St. Sylvestre Bière de Noël

2006 bottling; Sampled July 2009
A careful pour into my 25cl tulip glass leaves me with three fingers of light tan colored froth. The beer is a dark plum color that shows a brilliantly clear, amber-red hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of caramel, toffee and Christmas spices (faint cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cherry seeds, and perhaps a touch of fenugreek). The aroma definitely has a fruitiness to it as well; it reminds me of a mix of berries, some rich, though light cherry notes and a touch of rum soaked raisin notes. The finish has a nice toasted grain note as well as a browned biscuit like aroma. The aroma on this is quite nice, and definitely in line with how a Christmas / Winter beer offering should smell like.

The beer is dry up front, but picks up a distinct cherry note in the middle that adds to a perceived sweetness. This is also fairly light bodied and easy drinking. Other fruit flavors of blackberries and sweet currants are also noticeable, though the cherry note seems to edge them out just a bit; all in all though the fruit character is definitely the most noticeable part of this beer. There is a light tartness to this beer that also helps to accentuate the fruit notes. This is not all fruit though, as there is a nice malt edge to this beer that contributes notes of caramelized grain, just a touch of dark toast, ample brown bread crust notes and an interesting whole-grain cracker like character. I am surprised how little oxidation has showed up yet, there is likely some here, but it mostly seems to have accentuated the fruit character at this point in time.

This is a nice beer, it has held up well over the years as well and I find myself enjoying this much more than I had initially expected to. It is perhaps not the richest, most complex beer, but it is certainly nice.

Bottle. Clear red amber with huge frothy off-white head. Great retention and average lacing. Aroma is spicy with toasted malt, caramel and dark fruits. Taste is malty and fruity with caramel, spices, metal and alcohol. Medium body, fizzy carbonation.

75cl bottle. Dark reddish copper, light foamy beige head. Buttery nose, metal, faint sourish notes, little rotten dark fruitiness, still pretty mellow. Flavor is syrup, balanced herbs, no hint of the butter, sourish notes and wood, faint liquorice. Long herbal finish, with hint of alcohol. Too strongly carbonated foaming palate. Alright dark belgian style ale, sourness fits in nicely.

Bottle 75cl. @ [ Fastelavns Tasting Ulfborg ].
Clear medium amber color with a large, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to beige head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, spicy, light hoppy, light yeasty, berry notes, raisin, prune. Flavor is moderate sweet and bitter with a average duration. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20090221]

Brown color with a hint of orange when held to the light. Smaller beige head. Dark fruits and hints of spice. Dark berries, including blackberries and blueberries along with dark plums and apples waft about with coriander, cloves and hints of wintergreen. Lightly tart. Soft and wispy palate. Flavors of tart apples, light candi, and hints of toasted malt. Very dry in the finish and linger. Just a bit of malt and oak. Interesting but neither earth shaking, nor attention grabbing.

Dark amber with a big, off-white head. Weak aroma of dried fruits and spices like cardemum. Dry-ish caramel and spice flavour.

750ml. bottle labeled " St. Sylvesters Flanders Winter Ale" Pour is deep ruby/brown with a frothy 2 finger tan head. Aromas of apples, musty cardboard, sweet malts, and a hint of spice. Flavor is cherry, sweet malts, and more fruit. This one is somewhat bland in a sense but it is enjoyable.

Bottled (thanks omhper!). Amber colour, small white head. Aroma is rotten plum, some spices and fruits. Flavour is hops, spices, some wood and mild earthyness. Quite drinkable.