St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

This beer is always around for sale during the season and I won’t compliant. Got a four pack this. I haven’t had a real Belgian in a while so it’s a real treat. Excellent foam with perfect lacing. Dark, reddish brown color. A strong beer that presents no difficulty in attempts to finish it. Alcohol is very warming and drying in the finish to contrast the sweet, dark fruit and bready start. Full body with a lightly fizzy carbonated texture. Try it if you haven’t!

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

750ml bottle. Pours a huge bubbly beige head and has a cloudy murky brownish appearance. Very thick, sticky lacing. Aromas of yeast, spices, toasty malts, dark fruits. Flavours of dried type fruits (raisins, plums) has hints of molasses, yeast, barley malts. Good balance of sweetness and bitterness. Smooth and slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is nicely hidden, cannot tell this is a 10% abv beer.

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

Pours clean deep amber colour with a hauge frothy light-beige head, good retention and foamy lacing. Belgian Ale yeast smell with spices, hops and some hints of dark fruits. The taste has some sourness from the cherries, mild spices and the Belgian Ale yeast. Some dark notes lingers. Goes down quite easy and all very well-balanced.

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

Good stuff as usual from St. Bernardus. Small persistent head over a dark mahogany body. Fruity, dark malt and spice aroma. A multitude of flavours all come together to make this an excellent Christmas brew. A tad sweet but after a few Guinness this will give me quite a buzz.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

750ml bottle
10.0% ABV
King/Spadina LCBO Outlet (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
November 20, 2014
The 2014 Birthday beer. The beer pours a murky reddish brown with a huge generous rocky light tan coloured head that lasts. The aroma yeast, dark fruits, fresh baked bread, roasted malt, and spices. The mouthfeel was full-bodied with above average carbonation. The flavour was dark malt, plums, nutmeg, yeast, and roasted malt. Another great beer from my favourite brewer!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 8

Bottle shared w/ Tim. Dark ruby brown off-white lacing foam. Sweet caramel aroma and taste, bit too sweet. But may be I should not drink a Christmas beer in August. (Efteling 201408)

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

WOW! This is a fantastic ale. I ordered one with my cigar and was blown away with the taste. I drank that one right down but went slower with the next one. I had time to read the label and feel the head buzz from the high abv. I took a six pack home with me for Christmas.

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

pours a dark brown color with hints of ruby and a nice light tan head with good lacing. The aroma is malt, cinnamon, cloves, raisins and plums, brown sugar. The taste is malt, dark fruit, brown sugar,cinnamon, cloves, hints of licorice. The mouthfeel is medium body with moderate carbonation, smooth, alcohol very well integrated.

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

Beer no. 2 of my 12 Beers of Christmas 2012. Light brown pour, tall frothy off-white head, heavy lacing throughout, light carbonation. Paired with my Christmas dinner. Rich aromas of caramel, ripe fruits, vanilla, some nuts, dark bread and malts, light cocoa, brown sugars, earthy hops. Rich and creamy mouthfeel. Taste is rich, ripe dark fruits, rich cocoa, slight nutiness and vanilla, very light molasses. Rich and very very satisfying. Now my favorite Christmas beer. Thank you lilmiss (Aimee) for trading me this wonderful Belgian standard.

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

This is a great abbey beer in its own right but I had it next to several other Belgian Christmas beers and it didn't quite stack up to the rest. A bit over fizzy and just not all that complex, still far better than any American abbey attempt.