La Moneuse Speciale Noël

Brewed by Brasserie de Blaugies
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Dour-Blaugies, Belgium

Cloudy, copper body. Yeasty, spicy aroma with some floral notes, tripelesque aroma. Sweet malt body with strong sugary flavors, some light lemon and citrus flavor is present as well. Spicy mouthfeel, notes of cinnamon, a nice complex malt body overall. Clean finish, still very sweet and sugary but nicely balanced. Lightly sour.

Fresh 2004 bottle. Brownish yellow in color with a nice tannish head. Sour tasting. Citrusy. Funky alcohol aroma. Hoppy. Styrian Golding Hop aroma is mixed in. Some tartness. Good beer.

"Fresh" 2004 bottle. Murky brownish yellow with a tannish head. Funky cheese and alcohol aroma with a slightly pungent Styrian Goldings hop aroma mixed in. Malty funky flavor with that Styrian Goldings note again. Slight tartness Not quite the malt character that I prefer (like in the Fantome brews) but interesting and satisfying.

Vintage 2003
I am reviewing the Winter 2003, actually, it’s the exact bottle in the picture there.. the one with the snowman. I bought this bottle last January, but this year my boss gave me a Magnum, 1.5L bottle for Christmas… the labeling has changed, It’s not quite as catchy…. actually it’s pretty bland, but hopefully this will not discourage.

2003 Pours a cloudy golden amber body and an enormous mound of light tan head. The aroma is lightly spicy.. maybe a hint of rosemary and clove. I mostly grasp the musty lingering barnyard notes of wet hay and grass, hint of lemon, and sautéed apples and pears. The flavor is actually rather light, somewhat doughy, and again… more apples and pears, very fine suggestions of mid summer fruits! It’s lightly spicy and peppery with a tart dry finish… more clove and pine. There is not much complexity to speak of, but almost certainly that in it self is what makes this a bier of complex principles.

The opened bottle oozed its contents for some time. Hazy orange with frothy champagne head. Fruity, spicy nose. Big carbonation and medium body. Taste was astringent, bitter, spicy. Not very good.

Bottle. Strange aroma and flavour. slightly sour flavour with OK bitterness.

I thought this was a slightly unusual Christmas beer until I came to post my notes an realised it’s down as a saison. Hazy orange colour with reddish tinges. Typical Belgian aroma with oily hops, candy sugar and a touch of yeast. Tangy flavour with tart apple character. Mildly farmyardy. Finish is dry and acidic, sharp even. Quite refreshing. Bottled at the Beer Circus, Croydon (Belgian Christmas Beer Festival).

750ml. bottle corked and caged. Large frothy white head with sparse lacing, no visible carbonation, and an orange hue. Aroma was skunky, funky and sweaty. Yuck! Flavor was some caramel and spicy. Not a good tasting Saison IMO. Smooth, sleek mouthfeel. Medium bodied.