Verhaeghe Noel

Brewed by Verhaeghe
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Vichte, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium

gold blond with carbonation body and a small white head a herby aroma a malty herby taste and a bitter finich

Light Golden blond coloured beer with average carbonation and a small white head. Herby, slight buttery touch malty aroma. Full palate. Finish is bitter, little alcoholic.

25cl bottle: Clear sunburst gold beer sporting a tall, thick, creamy head that is just slightly off-white. Aromas of malt, hops, honey, and pears runs up your nostrils pulling a floral spice, a little bubblegum, and a slight citrus with it.. or is that citrus actually sour twang? Medium-light body. Appropriately dry. Hop bitternes that blends into malt flavor quite nicely but somehow ends up stinging the back of your throat. Pale malt and a yeasty spice lay on your tongue as the hops, and something else, tickle your tonsils. A starfruit tartness, or even sourness, then works its way up your tongue and splits into metallic and honey flavors. The metallic taste grows as you drink the glass down. It is not necessarily a bad metallicness but perhaps out of place? Definitely not bad, but I feel that Verhaeghe doesn’t exactly know what they want from this beer.

(Draught at White Horse, Parson’s Green, London 26 Apr 2007) Golden yellow colour with frothy white head. Fruity, slightly acidic/lactic nose with notes of orange and mango. Malty, slightly tart taste with tropical fruit , pineapple, apricots and spicy hops in the finish. Rather smooth despite the high abv. Not really overwhelming, but ok.

Golden orange coloured ale, light fruity hop, quite acidic, but quite pleasent hoppyness

(Bottle, 1996 vintage, BB 12-04-07) Pours a clear yellow body with a medium fluffy white head. Aroma of mustiness, butter, and lemon. Flavor of yeast, sweet malt, and lemon.

A Mes rate: Bit of a poor attempt from Verhaeghe. Pleasant sweet and sour nose with the obvious brown sugar, fruit and off milk typical to this brewer. Great looks. Clear blonde with a thick creamy head and thick lacing also typical to Verhaeghe. Flavour is so overly metallic that it is difficult to pick out anything else. Totally ruined what could have been great. So much metal in the flavour you would be forgiven for thinking it had been poured from a can.

Golden colored pour with little to no head. Had a yeasty, hoppy aroma with a bitter malty finish to it. Average.....