Val-Dieu Bière de Noël

Brewed by Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Aubel, Belgium

Amber color with a beige head. The taste is sweet fruity and smooth. It feels a little thin with a light dry palate.

First things first: Not a whole lot of XMAS about this offering from Val-Dieu. That aside, this is a smooth, almost subdued but immensely drinkable brew. Let it sit for five or so minutes before imbibing. Pleasant golden color, flowery notes, creamy mouthfeel, and to my taste sort of like a kid brother to Floreffe Blond. Both are great to round off those nights of heavy, spiced Yule brews galore that dominate the month of December.

Light malty aroma. Gold body/white huge lasting head. Sweet fruity malts with brown sugar. Smooth silky body. Nice.

Cloudy amber hue, thick head formation. Malty, caramel, woody aroma, mild spice. Malty, yeasty, predominantly sweet palate. Fruity, mellow caramel, mildly astringent finish, nice added soice of cinammon.

Draught at Den Tatoverede Enke, Copenhagen.
Hazy amber colored with a rocky greyish head. Mild fruity and light spicy aroma with malt notes. Quite sticky. Malty flavor with a rather strong alcoholic tone. Thin bodied and not very flavorfull. Caramelly and hoppy notes. Very thin and uninteresting for a dark Belgian christmas beer!

Bottle, best before Sept, 04. Lovely dark brown cloudy beer with a thick lasting white head. Yeasty aroma, bready, caramel and a bit of spice. flavour is also yeasty and bready. Light spice over a malty backbone. A bit of clove and cinnamon. Less complex than I would have imagined.

750ml Bottle(2002): A deep amber sunset hue with a lasting frothy head and outstanding lace. The aroma has notes of honey, banana, grassy hops, caramel and toasted malts, clove, juniper berries, spearmint, and dusty yeast esters. The taste starts with a spicy and earthy quality with lots of subdued fruit notes scattered throughout. A candi and malt sweetness dominates the midsection and a light dose of bitters and more of those wonderful spices appear on the finish. The feel is very lively, sharp and crisp. Dry upon the finish and no alcohol detected. I really dig this beer and maybe because it aged, it seemed to have fully integrated all flavor aspects. I bought this bottle in Buffalo over 6 months ago. Methinks I should have gotten more.

750 ML Corked... at Max’s in Baltimore... Sparkling clear, golden ale with a large, frothy, white head. Great retention and wispy, cirrus lacework. The nose is fruity and spicy. The flavor is sweet and fruity. Medium-bodied with a watery mouthfeel and lively carbonation. Short, sweet finish. A bit of a disappointment for me, but, by no means a less-than satisfactory beer..