Christmas Ale - Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV

mavbrew

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had at Ebenezer's, served in chalice.

A: Pours a dark brown color with amber highlights, typical of the style. There is a slight off-white head.

S: Smells of dark fruits and yeast.

T: The taste is what you would expect from the smell, dark fruits, yeast and malts. Has a bit of a sweet flavor. Finish is smooth.

M: Medium bodied with light carbonation.

D: There is a slight taste of alcohol but the 10% is masked pretty well, making it highly drinkable. Very good offering and a must try BSDA.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2010 22:59:56 | More by mavbrew

Gehrig

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Enjoyed on tap at the classic Crane Alley in Urbana, IL after finishing the Christmas shopping this afternoon.

One and one-half fingers of caramel-colored froth top a cloudy ruby-amber body; ample lacing on the St. Bernardus glass (yes, they have a few at Crane Alley), good duration, and lovely color give this a terrific appearance. Wonderful, fruity smells, vinous with some orange peel, some spice (cinnamon and ginger), and a bit of chocolate. Very sweet nose, very good.

Magnificent, smooth taste, heavy on the sweet fruit--maraschino cherries, grape, orange--but, from cranberry and dried fruit such as date and raisin emerging in the second half, with a distinctly sour finish that adroitly balances Christmas Ale and forestalls any cloying. Some semi-sweet chocolate peeks through the dense layers of fruit. Creamy smooth mouthfeel, making this all too easy on the palate. So impressive is how well the high ABV (10.0%) is masked. It was only in the second glass, which I immediately ordered after dousing the first, that I felt it and, by then, it was remarkably easy to accept.

Outstanding BSDA and winter beer, St. Bernardus Christmas Ale filled me with Christmas cheer all day long. What a tremendous find, and kudos to Crane Alley for finding a place for it in their typically stellar lineup of wares.

First rate.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2010 23:48:00 | More by Gehrig

jrallen34

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Saw this on tap at Local Option last night, couldn't pass the chance to finally tick a top Belgian...Dark brown pour, but a really deep hue that I like. The head is light tan, creamy with good retention and lacing...Finally a Christmas beer aroma that doesn't overpower the senses. Dark fruits with spice, but spice is an accent not the center of the beer. The taste is the same, dark fruits with spice.

Worth trying, great winter Christmas beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2010 19:21:33 | More by jrallen34

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Armsby Abbey Belgian Christmas night, 2007 vintage. This was the catch of the night, so delicious.

Comes with a light Belgian fizzy head and light lacing, over dark brown molasses color with hints of rosy hue, and very dark with very little light coming through.

Nose comes with sweet malts, Belgian dark malts, little candi sugar, caramel, toffee, aged malts, slight dark raisiny fruits, and just the faintest hit of spices and nutty aromas.

Taste brings lots of raisin and dark fruits, little plug and fig, nutty malts, plenty of Belgian dark malts and that aged malt taste, smooth and semi sweet, some dark candi sugar and little caramel, hints of spice and a little warming booze, a little bitterness too. Finish lingers with lots of dark malts, a little sweetness and more candi sugar, and hints of fruits that linger for a while.

Mouth is medium to a little heavier bodied with decent carbonation and very little warming booze.

Drinkability is pretty good, drinks a lot smoother and lighter than 10%, and sweetness is balanced well and the aged malt flavor probably helps.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2010 02:55:06 | More by jlindros

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at the Armsby Abbey's yearly Belgian Christmas on 12/15.

*Note: This is a 2007 vintage*

A - Poured into a goblet this has a nice mahogany, cloudy pour with one of the most impressive heads I've ever seen. This 1 finger of big bubble head hung around for the duration of the ale leaving massive, clumpy side lacing. I'ver never seen bubbles of this size before in my brew, its insane!

S - Yeasty dough with raisins and dark fruit. Light aromas, yet what coems through is heavy.

T - Big raisin notes on this along with maybe some cherries too. So mellow and smooth thanks to the aging. There are some subdued carmel and malt flavours that are really pleasant.

M - Low carbonation due to age which is understandable. Not too heavy but it is syrupy.

D - Smooth, solid flavours with a great appearance. The appearance of this really sealed the deal for me. Such a gorgeous ale.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2010 20:51:40 | More by rudzud

drummstikk

California

3.83/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer tastes like cherry cough syrup! But it's really not bad at all. It has none of the bitter or minty flavors of Robitussin, but all of the sweet estery plastic-cherry-goodness. Allspice and ginger combine in the tart medicinal finish, caramelized sugar and caramel malts fill out the middle, and bright Belgian phenols start us all off. Hop aroma is absent, while hop bitterness just peaks through the finish. Body is thick and syrupy, and carbonation is light. Color is hazy dark amber/ light brown. Fruits are present all throughout: cherries, plums, with a hint of peach and melon. Aroma is funky and phenolic.

