Noël des Géants

Brewed by Brasserie des Géants
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Irchonwelz, Belgium

Looks like I’m going against the grain on this one since I thought it was great. This was like a nice BSA without the candi sugar ~ kind of like a berliner weiss without the syrup or something. Pours nice deep bronze with a pillowy beige head. The aroma has dry caramel, lots of biscuit malt, cinnamon, basement musky funk, minor anise and light Belgium yeastiness. Medium / full body that’s quite rounded with lively carbonation. The flavor starts with cinnamon, nutmeg, dry caramel, crackers, nice earthy yeastiness and overall dryness. The finish continues to be very dry and has some graham cracker characteristics. This is very nice. It reminds me of Brasserie des Rocs without the sweetness ~ both excellent, but the sweetness makes them distinctly different.

330ml bottle from 2007 served in a Duvel tulip. Dark garnet pour topped by a fluffy inch of off-white head. Smells of dark fruits, brown sugar, red wine. Tastes of molasses, dark fruit, pepper. Nice carbonation, it left a slight sting on the tip of my tongue and combined with the alcohol to warm the throat. In my opinion it is much better than the ratings show.

11 and 1/5 ounce bottle. Pours a deep ruby with a large tan head which quickly collapses into itself. Aroma is mostly of dark malt, brown sugar, maple syrup. Weaker aroma, but what is there is nice. Complex flavor; thick dark malt, maple syrup again, medium hop presence, molasses. More complex than expected. Elegant, gooey mouthfeel, medium carbonation. I’d never heard of this one until I spotted it on the shelf at Total Wine & More, Roseville, but I’m very glad I picked it up! Choice Noel! Overall, excellent, and underrated in my opinion.

smells of xmas spices, particularly nutmeg. has a nice and thick white head with nice lacing. flavors of nutmeg and allspice mellow nicely with mild hoppiness into a dry finish. very nice xmas beer with a great creamy mouthfeel.

Bottle, 33 cl. (first @ Kerstbierfestival, yesterday again @ De Heerlijkheid) Copper - orange color with a off-white head. Aroma yeast, fruits spice. Medium tot full body. Taste = fruits, spice, yeast and hops. Not bad.

Poured from the bottle into a trappist glass to drink. The beer had a cloudy deep brown-amber color with a big, creamy, tan head that had great retention and cling. It had a pleasant aroma with of dense fruits, including raisins and prunes. There was also a malty component, some spices, and brown sugar. Its flavor was sweet and fruity with a malty, raisin taste and was quite pleasant, with a very mild touch of bitterness. The beer had a lighter, thinner body, was just a touch watery, and had ample carbonation and life. Overall I really enjoyed this beer and would be happy to have it again.

Wow, only the second U.S. rating, beaten out by sheatripper, a fellow NYer. Different label, applied by Shelton Bros. and it states the beer is brewed in a castle, cool. The beer pours a dark murky brown color with amber highlights, absolutely no clarity. The medium head is at first very bubbly but fades rather quickly and leaves nothing behind. Aroma is a mix of light topical fruit and dark plum/raisin fruits. There is an light airy brown sugar/black bread. Taste is similar to the aroma, not very sweet because the plum/raisin dark fruits comes in at the end of the flavor. A lightly thick body offset by a strong carbonation (actually tickles my tongue because I just ate a lot of garlic). Makes the beer very easy drinking.
11.2 oz bottle (cap stamped L1010909, maybe best by 01/09), Corsendonk tulip glass.

Pours a five finger, pale tan head that fades very slowly to a thin layer leaving a some lace. Cloudy brown/amber color. Light carbonation and medium bodied. Woody/raisiny nose. Flavor is almost sweet, woody, spicy and herbal. $3.95 for a 330ml bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, Ma.