subsides and even forms a varied, interesting surface with lots of elevation change. The aroma has a nice burnt note to it, but the fruitiness is the first thing that I notice; notes of concentrated plums, raisins and even a touch of tart apple notes are the most noticeable fruit aromatics. The roast character brings a sharpness to the aroma as well as carrying a rich malt character. Aromatics reminiscent of well toasted whole grain bread, touches of dark chocolate, dusty burnt grain husks and something like toasted, crushed soda cracker dust. Touches of liquorice, aromas of cloves, hints of toasted allspice add a spicy component to the nose. The aroma is quite nice and I really like how no one component is dominant; each of my three groupings (fruit, malt & spice) add a noticeable, but well integrated component to the aroma.

Served cool (about 58°F / 14°C), the beer has a soft creaminess to it that is contributed by the residual malt sugars. The sweet malt notes add a touch of body to what is most definitely an easy drinking brew. The sweetness accentuates some notes of raisins and concentrated plum, but compared to the aroma these have lost their intensity and focus. Instead the apple notes (both sweet & tart varieties) as well as fresh, ripe, slightly tart plum notes and even a hint of some concord grape flavors. The fruitiness definitely has a roasted, slightly burnt edge to it and the finish even has slight drying effect with the soft, modestly astringent burnt malt character. This has a really nice malty middle to it; flavors of toasted grain, deeply caramelized / slightly burnt malt sugars, The burnt fruit notes, the toasty malt and the smooth roast character make me think they used some Special B malt here. Spicy notes of clove, cardamom, and cola form a subtle backdrop to the more dominant characteristics already mentioned.

A very tasty beer; this is full flavored, yet not overwhelming. Once again I have been quite impressed by the, now, three beers that I have had from this brewer. I'll definitely make sure I pick up the other brews from these guys as I can. I really dig how light and easy drinking this beer is; this makes it quite a bit easier to finish a whole 750ml bottle on my own. Of course it doesn't hurt that I am really enjoying this beer too, but at least I won't be completely useless after finishing this brew. Looking at some other reviews of this beer I get the feeling that a bit of age has done a lot for this beer.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours a very dark, red tinged brown with a creamy one finger head that settles slowly to a very thick cap. The lacing a very dense, and completely covers the inside o the glass. Smell; starts out mildly fruity, with some plums, and then becomes mildly coffee-like. Toffee and caramel a present, with a very solid bready aroma floating around in the background. Taste; dark roasted malts with a little bit of coffee and some touches of chocolate, toffee and caramel. Plums, dates and apples all add a mild fruitiness, and the bready notes come out in the finish. This almost reminds me of a Porter in the flavor, and is not quite what I was expecting from a Belgian dark ale. In any case it's still a really good beer. Mouthfeel is a bit on the thinner side, but still nice, and the drinkability is really good.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Poured a brownish color with nice head and weak lacing. Aroma was of roses. Flavor was very floral with some fruit in there as well something i don't know how to describe. Nice finish to it.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Poured dark brownish red color with nice head. Floral and fruity aroma, which was surprising for such a a dark brew. Flavor had light fruits, dark fruits, some chocolate and floral hints. Smooth mouthfeel. Solid!