Grimbergen Winter-Hiver
Brouwerij Alken-Maes
- From:
- Brouwerij Alken-Maes
- Belgium
- Style:
- Belgian Dark Ale
Ranked #50 - ABV:
- 6.5%
- Score:
- 81
Ranked #35,720 - Avg:
- 3.5 | pDev: 10%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 10
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Nov 13, 2025
- Added:
- Oct 10, 2012
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
81
Good
81
Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by DraftMonger from Denmark
3.25/5 rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.25/5 rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Copenhagen 28/12 2018. 33 cl bottle from Ølhandleren in Give webshop. A Phoenix on the label in a Silver version of Grimbergen's usual design.
Pours clear, dark brown with a red hue and a medium-sized off-white head. Settles as 0,5 cm thick layer of foam crawling up the side of the glass. Substantial lacing.
Aroma is surprisingly subdued. Sweet with caramel, brown sugar and light metallic odor of alcohol.
Medium strong carbonation. Slightly thick, very lively yet creamy texture.
Flavor is fairly sweet followed by a medium strong bitterness. Aftertaste is lightly bitter with a little sweetness chiming in. Lingers for a bit.
Sweet Christmas brew. Reminds me a bit of Grimbergen's Double Ambrée.
Nov 13, 2025Pours clear, dark brown with a red hue and a medium-sized off-white head. Settles as 0,5 cm thick layer of foam crawling up the side of the glass. Substantial lacing.
Aroma is surprisingly subdued. Sweet with caramel, brown sugar and light metallic odor of alcohol.
Medium strong carbonation. Slightly thick, very lively yet creamy texture.
Flavor is fairly sweet followed by a medium strong bitterness. Aftertaste is lightly bitter with a little sweetness chiming in. Lingers for a bit.
Sweet Christmas brew. Reminds me a bit of Grimbergen's Double Ambrée.
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England
3.17/5 rDev -9.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.25
3.17/5 rDev -9.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.25
Blind-tasted ex brewery, name, ABV%
L- Deep chestnut, pours clear (filtered) with 2cm cream coloured dense-bubble head. Holds well.
S- Deep malts are all that register for my winter nose...
T- Super deep malts indeed! Then a really bright hoppy zing lifts the palate up and away. I later start sensing that the malts are maybe becoming a little sugary...
F- There is bright CO2 in the mouth too, that parallels with the bright hoppy^ aspect.
O- It's a good looking beer, for sure, but I'm troubled by the sense of creeping sweetness (vs 'rich') here. It seems unlikely it's an adjunct or has added sugar but for some reason it appears headed that way for me. Something doesn't seem quite right in the malts/carbs aspect... hmmm. Not for me...
Bought from BeersOfEurope/UK 330ml bottle. Now I've rated/reviewed it in draft I'll check the bottle for any clues: BB: 25/09/25
The lable is in French, however this 'Abbey beer' has in it's ingredients: Glucose syrup, sugar, Colouring E150c [!?], hop extract. Good gawd, how do those monks sleep at night brewing up all of that... That merits 1.0 full points off my overall score, and it should rightfully be greater than that. I've seen unexpected adjuncts used before, even by monks (this same brewery?) but colouring.... seriously!!?
Dec 02, 2024L- Deep chestnut, pours clear (filtered) with 2cm cream coloured dense-bubble head. Holds well.
S- Deep malts are all that register for my winter nose...
T- Super deep malts indeed! Then a really bright hoppy zing lifts the palate up and away. I later start sensing that the malts are maybe becoming a little sugary...
F- There is bright CO2 in the mouth too, that parallels with the bright hoppy^ aspect.
O- It's a good looking beer, for sure, but I'm troubled by the sense of creeping sweetness (vs 'rich') here. It seems unlikely it's an adjunct or has added sugar but for some reason it appears headed that way for me. Something doesn't seem quite right in the malts/carbs aspect... hmmm. Not for me...
Bought from BeersOfEurope/UK 330ml bottle. Now I've rated/reviewed it in draft I'll check the bottle for any clues: BB: 25/09/25
The lable is in French, however this 'Abbey beer' has in it's ingredients: Glucose syrup, sugar, Colouring E150c [!?], hop extract. Good gawd, how do those monks sleep at night brewing up all of that... That merits 1.0 full points off my overall score, and it should rightfully be greater than that. I've seen unexpected adjuncts used before, even by monks (this same brewery?) but colouring.... seriously!!?
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway
3.22/5 rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
3.22/5 rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Clear chestnut to mahogany colour, moderate to low off-white to beige head. Aroma with strong notes of caramel and brown sugar, also notes of mild Christmas spices. Medium sweet flavour, again with caramel and mild Christmas spices. Is this really the same beer as Brassin de Noël (ABV is the same), or is the recipe slightly different?
May 15, 2021
Reviewed by BeerAndGasMasks from Virginia
3.54/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.54/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From the bottle, it pours a clear coppery reddish brown with a nice big bubbled head that soon reduces. In the nose, it is sweetish malt. In the mouth, it is sweetish malt with a touch of spiciness.
Mar 20, 2020Reviewed by Magnificent_Bastard
2.92/5 rDev -16.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
2.92/5 rDev -16.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Dark chocolate brown. nice head retention. Pretty run-of-the-mill belgian ale, like leffe. very clean and industrial, but well made and balanced. nothing wrong, nothing too exciting. a crowdpleaser
Nose. Sweet malt, dark chocolate, cold coffee,licorice and caramel toffee
Nice creamy texture in the mouth, velvety and soft, yet medium bodied. flavors are sweet and caramel-syropy, with a slight bitter nut and espresso bean on the finish. faint metallic note on the close as well.
Jan 17, 2020Nose. Sweet malt, dark chocolate, cold coffee,licorice and caramel toffee
Nice creamy texture in the mouth, velvety and soft, yet medium bodied. flavors are sweet and caramel-syropy, with a slight bitter nut and espresso bean on the finish. faint metallic note on the close as well.
Reviewed by OlaB from Norway
3.58/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.58/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours a dark brown-reddish color with a medium top of beige-white head that dissolves slowly and leaves some decent lacings.
Aroma is of dark malts,caramel, brown sugar, dark ripe fruits and some spices.
The taste is sweet with some notes of dark fruits and brown sugar, while in the back is some malty tones of caramel and liqorice. The finish has some slight bitternes with some toasted malty notes in the back, but else is kind of bland and watery in the flavour and the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is soft and smooth with a high carbonation and a medium body.
A decent enough dark ale, but far from being very exiting. You find far better examples of a dark ale out there.
Jan 20, 2019Aroma is of dark malts,caramel, brown sugar, dark ripe fruits and some spices.
The taste is sweet with some notes of dark fruits and brown sugar, while in the back is some malty tones of caramel and liqorice. The finish has some slight bitternes with some toasted malty notes in the back, but else is kind of bland and watery in the flavour and the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is soft and smooth with a high carbonation and a medium body.
A decent enough dark ale, but far from being very exiting. You find far better examples of a dark ale out there.
Reviewed by josanguapo from Spain
3.96/5 rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
3.96/5 rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
From Uvinum. In La Trappe chalice. Watching Vikings 4x04. Stickily sugary. Great in nose but the sugar is a bit more than desiderable in mouth, not excessively but more than I like. Watery texture but compesated with a warming feeling
Apr 22, 2016
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