St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

10.0% ABV
Purchased at Pangaea Bottle Shoppe ($14.49/25.4 oz. bottle) and poured into tulip glasses.

His Notes:

This Christmas release from the great Brouwerij St. Bernardus pours maple brown with a copious but quickly retreating off-white head.  The smell is of toffee, dried fruits, and the banana and cloves familiar to Belgian yeast, with hints of molasses and wintry spice.  St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is tangy and sweet on the front end, with a wintry maple backbone, while spices (including ginger, cinnamon, and allspice) coat the tongue on the retreat.  The introduction of tropical yeast strains into a spicy winter beer results in a unique and mouth-filling brew with the thickness and savory-sweet taste of banana bread, but the effervescence of an impeccably crafted Belgian ale.

  5 Toasts

Her Notes:

  5 Toasts