St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Watou, Belgium

Bottle from Kevin. Body-dark cola with a lasting foamy head. Very nice looking. Nose-light banana bread, foamy, very Belgian. Taste-bready, raisin, light fig, sourdough starter like alcohol, light bubblegum, raw brown sugar, light dark fruit, lightly Earthy, medium to high CO2, bready malt dominates, apple, some pear. Good, but I much prefer the regular SB 12.

Dark brown with offwhite head (actually consumed on Christmas day). Fruity nose of plums, prunes, raisins, apples, vinegar, sherry, brown sugar, and yeast. Flavor is sweet and sour fruit over brown sugar and bready yeast, with quite a bite in the carbonation. Tasty, and not full of "Christmas spice," as I had feared it might be.

Dried and ripe fruit, some carbonation, lots of raisiny rich mouth coating flavor. Good ale for the winter months, good ale period!

Bottle. Cloudy brown body with big head. Aroma is light spices, bubblegum, dried fruit. Flavor is the same, very carbonated. This reminded me of a belgian version of OSA.

beautiful reddish appearance that is perfectly appropriate for the holiday season. large whitish head. nose is malty, smelling of sweet wort. flavor is very unique with a strong malt component that as a cherry component that almost tastes like a cherry flavored candy-cane. a very appropriate holiday brew, at other times of the year the cherry aftertaste might be a drawback, but not at Christmastime

Pours a dark brown and mahogany color with big, creamy tan head. Aroma of malts, dried fruits, some notes of chocolate and cocoa.Flavor was big on malts, lightly spiced, mildly sweet and a bit of a dry finish. Great blend of sweet malts and some hop bite in the background to make a really delicious Christmas brew. One of the best in its style.

750ml corked bottle served in a Blvd. Smokestack Chalice. Cellar temp. Poured a deep brown/ruby. Medium bubbled off white head. Lively carbonation. Spicy aroma with a little alcohol. Hint of a musty smell. Full bodied brew. Lots of sweet malt and raisins. Slight hop bite in the middle. Finishes with a little banana and clove. Drank this one after everyone left on Christmas Day. Good way to finish the holidays.

Drank after Christmas midnight mass, seemed like the most appropriate occasion. The bottle opened with a bang. The beer poured beautifully into a Trappist chalice with a huge tan head. The beer was a deep dark brown. The nose was slightly floral, with slight fruitiness, and yeast. This is, without surprise a fantastically malty beer. That is not to say however that it was overly sweet, which it was not. The beer has a very nice balance of sweet and dry flavors with a little hint of spice, perhaps from hops. There is a slight fruitiness here, but certainly nothing overwhelming. It is a very nice beer, fairly average for it’s style, but no less very well made.