Christmas Ale
Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV

Christmas AleChristmas Ale
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From:
Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
 
Belgium
Style:
Quadrupel (Quad)
Ranked #20
ABV:
10%
Score:
94
Ranked #2,277
Avg:
4.23 | pDev: 8.98%
Reviews:
870
Ratings:
2,603
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 16, 2024
Added:
Oct 23, 2007
Wants:
  217
Gots:
  540
St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is a dark, seasonal beer, full of wintery character and flavours that we brew every year ready for the festive season.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by chinchill:
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

4.34/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Large 75cl bottle (2012?) served in a large Piraat tulip. Revisited on tap in July (why not?) 2019 and from an 11.2 oz can in my St. Bernardus snifter in December 2023.

A: Dark but clear red-brown body. Large, durable, off-white foamy head,with exceptional lacing. Patchy sticky lace decorates the glass well after tipping. (4.75, but 4.3 from a can).

Aroma: Dark fruits and dark bread crust. Faint spices. yeast and an unfortunate touch of must comes with the yeastiness.

Flavor: Sweet, but not overly so, with hints of toffee and brown sugar. Hints of spices including nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. A suggestion of rum. Dark fruit in abundance. No mustiness, thankfully. Complex and layered. Faint, ripe banana. Loads of depth here, and other flavor components come and go, adding to the enjoyment of this great ale.

Feel: medium body. Medium-heavy but soft carbonation makes for a light and lively feel.. Smooth, sticky and gently warming.

O: More like an ABT 12 than St. Bernardus Prior 8. Better than the Prior 8 and, if not for the aroma, it would be better than the ABT 12 too. Despite the Xmas theme, quite enjoyable in the summer. Highly recommended.
Jun 27, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of brianstrong2
Rated by brianstrong2 from Tennessee

4.54/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Seriously great option. Not quite as good as Abt 12, but solidly 2nd favorite option from Sint Bernardus.
Feb 16, 2024
 
Rated: 4.25 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Feb 04, 2024
Photo of Nass
Reviewed by Nass from Florida

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The pour is amber colored. The 10% abv is well hidden. The body is medium to heavy & on the taste I'm getting some brown bread, dates, fig, toffee, banana, all spice, & clove. In general, Quads are not one of my favorite beer styles but this was one was okay. Cheers! A-
Feb 03, 2024
Photo of scott451
Reviewed by scott451 from Canada (ON)

4.04/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured a 330ml bottle into a chalice. A big two finger tan head on a very dark ruby brown. Excellent head retention. Lots of fine lacing.
Fruit up front in the nose.
Tastes of toffee, caramel. Pepper as it warms. Spicy finish.
Medium body and carbonation.
Very smooth and well balanced.
Jan 21, 2024
Photo of BGDrock
Reviewed by BGDrock from Canada (ON)

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Muggy dark brown body, unfiltered, pouring a full, sandy head, with good retention of a couple minutes.
Rich caramel malt aroma, date cake, warm spices - nutmeg, clove - apple cider, raisin.
Taste has a fruity, malty sweetness, of spiced apple, a touch of molasses, cola, pecan pie, all with a yeasty tang in the finish; medium body and carbonation; feel is lightly sticky and acidic; faint heat of alcohol.

A pleasant dessert, could do well with apple pie. It avoids being heavy handed with spice or sugar, the year and malt take the lead.
Jan 09, 2024
Photo of dhebert87
Reviewed by dhebert87 from Texas

4.35/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
Poured into a stemmed Belgian beer glass. Dark amber color, about 1/2 inch of a caramel to cream colored head. Mild, pleasing aroma certainly not indicative of this 10% ABV quad. Smooth and slightly sweet with notes of dried fruits and a touch of inoffensive bitterness at the finish. A virgin to try this Belgian gem. Will definitely become a holiday tradition for many Christmases to come.
Jan 06, 2024
 
Rated: 4.47 by DarrellK from Florida

Jan 01, 2024
 
Rated: 4.06 by brentblackwell from Georgia

Jan 01, 2024
Photo of barnzy78
Reviewed by barnzy78 from Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
11.2oz bottle; date stamped 04-2027
thanks to Ken for the beer! I’ve had this a couple of times over the years, but somehow missed a review on it
L: brown body with a persistent foamy beige cap
S: spices, Belgian yeast, dark candi sugar, caramel, toffee, banana bread
T: dark fruit, dark candi, bread crust, caramel, toffee, spice, yeast, raisin, fig, banana
F: fuller body, alcohol is warming, moderate carbonation, balanced finish
O: exactly as I remember and what I’ve come to expect from St Bernardus: world class beers
Dec 31, 2023
Photo of DoctorRobert1969
Rated by DoctorRobert1969 from California

