Sur-les-Bois Biére de Noël (was: La Botteresse)

Brewed by Brasserie Artisanale La Botteresse de Sur-les-Bois
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Saint-Georges (Sur-les-Bois), Belgium

Bottle, Botteresse Noire. Aroma of anise, other spicy notes, candy malt, roasted malts and nuts, light chocolate. Flavor highlights the candy aspects of the malt, rock candy meets sweet pastry, and is balanced more than firmly by an array of spices, seemingly mostly from the spices themselves, not yeasty notes. On the one hand quite sweet, on the other hand, admirably balanced. A tasty and unique treat.

33cl Bottle at home, ABV 10.5%. Deep dark brown colour, beige head. Aroma of roasted malts, sweet-sour dark fruits, caramel, some chocolate cake, alcohol. Flavour is roasted malts, sweet, caramel, dark fruits, with a slight sour and bitter roasted finish. Warming alcohol in the finish too. A beer for the cold days. Nice one.

I got the bottom end of this bottle. So the appearance had more yeast poop, which actually came out more brown while the clearer pour was more of a black color. That comes with a khaki medium sized head. Aroma is a very airy Belgian yeast with some chocolate and as it warms up a roast character. But it is a light sour tinge to it that makes this special. In the flavor the sour tinge grows stronger as it warms and eventually overwhelms the highly carbonated and tingly feeling, dark Belgian yeasty (cocoa, earth) flavor. The flavor has a bit of a sour cherry finish there as well. Good stuff, very easy drinking for such a strength. Just ease up on the sour aspect a bit and lower the carbonation.
330mL stubby bottle, labeled La Botteresse Noire, BB 10/2010, Duvel tasting glass.

(Bottled@Kerstbierfestival 2007, Essen) Dark brown with a small, mostly fading head. Grainy, dark malt and licorice in the aroma. Roasted-malty, licoricey flavor with some anise, orange-peel and other spices. Medium-bodied, smooth and medium-carbonated palate. Much like Ecaussinnes Ultrabrune, but with added spices. Very nice actually.

33 cL bottle, Kerstbierfestival 2007 in Essen/Belgium as La Botteresse de Noël. Pours dark brown with a reddish hue and a light brown lacing head. Aroma is roasted malt and some yeasty spices. Flavour is dried fruit with some light yeast note and roasted malt. Finish is nice lingering roasted malt mixed with a nice belgian yeats spice. Lovely.

Bottle, bought @ Belgianshop.com
Pours deep brown, bordering on black. A fair, but rather fizzy offwhite head that settles as a millimeter thick foam. Heavy spicy aroma. Lots of cloves, coriander, sour-ish plums and cherries, chocolate. Some sweet caramel to back it all up. High carbonation, very prickly. Otherwise fine, and lightly dry mouthfeel. Nice flavours. Chocolate, light tart fruit, yeast, well-balanced spiciness with some coriander, cinnamon. Fine dryness with some cocoa-powder feel. Actually a very nice Christmas beer.

Bottle @ Kerstbierfestival 2007 in Essen, BE. Clear dark brown color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate malty, roasted, caramel, chocolate, mild coffee, light vanilla, alcohol. Flavor is moderate sweet and light to moderate bitter with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. (151207)

33cl bottle, marked as La Botteresse Noire, with a rather comely-looking lass on the label - pours a very dark ruby, with a lot of chunky floaties - a lot of sweet raisin in the nose, treacle, nutmeg, brown sugar, overripe dark fruits - the flavor is sweet dark fruits (loads of fig, raisin), tempered by bitter herbs and warming spices - some british barleywine-ish character comes in the form of treacly sweetness, light oxidation, earthy, prune-like flavors - finish of chocolate pudding, warming alcohol and lingering herbal bitterness - fairly well-balanced and tasty - someone ought to add an alias for the La Botteresse Noire, though.