Biere De Noël - Big Sky Brewing Company

Crosling

Colorado

3.15/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pros: Naturally carbonated giving a nice appearance to the ale. Caressing body is very nice.

Cons: Doesn't have much depth or concentration. It's not a complex ale, not a lot of definition, not much to describe.

While a beer of high quality, I feel the brewery could make some improvements on the recipe.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2009 14:23:14 | More by Crosling

DeekNayvuz

Montana

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%

05-22-2013 19:20:27 | More by DeekNayvuz

zeff80

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

04-03-2013 23:45:07 | More by zeff80

Jameswoody

Montana

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%

03-27-2013 19:42:56 | More by Jameswoody

GRG1313

California

3/5  rDev -21.7%

03-16-2013 04:11:14 | More by GRG1313

strongaf

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

03-09-2013 07:28:07 | More by strongaf

Vitacca

Montana

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%

03-05-2013 02:56:56 | More by Vitacca

yamar68

Minnesota

3.96/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2012 vintage (10% ABV)

Bottle #2273 of 3240

Pours with a surprising amount of hazy nut brown clarity. A finger of foamy khaki carbonation leaves behind loads of thick, consistent lace. Quite pretty looking stuff.

Semisweet on the nose... clean, mellow brown sugar... faint fruit character, nutmeg and a bit of cinnamon, a touch of alcohol heat surfaces with a bit warmth.

Candied sugar and smooth Belgian spice on the palate. Molasses and/or bread pudding. Pretty tame which leads to a pretty impressive level of drinkability.

I prefer this to past vintages; balanced but maybe a little boring.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 23:23:46 | More by yamar68

DenverLogan

Colorado

3.71/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Corked bottle...poured in a St Bernardus chalice. Bottle 1467 of 3240 (I also drank #1444 and fully reviewed it, but took so long that when I hit "Review" it was lost :()
Small cork pop...pours a copper - brown with small head of various sized bubbles.
Aroma of tropical fruit yogurt, cherry cola, menthol tobacco, dark malts.
Low carbonation...big sweet mouthfeel.
Oooh...malt bomb...lots of malts... flavors of candy sugar, bitter tropical fruit rind, cola, sage, cream of tartar, powdered sugar, figs, raisins, rosemary, liquorice, anise, alcohol, bitter chocolate, caramel, toffee, carob...lots of rich flavors...also something slightly mouth puckering bitter. Let's give it 5 minutes...
OK...head is still there, but minimal, aroma of funky fruit rind, big sweet malt flavors with phenols and holiday spice notes. Somewhat like an English barleywine...strong, low carbonation, big malt flavors, a little hot. I can't call this an easy drinker like, say, many Belgian noels/holiday beers, but not as sweet as a Thomas Hardy or J.W. Lees. It's rough like a Montana winter!
Feb 24...having bottle 1471 of 3240, 2012 batch. The above description holds, with perhaps a bit more mellowness, which is good, but still a big sweet malt bomb. I'll bet a year of aging could help.
May 16...having bottle 1864 of 3240, 2012 batch. I'm upping the overall score as this has mellowed and aging has reduced some of the sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 02:52:53 | More by DenverLogan

cyrushire

Florida

3/5  rDev -21.7%

01-28-2013 06:07:27 | More by cyrushire

spoonhawk

Iowa

2/5  rDev -47.8%

01-28-2013 02:38:24 | More by spoonhawk

Sark

Montana

4/5  rDev +4.4%

12-31-2012 05:46:15 | More by Sark

SrMonkey

Wisconsin

2.65/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bottle 022 of 2012 vintage.

Virtually no carbonation even with a hard pour, and the cork was on tight. Lighter brown in color. Has a nice dubbel aroma, dark fruits, clove. Flavors are muted, sweet upfront with fig, other dark fruit, phenols pop up on the finish. As it warms alcohol becomes more prominent on the finish. For style and abv the body is thin.

Mediocre for the style, luckily it was on holiday clearance.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 16:13:33 | More by SrMonkey

ObiWanKushnobi

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +4.4%

12-30-2012 01:21:20 | More by ObiWanKushnobi

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Unibroue tulip glass. Pours a dark walnut amber with virtually no carbonation and a quick pour leaves only a slight ring around the glass. Aroma of dark and dark dried fruit, caramel malt, holiday spicing of cinnamon, cloves and vanilla, only a hint of Belgian spicing. Flavor follows aroma with caramel malt, rich dark dried fruit, lighter cherry and stone fruit, a deft touch of the same holiday spicing with a touch of Belgian yeast. Finishes with dark fruit, sligthly earthy and spicy. A relief after the pour, there is light carbonation to give a medium body and pleasant enough mouth feel. A nicely made holiday ale that is well balanced between malt, fruit and spicing. Needs a bit more carbonation, but maybe this was an anomalous bottle. I will still look for this next year.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 03:27:36 | More by LiquidAmber

hardy008

Minnesota

3.13/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Bottle 3072 of 3240. 2012 Vintage.

Pours a crimson color with a one finger head after an aggressive pour. Has fair retention and spotty lacing. The aroma has figs, dates, cherries, and brown sugar.

Tastes sweet and somewhat boozy with figs, dates, cherries, and brown sugar. Two letdowns for me are the fact that the alcohol is not well hidden. and there is very little carbonation. While the carbonation is a mouth feel issue, it does decrease my enjoyment of this beer.

