Noël Des Géants - Brasserie Des Géants

RollBounce

New York

3/5  rDev -20.6%

07-17-2012 04:46:32 | More by RollBounce

acevenom

Louisiana

4.11/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a brandy snifter. The beer pours dark hazy copper with a finger and a half length off-white head. There are bubbles visible rising along the side of the glass. There are malty aromas as well as some scent of toffee, fruit, and some spice. The fruity aroma is akin to plum and fig. The spice notes are mostly coriander. The flavors are of bready pilsner malt with a stronger spice note in the flavor than in the nose. The coriander comes out, but I also get some hints of pepper, orange peel, and anise that other reviewers picked out. The sweetness is pretty balanced out with the abundant spice bouquet in this beer. The fruity notes come out a little stronger as the beer warms. The body is medium with moderate carbonation. The finish is slightly dry and the alcohol provides a nice warming quality. Not much of the aftertaste lingers in this beer, allowing a stronger drinkability for this beer. This is a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 01:19:50 | More by acevenom

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

03-24-2013 09:04:14 | More by RedneckBeerz

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

03-14-2013 19:45:33 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

buckyp

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

02-06-2013 00:00:22 | More by buckyp

powdersoldier

Washington

4/5  rDev +5.8%

02-05-2013 05:14:15 | More by powdersoldier

UCLABrewN84

California

3.65/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle I brought to share at drewone's place.

Pours a murky honey orange with a foamy bone colored head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, honey, yeast, spices, and alcohol. Taste is much the same with a fruity flavor on the finish. There is a mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but I think it smells better than it tastes.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 01:43:02 | More by UCLABrewN84

drewone

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

01-06-2013 20:50:05 | More by drewone

cliff1066

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

01-04-2013 16:26:09 | More by cliff1066

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Noël Des Géants (poured into a snifter) is hazy amber with a small, creamy white head on top. Once the foam is gone a few spots of lace cling to the glass.

The aroma is fruity with a touch of spice. Raisins and dates are blended with orange peel and rye bread. Almost reminds me of a fruit cake.

Each sip of this medium bodied beer is soft and smooth on the palate with mild carbonation. The flavor is sweet with fruity notes of raisin and plum along with a bready malt sweetness. The spices don't seem as strong as the aroma, but orange peel and pepper are present. It finishes sweet with lingering spices when gone.

This is a great Christmas beer. Lots of sweet fruity flavor with a touch of spice. Quite drinkable, but better to sip and savor.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 22:43:32 | More by WanderingFool

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -20.6%

12-26-2012 01:48:14 | More by ejimhof

Dreamer

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

12-24-2012 23:11:04 | More by Dreamer

mttaylor1066

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Add this to your Christmas ale rotation, a not-too-heavy spiced ale that creates a holiday for your mouth.

Pours a quiet, dark cider color. Minimal head (I'm a side-of-the-glass man myself) that persists and forms little colonies of bubbles.

The aroma is complex, spicy and malty with a whiff of yeast. This is a beer to enjoy before it hits the lips!

Tastes of dark wine, ripe raisin, Belgian yeast and toasted ginger. All this in an ale! You can feel the alcohol heat...on n cold winter's night that ain't so bad.

There's a lot of carbonation to make this ale dance on the tongue. A lively holiday ale.

Overall, this is one I'm going to look for each season to go with my other favorite Christmas ales.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 21:35:32 | More by mttaylor1066

kayrex

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

12-18-2012 22:30:03 | More by kayrex

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The Christmas celebrations in the land of the giants evokes the notions of larger than life beers of tremendous taste, robust textures, and bewildering spicy alcohols. Although Noel des Geants releases a more somber taste, it is an elegant and satisfying taste nevertheless.

Poured into a brandy snifter, the body shows off the beer's robust deep straw colors of goldenrod and burnt orange while favoring lighter cider colors on the edge. Lightly hazed from the dissolved yeast, the beer projects a whimsical glow when back lit. The beer releases a dainty and creamy head that skirts the rim evenly and while the head lightens, it never completely collapses, rather lacing on the glass with intermittent island structures.

Perfumy, fruity, and sternly rooted in a grainy sweet foundation, the beer sings the praises of Belgian ales of moderate intensity. Aromas of freshly dried pilsner malt gives a bready impression with yeast and dough. Highly floral, the beer's bouquet really opens up with a flowery scent of honeysuckle. Soft spices of coriander, dried orange peel, and star anise decorate the nose and offer balance to the sweet malt and fruity esters.

Supple bready-sweet pilsner malts seem to fuse with honey and confectioner's sugar that give the fruit flavors a candy-coated effect. Apricots, oranges, pears, and figs are among the esters that can be pulled from the flavor profile. And a counterbalance of potpourri and alcohol offer juxtaposition to the fruit and candy and signal a turn to closure. Turning ever bitter, earthy, and raw- the taste of grain and straw offers a rustic and genuine farmhouse-type taste to finish.

Medium bodied and incredibly soft, the beer lays gently on the tongue and gives a feminine presence with light chamomile-type oiliness and a sultry powdery note to close. Pleasantly warm and with a gentle spice- the ale is dry and lightly tannin to end the session.

Despite its "giant" references, the beer is small on the palate and stomach, making it supple and elegant ale. It's both charming and soft. But its overall light profile keeps me wanting more strength, power, and complexity.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2012 18:14:02 | More by BEERchitect

Vec2267

Florida

3.63/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - burnt orange, lots of bubbles, huge frothy head, minimal lacing

S - fruit/apricots, yeast spicieness, herbal, alcohol

T - again fruity, very dry, spice (pepper/clove), alcohol

M - medium bodied

O - lots of complexity bu too many disconnected flavors to be appealing

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 00:38:18 | More by Vec2267

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

12-13-2012 18:05:28 | More by Bouleboubier

rolltide8425

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

12-13-2012 15:48:11 | More by rolltide8425

jrfehon33

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -14%

12-12-2012 23:49:41 | More by jrfehon33

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

330 ml bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours cloudy red orange color with a 1-2 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice foamy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of big raisin, prune, pear, clove, allspice, ginger, tea, cinnamon, molasses, bread, herbal, and yeast spiciness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity. Taste of raisin, toast, biscuit, caramel, molasses, clove, ginger, earth, nuttiness, tea, allspice, herbal, and yeast spiciness. Lingering notes of dark fruits, caramel, toast, biscuit, molasses, nuttiness, ginger, tea, herbal, and clove on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity and balance of flavors; nice balance of malt and holiday spice flavors; zero cloying on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a creamy and slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice Belgian spiced beer. Nice spice/malt balance and complexity; very smooth to sip on. Very enjoyable and unique offering.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 04:45:59 | More by superspak

sendbeer

Georgia

4/5  rDev +5.8%

11-01-2012 15:32:25 | More by sendbeer

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev +5.8%

08-31-2012 13:11:21 | More by t0rin0

duceswild

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -14%

08-29-2012 01:40:00 | More by duceswild

bigd84

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

08-21-2012 22:56:40 | More by bigd84

yemenmocha

Arizona

3.98/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a pale brown with hints of orange, with generous white head that is silky smooth and leaves ample lace. Nose is bready & fruity. Palate offers a good balance of dark fruits, dark bready flavors, fennel seeds and a few miscellaneous baking spices. Finish has a slight burnt, toasty sugary quality. Easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 02:08:35 | More by yemenmocha