Don't worry about the 10% ABV -- it will go down smooth, just like a good medicine.

My only complaint is that this beer is a bit sweet for all its medicinal flavors. The gestalt is an underattenuated ale with Brettanomyces cherry pie flavors. If I hadn't been a sickly child, swilling Dimetapp every winter, I am sure this beer wouldn't conjure the same images. As it is, a dryer finish would steer me into bliss.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2010 01:34:47 | More by drummstikk

womencantsail

California

4.38/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Stuffed Sandwich

A: The pour is a dark brown color with some amber sort of highlights and an appropriately large off-white head.

S: A really rich, luscious nose of caramel, brown sugar, candi sugar, and toffee. Tons and tons of fruits too, like cherries, figs, and plums.

T: The flavor is just as wonderful. Sweet brown sugar and caramel lead the way with plenty of cherries, plums, and raisins to provide further sweetness. There's some clove and nutmeg flavors as well as a nice yeastiness.

M: The body is medium with a really full and rolling carbonation.

D: Maybe the best of all the Belgian Christmas beers I've had to this point. This is pretty much what I think of/look for in this kind of beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-10-2010 09:24:12 | More by womencantsail

mbrown26

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on-tap at the Thirsty Monk South.

A: A great dark beer with a nice head. It was a little too dark for me to get a real picture of the color, but it was dark and the head was nice. Lacing stayed throughout the glass.

S: Reminded me of the ABT. 12. Got fruity and malty notes.

T: Lots of malty flavor that has hints of cloves and cinnamon. Very flavorful. A different kind of beer if you're only used to pale ales or IPA styles.

M: Thick and syrupy, but clean.

D: Easy to drink, but one glass sure does for you.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2010 03:27:47 | More by mbrown26

dnarx

Texas

4.53/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Was a nice dark orangy-brown with a tan head that left lacing up the side.

S: Smelled of dark fruits and spice

T: Slightly sweet but not overwhelmingly so, nice dark fruit flavors mingling with the spice, like a great bread pudding without the bread.

Mouthfeel was smooth with a good body.

Overall I really enjoyed this beer, I only had one because of the alcohol content and the sweetness, although subtle a little more than I prefer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2010 22:14:20 | More by dnarx

jnn4v

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Brasserie Beck in Washington DC.

A: Mahogany / walnut brown color. Translucent around the edges and generally hazy. No sediment. Moderate cream colored head with very fine texture.

S: Nutmeg, ginger, and other holiday spices are the very first thing I noticed. Also some dried dark fruits like raisins and dates as well as spiced or candied nuts.

T: Good flavor. Spices are the most dominant trait, but they aren't overpowering. Some good mixes of nutty flavors with molasses and brown sugar malts, dates, raisins and prunes.

M: Very good mouthfeel. Good body and texture from the viscosity. Nice, refined carbonation as well.

D: Different than I expected (I'd been hoping for Abt 12 plus spices, and this is more of a brown with spices). However, it definitely grew on me. Very drinkable at refrigerator, cellar or room temperature.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2010 22:16:02 | More by jnn4v

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served ontap into its brand named chalice.

Appears a hazed murky brown, obviously some yeast is there in suspension. Aroma is light and primarily malty with some banana aroma from the yeast. Great belgian ale flavors. Some dark fruits, downplayed spice with light touches of allspice and cinnamon. Some citrus is also noted, possibly from the hops. Brown sugar, burnt caramel. A really nice and well rounded belgian ale. Medium to high level of carbonation with a more-ish finish. I really liked this one. St. Bernardus brews some tasty beers.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2010 16:56:25 | More by Stinkypuss

ixodus

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Mohawk House in Sparta New Jersey.

A: Poured into a Brooklyn Tulip Glass. Pours a nice dark amber color with a two finger white head that slowly shrinks into a one finger head that stays the entire drink. Great Retention.

S: Sweet, Spicy, Bready, Not smelling much hopiness in this one. Also a slight alcohol smell.

T: Delicious Belgian yeast, bananas. Sweet and spicy citrusy flavors that have a dry finish with a slight hop bitterness. Very good

M: Medium body, medium carbonation.

D: Very drinkable. Hides booze moderately. Gave me a nice warmth from the alcohol but didn't hide it.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2010 23:06:53 | More by ixodus

Tifore

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Melt Bar & Grilled. Poured into a snifter of sorts.

A - Beer comes to me with minimal head on it. Maybe a quarter finger but disappears fast. Is a deep brown in color and very clear and I can see some carbonation in the glass. Almost resembles rootbeer?