Medium bodied, and as previously mentioned, very little carbonation. Has an alcohol aftertaste. Overall, not very well made. The biggest of the 2 main problems is the lack of carbonation.If the carbonation was adequate, and the alcohol was properly hidden, this could be a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 03:38:40 | More by hardy008

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.45/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

2012 bottling... ABV is up to 10%... Picked up tonight at Brewforia Meridian for a pricey $16ish on the way home after a long day at work... Bottle# 1816/3240

Poured into my slim tulip... Fairly clear dark walnut brew... short lasting head... no real lacing or cap.

Nose is nice.. fairly rich mix of dark toasty malt.. caramel.. Belgian qualities are a little light leaning toward golden raisin, lighter dried cherries, and some figgy notes.. Nothing is wrong, aromas just lean toward the lighter side.

Flavor is about the same... all nasal notes are amplified, but are still a bit light to be a great BSDA... also seems to be more sweet than should be.. not quite enough bitterness to balance..

Very low carbonation, especially for the style.. needs a lot more bubbles..

Decent brew as it stands... I wonder if more time in the bottle would help... right now, it is woefully undercarbonated and certainly too sweet.

I hoped to like this one more, but this year's Biere De Noel needs to be dialed down for 2013.

I feel bad about writing reviews when the best thing I can give props for is the aroma.. that is this case unfortunately.

3.5/4/3.5/3/3

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 06:02:21 | More by JohnGalt1

BoRaeCho

California

4.75/5  rDev +24%

09-19-2012 16:32:21 | More by BoRaeCho

draheim

Washington

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL (#684 of 1800) into a snifter. Pours a deep ruby amber w/ a crackly 1-finger tan head, lively carbonation.

Aroma is dark fruits (figs, dates), vanilla, brown sugar, holiday spices, and booze. Really enticing aroma.

Taste follows nose. Lots of sticky chewy dried fruits, vanilla, toffee, and a warming touch of alcohol. Delicious. Reminds me more of a barley wine, but good is good.

Mouthfeel is smooth and a little sticky, but the carbonation keeps it crisp and light.

Overall, a really nice tasty warming sipper.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 03:45:44 | More by draheim

BuckeyeSlim

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

04-21-2012 18:02:25 | More by BuckeyeSlim

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.6/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2008 #141

A: Poured a deep cherry amberish color with good carbonation and a nice dirty white cap. Lots of carbonation on this as it was a gusher when I first popped it.

S: Major hints of dark fruits; figs, raisins. Caramel, chocolate cherries and faded cocoa

T: Figs, raisins, plums, candy sweetness, faded cocoa, mint and allspice. Caramel and toffee.

M: Big body, well carbonated, tasty

O: Excellent!

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 00:58:04 | More by barleywinefiend

Halcyondays

California

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle, I've been meaning to try this for a while, and as there was only one bottle remaining at Hi-Times today, I picked it up, assuming this is the 2008 Vintage, it's certainly no younger than 2009, No. 1298/1800, my main brew for Oscar Night 2011,

A: Pours a deep brown with a big, almost gushing white head but dies down quickly. Off-white head, good head retention, solid lace.

S: Beautiful heavy fig, Pedro Ximenez sherry, and brown sugar.

T: Fig heavy, the maltiness is full-flavoured and elegant. Lots of molasses, chocolate cherries, carob.

M: Full-bodied, smooth, soft carbonation, very easy on the palate for how big it is.

D: I never had it fresh, but clearly age hasn't hurt it. I was a little scared of the green bottle, but that hasn't caused a problem thankfully. This beer is great, if there are any bottles laying around pick them up; I would have loved to have this last Christmas. Just a shame I may never have this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 03:04:13 | More by Halcyondays

Wasatch

Utah

4.35/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml
Gold Foil/Capped

Poured into a chalice a very nice amber color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice one-finger plus thick/creamy off-white head, with some nice thick/creamy sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with some slight yeast note, very nice dark fruit notes, and some caramel. The taste is very nice, malty, with some yeast notes, figs, grapes, plums, raisins, with some caramel. Medium body. Very drinkable, Big Sky does a very good job with their 750ml bottles, highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2010 20:29:14 | More by Wasatch

brownbeer

Missouri

3.63/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep amber with a tan head.

Rich maple and raisin on the nose. Reminds me of a doppelbock with a Belgian twist.

Flavor is a bit of a let down. Sweet plump raisin with some heat, caramel, and maple.

It's rich but unrefined. Shows potential but needs work across the board. So far, the Olde Bluehair is the only beer from this series that I would look forward to trying again.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2010 20:44:53 | More by brownbeer

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2008 Vintage. Bottle 836 of 1800.

Poured into Town Hall chalice.

Color is murky caramel brown. Very hazy. Pours a fizzy tan head. Not very appealing.

Aroma: Dark malts, cherries. Very Belgium based. Raisins, yeast, chocolate, and caramel.

Taste: Lots of raisins and spices, cherries, big malt profile, caramel, and chocolate. It definitely fits the style of BSDA well.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth with a slight touch of heat. Medium bodied with a decent amount of carbonation. Ends very malty and somewhat clean.

Overall, a nice winter beer. I definitely like it. Glad we get it here. A nice Belgian style beer brewed by an American brewery. I dig it.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 20:26:02 | More by mothman