La Choulette De Noël
Brasserie La Choulette

Copenhagen 7/3 2020. 75 cl bottle from Brdr. D Vinhandel, Østerbrogade, Kbh. Ø. Drawing of idyllic village where the local brewer is struggling with a big beer barrel on a sleigh on the label.

Pours slightly unclear, copper brown with a big, fluffy yellow-ish head. Settles as thin layer, almost transparent later of foam covering the surface of the beer and crawling up the sides of the glass. Substantial lacing.

Aroma is medium-intense, malty sweet with some spicy notes. Sweet malts, light roast, nuts, caramel, sugar, candy-like sweetness. Raisins and vanilla.

Medium strong carbonation. Thin, oily, lightly tingling texture. A little sticky.

Flavor is intense and has a strong sweetness. Followed by s more moderate bitterness. Aftertaste has a medium strong bitterness and a more subdued sweet undercurrent. Lingers for a bit. A little sugar and booze in the finish.

Not a Christmas beer in the sense that the whole array of Christmas spices has been added. But a strong, sweet beer with a decent bitterness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

750 ml caged and corked bottle. Served in a tulip, the beer pours a slightly hazy amber color with about an inch light tan head. Head retention is good, and there's a lot of lacing. Aroma is mostly malty, it smells like dark fruit (raisins), toffee, caramel, apples and some sweet spices. Taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like dark fruit (raisins, plums), apples, caramel, bready malt, brown sugar, and some cinnamon. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's a bit coating and has a good amount of carbonation. I liked this, and I think it's worth a try if you come across it.

750ml shared with Kevin and Nick pre-Christmas party.

Pour is hazy and a light amber color with a thick off-white head. Thin cap retains for the duration while leaving great lace.

Scents of apple, spice, raisin, caramel, bready and yeasty tones. Pretty good.

Taste is surprisingly plain considering the scent. Somehow reduced to caramel and bready malts, Belgian yeast and some dark fruit. Really not much else going on here.

Light for 7% and low carbonation. Definitely could use some more spritz, just feels weak on the palate.

This is one of the oddest smell-to-taste transfers ever, feels like 2 different beers. The scent+appearance had promise, but it just really lacked elsewhere.

biere de garde is not a style I personally associate with holiday beer in my head, so this was a nice treat, and a rethinking of the Christmas beer paradigm for me. you could have told me this was Belgian and I would have agreed, the yeast is distinctively so. medium range amber color with some soft hazy and a large foaming off white head od teeny tiny bubbles. ring lacing as it sips. smells of sweet malt, subtle herbal spice, and Belgian yeast. there is a candy sweetness as first in the taste, but it is replaced quickly by a sharp spice profile that isn't immediately attributable to the usual suspects. my guess is that a good amount of the spiciness comes from the yeast, which has carbonated this beer robustly enough to clean up the richer sugary malt. a strange thin fruity finish to this one, caught me by surprise a little bit, apples and pears as it closes. a different take on a Christmas beer for sure, but one I enjoyed quite a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

B+

750ml into a tulip. Pours a crystal clear deep copper amber garnet, minor tan cream colored head even with an enthusiastic pour, minor lacing.

Aroma is pulpy overripe fruits, honey, a hint of cherry and notes from a scotch ale.

Flavor is of generic fruits, a little honey and caramel. Quick dry twang quickly is a no bitter finish which fades pleasantly. Medium, smooth bodied, low carbed mouthfeel. Fairly subtle flavor which evolves nicely over a narrow range.
cheers
jd