S - Smells absolutely delish. Lots of spice and very crisp smelling. No hoppy bitterness, no overwhelming sweet. Just spice and warm tones.

T - Tastes amazing as well. Lots of spice up front which fades quickly and is followed by a sweetness and warm notes. I can taste a bit of the alcohol but not much.

M - Mouthfeel is light and refreshing. Spice and vanilla notes hang around for a bit.

D - A very drinkable 10% beer. A winter, sit inside and enjoy a few brews beer. I really enjoyed this. Going to pick up a few bombers next time I hit the bottle store.

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2010 02:45:11 | More by Tifore

drabmuh

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Rustico, beer is brown and mostly clear with a thin brown head of tiny bubbles that leaves a lot of lacing on the glass. Carbonation moderate.

Aroma is sweet and clean with minimal yeast esters. Smells good.

Beer is medium in body and sweet up front. The midpalate gives way to a semi-dry finish with some more sweetness and no bitterness, the beer overall is highly drinkable and nice. It falls a little short in the middle of the mouth with the sweetness on either side and dryness at the end. I like this beer and this brewery, they are awesome.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2010 03:57:54 | More by drabmuh

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on tap at the Tops Tasting Room. Finally got up to this. Pours gorgeous black with a significnat white head, and some spices holding on the tap. Lacey. This is a rich ale, mildly malty, with ginger, allspice, c-hop, white pepper. Just had been tapped last night.A sipper.

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2010 03:31:50 | More by northyorksammy

yemenmocha

Arizona

4.4/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on tap at Mellow Mushroom. More yeasty/bready notes in the nose and on the palate. Color is soft brown, hazy, with white head.

Nose is slightly citrus with baked dessert goods.

Palate has an enormous holiday spice with roasted sweetness. Basically a nice, sweet holiday dessert that happens to be a beer.

Finish is long with lingering holiday spice.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2010 04:29:08 | More by yemenmocha

donniecuffs

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

At the Cloverleaf Tavern, Caldwell NJ: poured mahogany with one finger of khaki head with good lacing. Smelled of candied fruit, cloves, and blood orange; very unique. Tasted of orange, clove, allspice, and candi sugar; very similar to the nose. However, the alcohol burn was certainly evident in the finish. Very malty, velvety mouthfeel..probably the best aspect of this beer. Good sipping beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2010 05:22:13 | More by donniecuffs

jampics2

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Bier Market celebrating Dan-O's Birthday. Cheers old man!

Deep brown with plum highlights. White head is in it for the long run.

Smell is a nice banana clove an sweet malt combination. Mild spices as well. And, of course, the classic St B's grape/raisin/malt combo.

Taste is amazing. Sweet Belgian malt, candy sugar, grapes, spices and a lovely finish.

Perfect body and nice carb. Almost perfect feel.

Wow. Awesome beer. One of the best seasonals I've had this winter!

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2010 19:29:49 | More by jampics2

armock

New York

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured a dark brown color with a tan head that leaves lacing behind

S - Is of dark fruit and Christmas spices

T - Follows the nose mostly dark fruit of plums with good spices

M - This beer has a medium body with medium carbonation to it

D - This is an excelent Christmas beer with an excelent taste definitly worth trying

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2009 23:15:26 | More by armock

Naugled

New York

3.48/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

served in a goblet.

Dark hazy brown with a fine creamy head that very quickly dissipates

Very sweet nose, smells like candi or soda

Woah, a very sugar forward beer. Tastes like there's nothing but sugar in this. Dark sticky sweet sugar. Some hotness comes through, but is needed to cut the syrupiness.

Medium mouthfeel, but on the thin side of medium. however not cloying and has a smooth softness to it.

drinkable, but over the top sweet. I guess that's what people want for the holidays.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2009 19:43:23 | More by Naugled

Pahn

New York

3.18/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Burp Castle, NYC. Poured into Chimay chalice.

Appearance: Murky, chocolate-brown like coffee. No head and some speckled lacing.

Smell: Weak scent of Belgian yeast and grape.

Taste: There's some notes of grape, caramel, and brown sugar, but the dominant taste is cola. There's a bright Belgian yeast flavor at the end that's reminiscent of the finish of Saint Bernardus's quad, which is this beer's high point. The alcohol is hot and dominant. There's some noticeable hops. The flavor is a bit wine-like and dark. It's sweet and tart, almost sour. The flavor was very uneven; each sip was different, and, more often than not, unpleasant. At times, dangerously close to cough syrup.

Mouthfeel: Watery and syrupy, with way over the top carbonation.

Drinkability: Decent, considering the ABV.

