Rudolphe
Brasserie De Silenrieux S.A. (Chez L'Père Sarrasin)

Forget all imagery of a shinny, glowing nose - this Rudolphe couldn't guide a light-bulb through a sunny park in the middle of July. Its murky brown complexion is like muddy sand and offers no highlights. I can think of a lot of names to call Rudolphe - few very nice. Its head appears as moist and densely packed brown sugar (which is to become a theme throughout this beer).

Like nearly all Belgian ales, this one relies on an explicitly flamboyant yeast for its aromatics. It's another beer where the password is 'spice and fruit'. More specifically, it's hints of nutmeg, carob, tea leaf, orange rind and fruitcake that listlessly flutter around the nostrils, while notes of gingerbread and brown sugar waste no time in shooting right up into them. Well perfumed and enticing.

Rudolphe is kind of like a Christmas cake on steroids - it has a spiced, sweet, sticky-wet and spongy makeup, tasting of dried fruits, raisins, apples, orange rind, honey, and tons of moist brown sugar densely packed in. I imagine it might pair nicely with Carbonade Flamande or, at the other end, sweet waffles, but personally I'd enjoy it on its own. There's too much good stuff going on, you'd hate to miss it.

The palate becomes saturated in molasses sweetness and macerated dark fruits (imagine re-hydrating dried berries in port). But there's decent density; this is endowed with more maltiness than many beers its strength. Following more than a half hour of aeration, the beer still concludes gracefully. This might suggest a drinking window beyond what the brewery suggested, but I'm glad I opened it this Christmas (not next).

If you like what you've read (rich fruit cake, etc.) then it's safe to say that you'd be ok with Rudolphe guiding your sleigh any night. This spicy, malty, deceivingly strong beer makes a nice holiday tipple, in the presence of a fireplace and tree all the better. While I don't expect to come across this beer again any time soon, hopefully some of the other good boys and girls in the world will. It's good stuff.