Tsjeeses Belgian X-Mas Ale
De Struise Brouwers

 

330 mL bottle. 2015 bottle, so probably not doing this much justice. Deep amber. Smells of cardboard and dark fruits. Tastes a little better. Sweet caramel, dark fruits, herbal hops lend an earthy finish. Lightly spice lingers. Medium heavy. Good, but way too old. Will re-review if I try it fresh.

 

Decanted from an 11.2 oz (330 ml) bottle into a Captain Lawrence muffin top, custom taster pint glass; this is the 2013 Vintage (lot 5183647514|bottled 07/2014). Again, trying to get everything in for those of those of you with decoder rings and crystal balls.
A: Pours a murky brown color with a less than one finger, wheat colored head, actually fairly decent retention, and modest rings of lacing.
S: Aromas of caramel more molasses, cocoa, pumpernickel bread, white pepper, honey, and apricot.
T: Sweet. Flavors very much derived from the nose. Certainly some orange zest, more than a touch of cinnamon, and maybe some sarsaparilla. Bitterness solid but definitely in the background this year.
M: Full bodied with solid carbonation up front, moderating with time, impressive for something in the bottle so long. Chewy, really.
O: This still tastes a lot like an English Old Ale to me, but more consistent with the Christmas spices I expect.

Previously, decanted from an 11.2 oz (330 ml) bottle into a Tree House snifter glass; this is the 2012 Vintage (lot 120713042012|bottle lot 16|G|HH). Bottle also says T&J No. 11. Trying to get everything in for those of those of you with decoder rings and crystal balls.
A: Pours a murky brown color with a less than one finger, wheat colored head, rim retention, and minimal lacing.
S: Aromas of caramel more molasses, pumpernickel bread, white pepper, honey, and apricot.
T: Sweet. Flavors very much derived from the nose. Certainly some Graham cracker and maybe a touch of cinnamon. Strong, really too strong bitterness leaves a pepper/cumin flavor lingering on the palate (especially initially).
M: Full bodied with solid carbonation up front, moderating with time, impressive for something in the bottle so long. Chewy, really.
O: This tastes a lot like an English Old Ale to me. Maybe I am just being provincially American, but got only a jot of Christmas spice throughout. That said, really didn't know what to expect and it was enjoyable enough within those style boundaries. Perhaps my palate just isn't sophisticated enough. This is a bit old: I have the 2013 Vintage and let's see how that goes.

Bourbon barrel aged variant (2013 vintage).

Rusted coppery brown. Pure white head...large soapy bubbles cling to edges.
Montmorency cherries, Belgian candi nose, tart and semi-sweet. Chocolate malt balls, ginger and clove spice.
Chinese five spice, dried sugar plums, orange peel, crusty brown bread, cardamom tea, and raisin. Bourbon aging imparts a woody and sweet toffee treacle. Not overly boozy, but it has some legs.

Unknown vintage, possibly a few years; drank 4/19/14 @ the Yarchives.

Orange rust murkiness; lots of off-white flotsam.

Minimal off-white head; almost no lace.

Apple cider nose.

Medium thin mouthfeel.

Watery apple cider flavor; drinkable but not very good.

A far cry from Tsjeeses Reserva's majestic greatness. Oxidized, perhaps?!

From the 11.2 oz bottle in a snifter. This 2011 vintage pours a
lightly cloudy orange tinged tea color with a light head of quickly
dissipating foam that leaves behind a faint ring and scant dusty
layer. Nose of Belgian candy, subtle fruit, subtle dark breaded
notes, and faint Belgian spice of coriander. Flavors lightly exceed
the nose with brown sugars and candy sugars dashed with dark
cranberry bread. Tea and orange zest also show with warmth
amongst a light coriander note. Mouth feel is low carbonation,
medium light body, and a lightly sweet finish.

Overall, a nice brew, but would be better fresher.

Cheers

Pretty dark, murky for a pale ale. Modest foam. Malty and sweet, almost cloying. The spice is mild. Really enjoyed this one alot.

 

 

 

was lucky enough to have my neighbor share a bottle of the 2012 vintage this weekend, as we drank through way too many christmas beers in one sitting. this one has ages super well, and i actually liked it better than the bourbon barrel aged version from 2013, which he also graciously shared in the same absurd session. this one is a little cloudier, a less pronounced red looking color, more of a copper, with some haze and a short off white head that settles fast. it smells amazingly mature, i get a light tannic and oak thing, although im not sure this sees any way. i get some lightly faded hops which add perhaps a little oxidation here, plenty of raisin but its not fruity or sweet, and a belgian yeast thats stood the test of time, peppery and slightly vinous, malt base like a barleywine rather than anything belgian, at least at this stage. all of this is true in the flavor too, lightly nutty, decadent without being sugary, brandy notes, dried plum, star anise, black tea, faint orange peel, black pepper, candied pear, and a liquid breadiness bringing it all together. not particularly boozy, in great shape for its age, and a really nice christmas beer without forcing the holiday vibe at all, which i greatly appreciate in this day and age. always a treat to drink beer from de struise, they all seem to age so well. this rules, id love to try it fresh sometime too!

