La Moneuse Speciale Noël

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

Deep Orange. Dense, rocky head. Aroma begins as I step into the perfumery. Fragrances of orange, browned red apples, honey, sticky herbs, loads of earth, peach, lemon, toasted grains and butter. Divine, characterful, rustic, bizarre, distinct and simply incredible. Coating texture. Delicate. Notes of brown sugar, burnt banana, pepper, peach and green apples. I love the distinct rustic farmhouse qualities of their beers and their rich, dry and grainy maltiness. The best saison I have ever had and possibly the best beer I have ever had.

Bright effervescent copper, slightly too hazy, with a quickly rizing and falling head. Inhalation detects the classic farm-house charm, with a bit of spiciness and a residual sweetness. Body is medium full with a finish that strangely both sticky and dry. It might be too full-bodied if it weren’t for the aggressive carbonation. Very nice malty depth with a nice pie crust-like sweetness intermingling with a creamy vanilla aspect. The sweetness dances beautifully with the slighlty tart, funky saison flavor. There’s a good bit of spice in the flavor, hard to nail it down. There are also lovely woody hops notes round out this expertly balanced brew. A saison plus a healthy malt character. Really an exceptional beer. I could live on this stuff.

22oz bottle shared at Coffee District. Pours a hazy brown. Nose is woody, earthy with a touch of funk and cheese and cherry. Taste is a touch sour and funky with a nice rich full palate, earthy spicey woody notes in the finish. The saison character comes through in the finish but you get some caramel and sourness up front that makes this a unique experience. This is a hell of a good funky belgian. Awesome beer.

Amber beer with lots of particles. Big, white head. The aroma is yeasty, musty and tart at the same time with some cheese notes. Sweet and sour, lots of fruitiness. A very original spiciness, moving towards a bitter finish. Fizzy, medium body. A complex and quite original brew, may need a couple of tastings before becoming one’s favourite, though.

Hazy amber with a healthy froth and abundant carbonation. A bit of cinnamon and lemony citric zing. Bone dry, with only the ghosts of spice. Some caramel malt flavors. Flinty iron-mineral character. Finish is months long. Fantastic! This just feels so good in the mouth. Hints of spice, but they never dominate. Needless to say I’ll be stocking up, that is unless I move to Dour!

Hazy orange liquid with a voluminous ecru head. Heavy aroma of cobwebs, and toasted rye bread spread with peaches, apples, Cinnamon, passion fruit and honey. Dry malts start the taste-buds on their journey. Complex malts and yeast flavors. Seems like a light Gueuze de Garde. So dry in the start with a yeast bit, but not the big sour finish a more refined finish of light fruit and spice.

This is a really good Saison. Spicy, earthy, and malty flavors. Finishes clean, crisp, and dry.

Hazy light amber, with a nice lasting 1/4 inch head and decent lacing. Very nice farmy aroma of flowers, yeast, soft malt with touches of honey, grapes, definitley some mild cask and a touch of mint or clove? Medium-full bodied, rich, pretty creamy, mild carbonation with flavors of subtle/clean malt, floral yeast that sticks through the end, light alcohol, grape, hay, spices and others. Very elegant and supremley balanced. Alcohol is barley tasted and the yeasty/spicy kick at the end is awesome. A charm of a brew. Seems more of a Biere de Garde then a Saison but what the hell do I know:)