---

This beer tasted unfortunately close to cola. The horribly overdone carbonation doesn't help matters. Very disappointing offering from such an outstanding brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

12-26-2009 07:58:53 | More by Pahn

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On Tap at Monk's

A- Christmas ale in the tulip holds a very dark brown hue but is slick looking in the liquid. The head is nice and tight with a cinnamon color to it leaving lines of lace.

S- Loads of sweet malt with a nice spicy under lay which come up more with warming. Also getting a lot of dark fruit of many varieties. Some chocolate and caramel remain at a distance. Belgian yeast with a bunch of warming.

T- This is in my top three for christmas ales, a style im not crazy about, but I always seem to go for this one. It's probably because it does not remind me of christmas offerings that much Chocolate, malt sweetners, Belgian candi yeast, alot of dark fruit especially cherry and plum. Some raisins and a bunch of spices str8 off the rack. Now what make's it so special, well it's the balance of these ingredients, it's level. The spices do not get in the way as many winter beers do, here they dance with the other flavors.

M- Silky, smooth, rich, to die for. Another thing that's great about this offering is the absence of alcohol, it's no where in sight. A big above medium bodied with light but bright carb. This one's a winner, it goes down so, so, so easy. This is not a chore in any way.

D- This is a easy one to drink quick. I could do a whole bottle easily and in fact i will because the way my life's been going recently I need to be drunk more, the 10% helps. Im thinking BSDA with a winter warmer twist. This could be my favorite offering from bernardus, either this or the 12, may have to compare.

Serving type: on-tap

12-25-2009 07:16:46 | More by onix1agr

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at FO Santa Monica

Appearance - When given to me there was about two fingers of medium brown mocha looking head. This slowly dissipates and leaves great lacing on the side of the glass.

Smell - At the forefront there are heavily toasted/sweet malt fragrances followed immediately by holiday spices such as ginger and vanilla. It finishes with some dark fruit flavors such as dark cherries and figs.

Taste - Very similar to the smell though I taste the spices up front. I can taste cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla. This melds away to a nice sweet malty flavor which is soon enveloped by the dark fruit flavors (most noticeably when tasting is the cherry). Tastes like Christmas in a bottle!

Mouthfeel - Very thick and creamy. Lower amounts of carbonation. Finishes with a slight spicy/tartness.

Drinkability - Relatively so - definitely a sipper. Near the end, as it warms up more, you can taste the alcohol a bit more than at the beginning. Overall a very good "fireplace" sipper.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2009 19:15:57 | More by SpdKilz

Lunch

Maryland

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap at Frisco Grille in Columbia, MD (12/16/09) into a goblet at the appropriate temperature.

A: Pours a chestnut brown with ruby hues and a creamy one finger head. The carbonation is quite lively in this one.

S: Complex yet slightly subdued Belgian aroma containing a fair amount of spice, roasted sweet malt, and an overall Belgian character that is hard to put my finger on.

T: Pleasant Christmas flavors with a nice Belgian kick containing roasted malt, a heap of spice, carob, chocolate, caramel, and toffee surrounding in a marmalade of dark fruits (plum, raisin, prune, and figs). There is a slight chalky characteristic that slightly drag down the flavor.

M: Full-bodied with active carbonation and a pleasant hint of the 10% abv.

D: Drinkability is actually quite good for a higher abv. ale as the flavors play off one another and create a nice spiced ale to be enjoyed around the holidays.

Overall this beer is becoming one of my favorite Christmas Ales and it is another well crafted ale from the brewers of St. Bernardus. Recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2009 16:23:22 | More by Lunch

spointon

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this on tap at the Bavarian Lodge in Lisle, IL. Served in a stemmed tulip glass.

A= This ale poured a slightly murky mahogany brown color with a 3/4" light tan head. Lots of evident carbonaton release kept the head at 1/4" all the way down the glass.

S= I found a lot of Belgian charater, malty sweetness, carob, and a hint of spice in the aroma. Very nice.

T= Incredible restraint on the spices! The flavor was mostly a rich dark Belgian strong, but those spices just kept surfacing and then disappearing before I could get a good read on them. Superb balance of spice to everything else. Speaking of which, I also noted caramel, treacle, and some dark fruitiness (raisins, figs, and plums). Some spicy alcohol in th efinish but not as much as one would expect at this ABV.

MF= Medium bodied with a soft and velvety feel despite the very obvious and active carbonation release. Nice warming quality from the alcohol.

D= Really an exceptional beer and easily the best "Christmas ale" I have had to date. Dangerously drinkable despite the big ABV.

Serving type: on-tap

12-12-2009 23:01:39 | More by spointon