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Not really my style but pretty interesting. I’m sure I’m underrating it. Raisins and alcohol I say.
Dec 31, 2023
 
Rated: 3.89 by Ox8840bo from Illinois

Dec 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.24 by Timmmmaaayyy from Pennsylvania

Dec 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.2 by Dethark from England

Dec 26, 2023
Photo of RyanK252
Reviewed by RyanK252 from California

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle poured into a snifter on a foggy Christmas morning.

A: Pours hazy milk chocolate brown with a frothy khaki head that settles to a firm layer and leaves a little spotty lacing.

S: Dark fruit, toasty bready malt, a touch of spice, and dark sugar sweetness.

T: Dark fruit, plum, cherry, and raisin, a little spice, dark sugar, toasty bready malt.

M: On the fuller size of medium body, moderate carbonation.

O: Hits the spot on a cool Christmas day.
Dec 25, 2023
Photo of H-TownMcBuck
Reviewed by H-TownMcBuck from Texas

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Amber, copper ish color, 1/4 inch head, dissipated fairly quick. Retained a slight ring. Nose is mild, sweet, nougat. Flavor is complex, much going on, malty sweetness, cloves, but way smooth, not overwhelming. Remarkably light feel for such a powerful ale. 2 sons and I all would recommend sharing together for Christmas. Cheers!
Dec 25, 2023
Photo of MissouriMule
Reviewed by MissouriMule from Missouri

4.31/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours a dark brown with a red tinge. The head is towering, on the brown side of tan, and persistent. Expect lacing to the last.

The smell is sweet and dominated by raisin and currants. There is also some boozy spice.

The taste is mostly as billed by the brewers, but I did not get the aniseed or caramel. The taste was much more akin to a homemade cherry-cinnamon-clove liqueur I concocted last year.

The feel was a bit thin, but that may be down to the length of time I held the beer in my mouth trying to detect the elusive spice notes
Dec 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.59 by superwho24 from Arkansas

Dec 25, 2023
Photo of brewandbbq
Reviewed by brewandbbq from New Hampshire

4.3/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
750ml bottle from 2012.

Pours dark mahogany with a half-inch head of off-white. Moderate retention and lacing. Plums, dark rum, caramel apples in the nose. Medium bodied with a soft, slickish mouthfeel. Rum-soaked raisins, grape jam, boozy undertones on the palate. Finishes a bit sweet with lingering booze and candied plums.
Dec 23, 2023
Photo of TheHammer
Reviewed by TheHammer from Canada (ON)

4.01/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Poured with a thumb's worth of head that stayed around for quite some time and produced good lace. The body is a deep opaque brown that reveals nothing.

Smell: It needed quite a lot of warming to come out, and an abundance of fig and spice. It's good but it takes a long time to get there.

Taste: Rich fig and plum to start us off with hints of sweet toasted biscuit malt in the background that remind me of savoiardi cookies, only it asserts with allspice and cinnamon and a slightly bitter walnut note before a raisin and mild herb note rounds things out. It's very rich, and is just slightly overdoing things.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation makes this exceptionally creamy to drink, which backed by fairly solid transitioning. The aftertaste is mixed but is a bit cloyingly sweet. Still, the complaints are pretty mild in this case.

Drinkability: Body is very thick, which matches it's richness which really is what they are going for here. This is a once a year, strong, kitchen sink of a drink that teeters on the brink of being over exuberant and unbalanced. It certainly sicks around once you've had it.

Final Thoughts: If this wasn't branded as "Christmas Ale" I'd say as a Quad, this beer is overdone, meaning they pushed the envelope too far and was left with something that manages to stand up but feels disjointed. That said, since it is, the intent seems clear for this one. This is a once a year, drink by the fire beer you have after dinner as a replacement for desert or as a meal in itself. At 10%, your Christmas certainly won't be short on merry with this offering.
Dec 23, 2023
Christmas Ale from Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 2603 ratings