St. Feuillien Cuvée De Noël
Brasserie St. Feuillien

2007 vintage cellar review:
Cork held up, mild gas release on opening.

Appearance: Fails to hold a head, brief flash of white. Glass is dark amber, opaque but shows clarity at the edges.

Aroma: Heavy honey note, some dark malt extract. Mildest gingerbread note.

Taste: Very neutral, mild caramel sweetness, very light tonic water bitter more than any hop note. It's notable in what's missing. No off flavors, no Christmas spice, no Belgian funk, just a clean mild brown ale.

Mouthfeel: Very, very low carbonation, medium light body, clean finish.

Overall: Yeah, cellar at will. Probably better with a little less age, this one kinda got lost in the archives, but for 15 years old it held up very well. Will look for fresh examples, some to drink, some to hold.

Copenhagen 27/12 2015. 75 cl bottle from Føtex, Mimersgade, Kbh. NV. A lot of gold, red and a holly on the label.

Pours clear dark copper brown with a yellowish head. Settles as a thin layer of foam struggling to cover the surface of the beer.

Aroma is intense. Sweet caramel, raisins and prunes with some yeast. In addition to this some sharp, tart floral notes.

Pretty strong carbonation and a thick palate.

Flavor is sugary caramel, raisins and Belgian yeast. Aftertaste is more balanced with brown sugar balanced by a tart fruitiness.

A nice Belgian ale with enough hints to Christmas to qualify as a seasonal.

Dark, purplish brown. Short-lived, thick head. Caramel smell. Banana ester, grape, malt, Maillard. Small, plentiful bubbles. Strong bite, but not of ethanol.

 

Bottle 0.75L.
Hazy, deep amber body with a huge, frothy, tan head, mostly lasting with nice lacing.
Moderate-to-heavy malty (caramel) and light hoppy (orange) aroma with notes of cherries, raisins, brown sugar and some spices.
Moderate-to-heavy sweet flavour with light acidity in the finish and very light bitterness.
Medium-to-full body with creamy texture; soft carbonation.

From a bottle into a chalice. Pours a rich chocolate brown with white foam. Smells fruity and bready. Tastes of fruit and gingerbread. Medium bodied and slightly sharp.

 

 

33cl (11.2) oz bottle served in a St. Feuillien goblet. CN275-78ST3 4/10/26 12:05.

Appearance: Slow pour to leave the sediment behind left a brown/dark amber beer with a 1/2" persistent tan head and some islands and strands of lacing.

Smell: Fruity esters, yeasty, bready, and a hint of something spicy. Quite nice.

Taste: Fruity esters, herbal/old noble hops, dark fruits, darkly caramelized sugar, and something else I can't quite pull out. Quite tasty and fun to sip and savor.

Mouthfeel: Prickly carbonation, and a little airy as well. A little bit sticky, good thickness, dry finish.

Overall / Drinkability: A very nice Belgian dark ale, with lots going on. Definitely a good one to sip and savor early in the holiday season. Definitely could have another one, as it's dangerously drinkable.

 

New edition, 2024 still 9% abv. Not sure if it the same as the previous rated beers. Every year might have its own edition.
Copper brown, achorn colour, good solid 3 finger off white head.
Lovely smell, anice, liquorice (which is infused),
Taste follows smell.
Wonderful full creamy mouth feel.
Not very fond of infused beers.
But this is very good.

 

Bottled and purchased from Beermoth in Manchester City Centre and purchased to finish the Office Christmas do, but wasn’t in the mood
Pours a red hued amber body with reassuring white head
Aroma is red laces and candy canes
Flavour is ruby port and dry ice

 

Fruity aroma, some carbonation, had a slight wine taste, complex and Inter

2021 bottle.
dark red, ruby, with a hint of brown. very foamy.

Aroma of cherry, raisins, chocolate, vanilla, spices of cinnamon, nutmeg? and coriander.
Bitter, but also sweet in the end.
Lots of liquorice taste which I'm not a big fan of.
finish slightly bitter.

I really liked the smell, but did not like the taste as much.

 

Pours a hazy ruby-brown in the goblet, the head explodes no matter how careful the pour. What results is a three finger thick, foamy and rocky head that slowly collapses over the course of a few minutes into a one inch thick, dense ring that leaves generous lacing all the way through.

Immediate notes of incredibly strong malt and yeast, caramel, spices, nutmeg and dark fleshy fruits.

Taste follows the nose but in the opposite way, with spices hitting your palate before the malt. Mild hop bitterness on the finish, and I’m taking the lessened bitterness/hop character relative to other reviews as my bottle is a few months older than most others (it is definitely not Christmas anymore).

Mild chocolate, cherries, sticky toffee pudding are the main sweet flavours. Cognac or brandy add to the spicy category (the abv% likely helping his perception) a little bit of cinnamon flavours, some nutmeg, and general yeasty phenolic spices. Licorice is at the forefront of the spices but is much milder than I expected from what I had heard. Don’t get too much from the hop side other than a general bitterness, but definite yeasty, malty, caramel soaked goodness from the grainy side. Really enjoyable melding of multiple flavours. Buttery smooth on the finish. Tastes like I just had some toasted bread with butter and cinnamon.

Body is surprisingly medium light, easily drinkable and not too heavy. The carbonation is quite good, especially for my bottle which is more than a few months out. Surprised me in its character — it’s prickly at your tongue and foamy in the mouth. For me I always enjoy slightly less carbonation on higher abv% beers with lots of subtle character, as the carbonation can ‘wash’ some of the flavours away, but this is still really good. Not bad at all, just unexpected.

As with most Belgians and many other complex styles, this beer continues to evolve in character and feel as it warms. Always recommend letting it get that air and warm up. Some of the stronger flavours are tamped down and meld more, revealing other subtle notes, such as ginger. The molasses character comes out more too.

Overall a really nice winter beer, one I particularly enjoyed as I’ve been looking for spice forward beers. The winter ales and warmers I’ve had are all American style, while complex in the hop department, malty spicey goodness is always my first love. Enjoyable, easily distinguishable from other Belgian offerings, suitably complex, I simply do not understand some of the poorer ratings in regards to too much aniseed. It’s possible my bottle mellowed in the months in the bottle, but this was great with a lot of subtle character without anything being too overwhelming.

I’d say anyone who tried it and found any aspect too overwhelming, let the rest of your bottles sit for half a year or longer if you’d like. It very clearly mellows out the brew, making it eminently enjoyable

Medium brown body with a hint of ruby, showing glimmers through the unfiltered body; toasted almond head forms high and stick around with solid retention of several minutes.
Warm caramel malt aroma, touch of sticky toffee pudding, but also a crisp freshness like fresh mountain water. Not sweet.
Flavour shows caramel again, muted fruity esters, plum, dashes of alcohol heat and buttery fat, whisps of spice in the finish; some stickiness to the feel, but it's not sugary/syrupy, which I'd feared it might be as a christmas beer; finish is off dry, medium body, medium, prickly carbonation.

A fine, easy-drinking Belgian brew that is fitting for cooler months, but the flavour is one-noted and doesn't express a real 'christmas-y' character to make it distinct or very interesting.

Looks clear dark caramel and chestnut, weak light foam. Tastes roasted nut with butter finish, very sweet. Something fresh, too, maybe spearmint? The aftertaste not extremely pleasant, sugary and syrop-y. Nose cognac, hay, wood. Feels chewy and well carbonated.