 

 

Poured to a Mikkeller tasting glass.

A: Body is very orange and and crystalline, head is minimal but looks like a BSPA with some more darker and orange-y tones.
S: The aroma is very strong of belgian candi, caramel and molasses.
T: Taste is mostly of belgian candi, to an extend that's even too intense.
M: Body is medium. Alcohol is unnoticed. Bitterness is low. Sweetness is medium high.
O: Not the most interesting beer to have in Christmas due to its intensity on belgian candi and caramel, but it's still drinkable.

 

 

2008 vintage (!) that i got for $2.50(!) on discount

It looks like belgian beer but up against a light it almost looks like wine or really dark mead, thin ring of very small bubbles with a little carbonation in a 10oz snifter filled halfway.

smell is sweet belgian beer smell. It almost smells like wood, earthy mosses next to a honeydew plant with a very sweet floral note. Then over that it smells like old beer. maybe some medicinal smells going on? the spices have taken on a different character probably.

Sweet taste. Reminds me of a barley wine or old ale but not a super sweet one. Belgian beer taste which is very much like the smell. Maybe a little bit of bitterness?

Mouthfeel is great, full bodied. When i smelled this beer I could tell it would have a nice body to it. probably the best part.

Cool beer experience. Won't try again.

 

Wotta great Christmas in 2017! I have been working on the slow production of a Christmas (crock) pot roast for my third straight year & drinking some Christmas/holiday beers while doing so.

From the bottle: "Belgian X-Mas Ale".

Once more, I prised off the cap only to begin a gentle pour into the awaiting glass. Once completed, I gave it a vigorous in-glass swirl that briefly raised a finger of soapy, foamy, light-tan head that quickly dissipated into wisps. Color was Coppery-Brown (SRM = > 17, < 22) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a bready, slightly honey-sweet quality along with a light stone fruitiness. Hmm. I might have said "fruitcake", but that would have been imprecise. Still, it should give you a sense of what this one was about. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was an interesting mélange, ranging from freshly-baked bread to a light nuttiness to dark, dried stone fruit to light caramel. It all added up to a Belgian-style holiday treat, but it might not be everyone's cuppa tea. I especially liked that it finished very dry in spite of all of the raucous, riotous flavors involved. YMMV.

 

 

 

 

 

This was poured into a sniffer. The appearance is a hazy semi-dark brown color with a nice somewhat fluffy white foamy head that ends up lightly concaving in its lacing against the glass. There’s some nice adequate foamy lacing trying to stick but sliding for the most part. The smell has a nice chocolate malt up front that once it warms there’s a nice light spice gently coming through - mainly some ginger and allspice, but I do get some light clove. The taste was sweet and spicy and the chocolate really takes over for the most part and actually tastes more like cocoa nibs than just plain chocolate. There’s a quick dry spicy and slightly cocoa finish. On the palate, this one sits right on the medium bodied. It wants to show some sort of sessionable aspect but shows a nice sipping quality about it. Overall, this one is a very nice Belgian Strong Ale worthy to have around the holidays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE 12/22/2017): Had this in a side-by-side with the 2013 Tsjeeses Reserva (Porto Barrel Aged); This beer was still really good. I don't remember any metallic tang in the flavor that I got when having had it previously.

Total Wine; sale $2. 11.2 oz. Dated 2015.

One of the better Belgium's. The only thing I slightly didn't like was the finish: it had a subtle metallic tang in the finish. It may be because of it's age, like an old ale, such that it will hopefully disappear in another year. I have another one I am cellaring.

 

 

Poured from 0.33l bottle into goblet.
L:Dark copper/amber color with a weak foam head.
S: Deep sweet smell. Citrus. Complex.
T: Apricot, sweets,caramel, lacrice.
F: Great balanced with nice afterateste. Low carbonation.
O: Surprised with this one! Worth a try.

 

 

 

Bottle shared thanks to kermis. 2012 vintage. Gusher. Hazy orange pour with a thin white head. Funky brett, caramel, honey, paracetamol. Medium body, low carbonation and a bitter-sweet finish.