Klein Duimpje Kerstbier

Appearance: Pours a clear, mahogany-hued body with a small, off-white head. Smell: Predominately fruity aroma smelling of black cherries and plums with a vague toasty maltiness and spice component in back. Taste: A strong, estery fruitiness covers up what’s left of a mild, dull malt character. Some mild bitterness, some earthy nutmeg spice. Sour yeastiness. Fruity, drying finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-high carbonation. Drinkability: This one’s pretty fruity, folks, I gotta tell ya. Overall decent enough for a try.

750ml Bottle: Sweet aroma. Smells of spices, bread, caramel, toasted malts, and a little yeast. Poured orange/brown in color with a small tan head that lasted throughout. Cloudy. Full of large, chunky particles. Very good lacing. Flavor is medium sweet. Tastes of toasted malts, dark fruits, a little alcohol. Medium body. Sticky then chalky texture. Average to lively carbonation. Dry, sweet, dark fruit finish.

An amber color with a white head. The aroma is caramel, raisins, spices, and alcohol. The flavor is rather spicy with a hint of mint as well as toffee and nutmeg. The aftertaste is sweet with some alcohol showing. Overall a pretty good Belgian.

Pours into my 25cl tulip glass with a frothy, amber tinged, initially fat-two-finger thick head. The beer is a deep amber color that shows a lightly hazy, orange-tinged, light amber color when held up to the light. The aroma has a nice fruitiness to it that is a mix of orange zest, berries, light cherry and a sweet plum note. There is a touch of spiciness here that reminds me of a mix of mace, clove and perhaps a touch of anise. There is a soft toasty grain note towards the finish that can be hard to find under the more dominant sweet aromatic notes. Overall the aroma is a mix of fruit and spices that definitely contribute a holiday mix of aromas.

Perhaps not as sweet as the aroma might have suggested, but there is enough sweetness, as well as a light tartness, to accentuate flavors of plums, currants, sweet cherries and red grapes. A spiciness comes in at the front of each sip (a mix of peppery carbonation, ginger and earthy spice notes) and it becomes a touch softer and more earthy towards the finish (coriander, earthy ginger and a slight spicy woodiness), but is noticeable throughout the flavor profile. A touch of warmth in the finish lets you know that this has some alcohol to it. The beer is fairly light, though not overly so for its strength; a medium heft provides a touch of palate coating softness, but is definitely not sticky.

This is quite fruity in both flavor and aroma, the fact that it is not overly sweet in the flavor helps to play up a soft, fruity acidity that keeps this a bit more interesting than it might be otherwise.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=698>Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

An clean orange pour with white head and lace. Aroma of hard brown sugar. Flat light furitiness and a bit of mustiness come through on the taste. Decent carbonation and mouth feel. A very average beer that seems to be lacking something.