St Martin Cuvée De Noël
Brasserie De Brunehaut

St Martin Cuvée De NoëlSt Martin Cuvée De Noël
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From:
Brasserie De Brunehaut
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Ranked #146
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
83
Ranked #24,102
Avg:
3.59 | pDev: 9.75%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
30
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 18, 2022
Added:
Jul 22, 2009
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
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Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.5/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Nov. 2008: 330 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). ABV is 8.5%. The beer starts pouring out of the bottle by its own will. Dark chestnut coloured beer, hazy when the yeast is poured in the end. Moderate beige head. Strong aroma of anise, "Christmas" spices and liquorice. The flavour has again notes of anise and various "Christmas" spices. Not too sweet. The alcohol is well hidden. Nice beer, but should not be your first choice if you hate anise.
Sep 18, 2022
 
Rated: 3.5 by mattfancett from England

Aug 26, 2014
Photo of dcmchew
Reviewed by dcmchew from Romania

3.91/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Dark brown pour in a Chimay glass, tan foamy head.
Smells festive: chocolate, caramel, dry dates, licorice, faint vanilla and citrus peel.
Some roasted malts in the beginning, but toned down, followed by toffee, caramel and milky chocolate. Juicy plums, red grapes, oranges, apple, low dry figs/raisins. Spiced appropiately, with licorice, ginger, hints of cinnamon, star anise and clove. Hops are present in the mildly bitter finish with some tiny herbal notes.
Medium mouthfeel, but a bit too fizzy, makes me think of cola a bit, not as smooth as i would have liked it to be. Alcohol is just a bit warm.
A tasty Xmas brew. So what if it's spring already?!
Mar 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by GraduatedCashew from California

Sep 23, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by zestar from California

Jun 08, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by Oli from England

Feb 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Mantooth from North Carolina

Feb 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by YamagamiTravis from Canada (BC)

Dec 21, 2012
 
Rated: 3.25 by petluo from Finland

Nov 19, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by jplopez21 from Illinois

Nov 16, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by t0rin0 from California

Aug 29, 2012
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
750 ml bottle into chalice, bottled Sept 2011(labeled winter ale, but I assume it is the same beer). Pours lightly hazy reddish copper color with a nice 2 finger foamy khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some decent spotty lacing clings to the glass, with a good amount of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of big cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg, raisin, cherry, biscuit, nuttiness, pepper, and spicy yeast esters. Very nice and well balanced aromas with good complexity; very pleasant. Taste of cinnamon, clove, allspice, caramel, molasses, nutmeg, raisin, cherry, pepper, biscuit, toast, nuttiness, and yeast spiciness. Lingering notes of cinnamon, allspice, molasses, caramel, toast, pepper, and yeast spices on the finish for a good bit. Great spice flavor balance with the malt sweetness; with good complexity and no cloying sweetness at all. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a fairly slick and slightly prickly mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with pretty much no warming noticed at all after the finish. Overall this is an excellent Belgian Christmas ale! Great flavor balance and complexity of spices; with a nice malt flavor backbone and extremely smooth to sip on. Really enjoyed this one.
Jul 26, 2012
Photo of thagr81us
Reviewed by thagr81us from South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Served from tap into a Trappe Door tulip. Poured a deep red-orange with a one finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, spice, coriander, wood, and fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, bread, chocolate, fruit, and spice. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. Unfortunately there wasn’t a lot of standout flavors and aromas going on in this one. While the brew was well balanced, it just didn’t take it to the next level and wow me. All of the flavors and aromas were however spot-on for the style and I had no problem finishing my glass, but I was honestly hoping for a little more. Definitely worth your time trying if you get the chance.
Jul 06, 2012
Photo of BlackHaddock
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England

3.44/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Dumpy 33cl bottle, best before Oct 2013, poured into a Westmalle chalice in March 2012, no sediment left the bottle.

Clear body of a red/light brown colour, on top a poor, thin covering of off-white bubbles that started as a wisp and collar before settling into a even thinner top.

The smell was of a banana milk shake with a liquorice stick in it.

The taste also had banana overtones but the spritzy, lively mouthfeel ensured the milkshake thoughts (from the aromas) where eradicated straight away: it has a malty sweetness but no creamy/rich texture. Interesting, but very un-Christmassy in the flavours I picked up.

The alcohol content sits below the surface nicely, so something is strong and powerful within the brew, I'm just missing the major points somehow.

I liked it, but I'd never have guessed this was a Christmas beer from the taste and smell.
Mar 04, 2012
Photo of mrfrancis
Reviewed by mrfrancis from Kentucky

3.54/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A: Pours a murky amber with tight white lacing.

