t Smisje Kerst

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

Thanks to Santa for this one. Pours hazy copperym but less brown than the BBB63 or the Dubbel. Aroma is malty, x-mas spicy, with some estery fruity, floral, and yeasty notes. The taste is x-mas spicy, malty, sprucy, with a solid dose of citric floral spicy witbiery hints, although this has far more body heft and assertivelness than a witbier. Call it a 50% witbier on steroids mixed with a hefty Christmas ale and you’ll be close to a rough description. If Regenboog has a monaestery, I’ll gladly take whatever vow they need, as long as I have a ready supply of their beer.

opaque apricot pure body..minimal white head..aroma of orange peel, coriander, banana nut bread, yeast, cinnamon, and clove..flavor is high in citrus notes with an emphasis on lemon...orange peel and clove as well..very tea-like..hints of bread in the finish...very hearty and extremely enjoyable

Bottiglia da 33cl al Mulino a Villaromagnano; si versa nel bicchiere con buona schiuma candida ma il colore è piuttosto scuro, maron. Come il tinello di quella canzone di Paolo Conte ("abbiamo comprato un tinello maron"). L’aroma è sottile ma conquista con stramberie floreali e un particolare sentore di frutta fresca (nespole? nespole!! ma anche pesche e albicocca); il sapore all’inizio si deve decifrare un poco, soprattutto se è troppo fredda; ma col passare del tempo l’alcool lascia il passo ad una complessità quasi inaudita, non aggressiva ma carezzevole in mille modi diversi. La frutta prende il sopravvento ma veramente ci si possono sentire molte cose: minchia, ho bevuto ora un goccio di lievito che era rimasto e mi sembrava una cassata siciliana andata a male. Straordinaria. Rivotata dopo averla assaggiata di nuovo al Mulino, impressione ancora migliore della precedente.

Off white foamy full lasting head. Dark copper-ruby colour. Aroma is moderately malty, fruity (apricots,bananas), floral (roses), spicy (pepper) and a hint of caramel and alcohol. Flavor is moderately malty with fruity tones, ending in a slightly spicy and fruity finish. Medium to full bodied.

toasty brown color, like cinnamon toast or ginger bread, with a creamy, lush soft tan head. Aroma is lovely! vanilla, cream, & spice...eggnog?...swear to god, someone just asked me about eggnog beer the other day...this is as close as I’ve come, at least in aroma. bready malt, spice, ....yum. Scrumptious in the mouth....mmm! Reminds me of Anchor’s OSA, but smoother, perhaps, though it shouldn’t be, it’s 11% abv...whoop, there it is! Alcohol heat does creep into the taste, but the delicious malt and yeast really retain control, so it’s no burner. Gets more complex, hops shine higher, but this specia spicy, creamy yeasty thing just spreads the flavor over and over. I’m liking it. Yay, Regenboog!

Bottle. Reddish brown pour with thick off-white head. Aroma of plums, sweet malt, candy sugar, and some spices. Sweet malt flavor with yeast, spice and alcohol warming.

Hazy amber with tiny head. Aroma is sweet with ripe fruits and malt. Sweet alcoholic flavor with prunes and yeast. A bit unbalanced with alcohol too present.

11.2 oz bottle purchased at John’s Grocery in Iowa City, IA. Poured a slightly hazy orange-amber color. Head was thick and light tan with good retention and lacing. Smelled of malty caramel, vanilla cake batter, and coriander. There was only a whiff of alcohol. Delicately sweet and mildly tart all at once. Very fruity flavor with pineapple, orange, and even a splash of grapefruit juice. The fruit was balanced nicely by malty caramel, spices, and alcohol.