Corsendonk Christmas Ale
Brouwerij Corsendonk

*archived rating*

Poured cellar temp from a bottle into a 12 oz tulip glass.
Appearance is ruby brown, deep 2-finger head. Looks fairly clear with less visible carbonation than I expected.
Aroma is yeasty bread, malts, cherries and/or stonefruit.
Taste follows the nose with yeasty bread, plenty of malt, some peppery spices, stonefruit, cherries.
Mouthful is medium. Very smooth and balanced between the sweet malt and peppery notes and very slight alcohol warmth.
Overall, this is a very good Belgian Christmas Ale. Smooth, enjoyable, delicious. One of the better of this style that I've had the opportunity to try.

 

Copenhagen 27/12 2025. 33 cl bottle from a gift box from Føtex bought by my girlfriend and daughter. Blue label with a little mosaic with Mary and a new born Jesus (Hallelujah).

Pours clear mahogany with a red hue and a big off-white head. Stable. Settles as a thin but unbroken layer of foam just covering the surface of the beer. Clinging to the sides of the glass. Substantial lacing.

Aroma is medium intense. Dampened a bit by the foam. Sweet and toasted odor mingling with a sugary scent. Caramel, toffee and a bit of brown sugar. Dark alcohol lurking. Raisins and plums. Pleasant and dark.

Light carbonation. Medium thick, oily, soft, a bit viscous, gently tingling texture.

Flavor is fairly intense with a strong sweetness followed by a moderately strong bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet with a light body burn. Lingers for a while. Finish is sweet and a bit sugary.

Real nice Christmas Treat.

 

Time for another holiday-themed beer. Bottle has a best by date of Jul 18 2026. Poured into a Corsendonk-branded tulip glass.

A gentle pour yields a two inch rocky dense head, tan color. Amazing amount of lacing forms in rings around the glass. The beer itself is a beautiful dark burgundy-red with good clarity, a steady stream of bubbles coming from the bottom of the glass.

Aromas of dark raisin bread, spices, and dark fruits.

Dark bread, spices, dark fruits, some caramel-like sweetness. A mild bitterness on the finish provides a little drying on the palate.

Medium body. Not really thick, but the beer coats the mouth to allow the flavor to linger for a while.

Delicious beer to have as part of your holiday celebrations, or anytime actually.

I loved this one. I had it with several other people at our 2025 Christmas party. Deep and dark and complex. Lots of big yeast and dough notes. It hides the alcohol so well.

Poured from 750 mL bottle into Spencer snifter.
A: Pours a very dark brown hue with 1 inch frothy light tan head that gradually settles to a thin skim.
S: Golden raisins, honey malt, caramel, creamy marshmallow, herbal holiday spice, and a touch of milk chocolate.
T: Nutmeg, honeyed malt, raisins, cinnamon, light caramel, creamy marshmallow, milk chocolate, and a hint of orange citrus.
M: Medium body. Effervescent with some liveliness on the palate. Caramel and dark dried fruit sweetness with earthy spice and a touch of citrus acidity. Lingers and matures nicely on the palate.
D: Excellent for style. A pleasantly enjoyable and sessionable holiday brew with the relatively low ABV.

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a New Glarus snifter. Pours a light brown with over three fingers of dark khaki colored foam head. Dark fruits, rye bread and some floral and also fruity hops on the nose and taste. It would almost be sweet except it has an earthy and floral quality to it as well as some bready, yeasty aromas and flavors. Really delicious though. Medium-full mouthfeel. This isn’t overly complex nor overly ‘festive’ but I will say it could make a great introduction to slightly stronger Belgian ales. I liked it.

 

L- Deep ruby chestnut brown, pours clear with a fat 4cm pale tan rocky head (nucleated glass).
S- Fruity, stewed fruit and slightly rich.
T- Touches of spice, balancing solid malts. Hops bold enough to balance it all come in too.
F- Blessedly not over-rich. Well suited to xmas.
O- Lovely

Had this on 2024-12-24 near Pittsburgh, PA from an 11.2 oz bottle

L - Very dark brown with a 3-finger tan head and moderate lace

S - Fresh baked whole wheat bread, earthy spice and cinnamon

T - Bready malt, caramel, semi-sweet chocolate, dates, earthy spice, fruit cake, orange pith for some moderating bitterness.

F - Medium-heavy body and medium carbonation. Smooth.

O - A very fine Dark Strong Ale with a slight spicy-sweet nod to the holiday but you can drink it year-round.

 

 

 

 

 

This one is not overdone with holiday spices or flavors. That said, this is a belgian which is not my thing. If you like a heartier belgia ale, this may be z holidsy go to for you.

Malty, smooth, and sweet.