t Smisje Kerst

Brewed by Brouwerij De Regenboog
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Assebroek-Brugge, Belgium

Pours a golden/amber brown color with foamy beige head. Spicy citrus aroma with hints of cherries, sugar cane and alcohol. Fruity spiciness up front with hints of cherries, raisin, honey, sugar cane and plum. Peppery dry finish with a pleasant alcohol presence that isn’t overbearing.

Bottle @ Carlsens Kvarter, Odense. Pours a very nice redish brown with a very good, steady, dense, almost completely white head of medium size. Sweet aroma, very fruity - some apples, strawberries and raspberries. There is caramel and figs as well as a little yeast and alcohol. Very full, rather creamy mouthfeel. Flavour starts of vinious, with just a slight of alcohol. Lots of sweet dried fruit, but there is the same tone of berries behind as in the aroma. Quite a powerful roastiness at the end with a touch of spicyness and hoppiness. Great balance of flavours, but it should be 9 % or something. A little too powerful in alcohol is a drawback here.

Bottle perhaps about a year old, as I picked it up over the summer. Pours slightly hazy amber, with a thick, dense beige head of two fingers. Excellent lacework as the head fell to full surface coverage. Plenty of curtains and strings of fine foam. Aromatics are fruity, boozy, and spicy. Dark rum with caramel maltiness, orange marmalade, and clovey goodness. A fairly evident vanilla note steps forward as the beer breaths. Mouthfeel is medium, sticky, and somewhat creamy. The pallet is bursting with citrus notes, rummy quad-essence, and pepper dusted raisins. Shades of Grand Marnier and Amaretto, with a hint of cherry. Alcohol is very warming but not quite hot, and drinkability is terrific for an 11% beer. Finishes warming, juicy, and slightly nutty. The body is light enough, and spicing mellow enough to make this one dangerously drinkable brew. Also, there is no sign of any lactic tinge which I have found in other Regenboog’s

Bottle. Pours a cloudy light brown with a generous beige head. Aroma is an enticing mix of sugar and coriander. Taste is sugar and coriander up front with a sweet aftertaste and a noticeable alcohol burn. Not very complex, not very balanced, and the whole thing left me wanting more. A rare miss from these guys.

(on bottle) Light brown, beighe head. Cloying sugar aroma. Smooth mouthfeel, yet still a overpowwered canesugar-finish. The alcohol fights, warms, but´s looses in the end. Not really the complexness I hoped for.

11.2oz bottle from Bottleworks. Dark copper with nice off white head. Aroma of dark fruit and caramel. Taste is mellow fruit and spices with a definite alcohol burn towards to finish. Lots of dark sugars and fairly thick. Enjoyable.

Barleycorns beer rating. Northern Kentucky. What an exciting beer, perfect for the cold weather that’s been present. Pours very cloudy, mahogany to deep ruby, with a nice, frothy Belgian head. Aroma is full of nutmeg and allspice, with a strong alcohol presence. Flavor is dominated by saffron and spices, dark rum and molasses, and of course alcohol to the fore. Very long finish, full liqueurish sweetness. I’d recommend this for a nice beer to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve.

Bottle: Deep caramel, thick and hazy, a little muddy, moderate to large foamy sand colored head, nice lacing.   Alcohol and dark pitted fruit on the nose.   Minor breadiness, deep mustiness.   In your face soft dark pitted fruit flavor immediately fades, somewhat hollow.   A little musty and dank.   Warming on the backside.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate.   Finishes too quick.   Lingering alcohol, albeit not very heavy, with minor dark pitted fruit like breadiness.   Tiz okay, but expected a bit more.