Belgian Beer Appreciation Thread (2024)

I believe I saw this beer at my local store. Will have to investigate further. Be really cool if they had a gift pack with the glass.

 

I really like Belgian beers, but can’t find so many up here in Vermont.

 

Well that stinks. If it was 22 Dec, I would have been tempted to say, “Nuts!”

 

Blackback Pub in Waterbury had Chimay Blue, deDolle Oerbier, de la Senne Zennebier and de Glazen Toren Saison D'erpe Mere on last night.
But they are hard to find on the shelves. Time to fire up the homebrew kettle.

 

It's between this, Duvel and Rochefort 10 for my favorite beer of any style.

 

Drank the entire bottle at room temp and the flavors were popping. Lots of dark bread. Some dark fruits. Fantastic. Cheers!!

 

Straffe Hendrik Quadruple by Brouwerij De Halve Maan ~ 05/24/2026

First time dipping into this treat or anything from this brewery for that matter BA. I will definitely be grabbing more if I can. This devilish brew delivers on all the markings of a great quality Trappist Quad with perhaps it's own markings. The aroma is faint spice and dried fruits with slightly roasted malt notes. I get massive dried fruits in the flavor however with an underlying roasted nut and brown sugar/honey sweetness. Orange blossoms meld with a mixed plate of fig, date, cherry, and a touch of earthy hops, woodsy to me...sprinkled with bit of peppery spice. Somewhat sweet overall but drying in the finish. Has a dark treacle like note to it really but super smooth with a highly attenuated body. A very nice run of 11% merry monk juice if you ask me BA!

 

Unibroue (Canada) ‘La Noël du Trappeur’

This Belgian Style Spiced Ale is the same brew as Trader Joe’s Vintage Spiced Ale, relabeled, sold in France.

Triple post! WBAYDN & Holiday Beer Tasting.,

 

@MadMadMike is the 'winner' with a triple post! Below is a double post (but since it is a virtual side-by-side maybe I get awarded one more post count?):

Let’s go International today!

I purchased a four-pack of St. Bernardus Christmas Ale two years ago (December 2022) with the intention of cellaring some of those beers for subsequent holiday season enjoyment. Well today is the last can from that four-pack. I discussed this beer two years ago in a NBW thread (see verbiage below) and I figured I would just post my thoughts about today’s beer inserted in italics in the review section. A virtual side-by-side tasting if you will.

Below is some information from the brewery’s website:

“Info

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.

Colour

This beer takes on a splendid dark-brown colour that is topped off with a cream-coloured layer of froth.

Characteristics

• Colour Dark
• Type of beer Quadruple / Top fermentation
• Alcohol degree 10 %
• ° Plato 20
• Recommended pouring temperature 8 - 12 °C
• Colour (EBC) 60
• Bitterness (EBU) 20
• Shelf life 4 years (bottle) / 1,5 years (keg)
• Packaging Bottle: 33 cl / 75 cl - Keg: 20 L

Character, taste, aromas

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is an intensely dark beer with a full, yet slightly fruity flavour, overflowing with the tastes of winter and zesty seasonal aromas. Aniseed notes are complemented by hints of creamy caramel and fire-roasted chestnuts. This zestiness shows no signs of abating, pushing through to a magnificent finish of dried fruits and chocolate. Just like all of our beers, this brew bears the imprint of the unique St. Bernardus yeast (dating back to 1946), that gives it its own special complexity. Simply stated, St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is the perfect degustation beer to warm your heart and bring a glow to your loved ones on a cold winter night.”

This beer is categorized as a Quad by the brewery and I suspect it is the same (or very similar) as Abt 12 with the exception of some added spicing.

Let’s see what an Abt 12 with some likely additional spicing tastes like.

Served in my Tripel Karmeliet tulip glass:

Note: Today’s can foamed up quite a bit upon opening causing a bit of a mess.

Appearance:

2022: Mahogany colored with a two finger khaki colored head (with good head retention).

2024: Same

Aroma:

2022: A complex and enticing combination of aromas: mostly dark dried fruits but also some subtle spices aromas (nutmeg?) and a bit of dark bread crust.

2024: Some similarity to the above except the dark dried fruits aromas significantly dominate the aroma with the other aspects much in the background.

Taste:

2022: The flavor follows the nose with all of the stuff detailed above. There is a low/moderate bitterness.

2024: The flavor follows the nose with the dark dried fruits very much in the fore. There is a low/moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

2022: This beer has a medium body accompanied with an off-dry finish.

2024: There is a prickly carbonation and a medium body with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

2022: In one word: excellent! I personally really appreciate the deft hand used for the spice additions – they are in the Goldilocks zone for my palate.

2024: This beer is very good but a tad bit one-dimensional with the aspects of dried dark fruit dominating the aroma/flavor. I did enjoy drinking this beer albeit I consumed it slowly to permit the carbonation level to diminish (out gas) over time.

Did this beer improve with two years of cellaring? My initial reaction is no since the balance of the beer changed with dark dried fruit aromas/flavors very much being dominant. But to each their own.

Merry Christmas one and all!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH

 

I have a lot of Belgian favorites, but this one is on the top of my list. I can't get my hands on it in North Texas but enjoyed it while on the road before retiring.

 

Well, I was able to find 11 of the 12 Days of Christmas Collection from The Bruery yesterday. At least some solace. Ha!

 

Question for the group who may know: I have several years’ versions of st. Bernard’s Christmas ale. (Cans and bottles). How do we know which year they were borned?! The bottles have an exp. Date, the cans only have a random numbers stamped on the bottom of the can…

 

one of the best Belgians out there! I did not find it this year so far

 

Should see something like L4214... on the cans. While not certain, this likely reflects the package date in LYDDD format.

 

the four cans I have show: L3115, L3115, L4234, and L4232.