S: Aromas of lemon, lime, banana, toffee, and caramel are present on the nose. This is probably the most interesting aspect of this ale.

T: Notes of banana nut bread, lemon, lime, toffee, caramel, heavy cream, cinnamon, and milk chocolate wash across the palate. The finish is sweet and oily with banana, citrus, chocolate, and cream flavors.

M: Medium to full bodied, smooth, and velvety. Decidedly slick. Carbonation is very weak, making this ale very easy to drink.

O: This beer has some good things going for it, namely a unique aroma and a flavor profile that would allow it to complement a number of popular holiday dishes. That being said, it just isn't memorable in any way. It's too soft in the mouth and doesn't pack enough punch. For me, this beer has potential, but as is, is only decent.
Nov 21, 2011
Photo of Halcyondays
Reviewed by Halcyondays from California

3.65/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
330 mL bottle,

A: Pours a murky brown with a medium white head, very light lace.

S: Lots of sweet malt with an interesting lemon-lime mix, an intriguing nose.

T: There's a lot of citrus, mandarin orange and lime. The actual dark malt flavours are not as overt, but come in on the back end, brown sugar and dates.

M: Medium-bodied, smooth, very soft carbonation, authentic Belgian mouthfeel.

D: It's hard to put a finger on this beer, it's really all over the place. But the overall flavours are pleasing, Christmas maybe not so much, but it's something that will make you think.
Feb 24, 2011
Photo of Dhren1979
Reviewed by Dhren1979 from Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Vintage: 2010

Serving Type: 11.2oz bottle poured into a Tulip glass.

A: Pours a rich burgundy color with 2 inches of head that stays around for a bit. The pour was not aggressive by any means so maybe this will prove to be a highly carbonated brew?

S: Quite spicy and sweet. Cinnamon? All Spice? Can't nail down the spice but this is what comes to mind. As for the sweetness, fruit. I am reminded of plums or even dates in sweetness. Very pleasant!

T: Not as strong as I would say the notes were. Which is not all that bad. I was just surprised. The spice is the dominate flavor but not over powering. The malts keep the spiciness in check.

M: This is a medium bodied beer with tons of carbonation. I was very surprised on how much carbonation there was in this tiny bottle.

D: This might be a "go to" beer during the holidays in 2011. Not a beer that I can have more than 1 during any one sitting, but overall a solid example of this style of beer.
Feb 16, 2011
Photo of BeerForMuscle
Reviewed by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A - Dark amber colored body with a spongy laced top.

S - Smells like apices such as clove and pepper. Some cinnamon/nutmeg type smells arise too. This beer oddly smells savory too.

T - Well spiced with tingly tastes of clove and and coriander. Some orange undertones present. A good malty sweetness and a bit of syrup effect. Finishes semi dry. This tastes reminds me some of lebkuchen or pfeffernusse cookies. Mild chocolate presence.

M - Decent amount of carbonation. With the bubbles and clove it gives that tingly effect on the tongue.

D - Id say this beer is drinkable, since it has a mild set of spiced notes and clean crispness to it. The higher abv is not detected much as this one goes down smooth without much warming effect.
Jan 23, 2011
Photo of rudzud
Reviewed by rudzud from Massachusetts

3.61/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Picked up at Julio's on sale. Had M '09 notched off on it. Poured into a tulip.

A - Dark garnet pour with a big dense almost two finger head that fades to probably a quarter inch head and just kinda stays there. Really spectacular head retention on this one.

S - Usual belgian dark ale type notes with good dark fruits like cherries and plums. Some nice spice notes as well. Good alcohol presense on the nose though.

T - Good flavors. More of the darkness. Sweet malts, almost a burnt sugar. Nice dark fruit flavors though more with the cherries, possibly light fig notes. There are some slight yeasty characteristics in both the dront and back.

M - Low carbonation, somewhat creamy and smooth. Alcohol is present on the mouth. Just typical and normal of this style.

D - Not a bad Belgian Strong Dark Ale but there are much better representations of the style out there. Its a nice creamy, tasty beer with a great head. Well worth the $2 I paid for this.
Jan 23, 2011
Photo of impending
Reviewed by impending from California

3.28/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
33cl into a tulip. Pours an unexceptional ruddy dark garnet, towering dense head fades slowly. Nice ring lacing.

Aroma unmistakeably Noël. Ginger and orange peel over coriander and cloves, very nice.

Taste too is unmistakeably Noël but unfortunately phenols absent from the nose become obvious as the finish begins and lingers forward. Medium and prickly mouthfeel.
cheers
jd
Dec 30, 2010
St Martin Cuvée De Noël from Brasserie De Brunehaut
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 30 ratings