Bottle sampled at Essen Winterbier festival 2015. Appears very hazy brown with a big bubbly cream head. Aroma of speculaas, veggies, yeast, overripe dark fruit and caramel. Flavour is over moderate sweet and light moderate bitter. Medium bodied with light to moderate carbonation.

A hybrid of barley wine and Doppelbock, thanks to Craftmember for bringing this from the Netherlands. Frothy, egg-white, lacing, milky head over a hazy mahogany coloured beer with bronze hue. Aroma of gingerbread and ’pepernoot’ (quite appropriate for this time of the year!), caramel, some ’natural’ iron, amaretto, dried leaves, cocoa, dried banana, peach and of course the old familiar ’speculoos’. Soft sweet onset with a clear (intended) ’speculoos’ flavour not unlike Ecaussinnes’ Cookie Beer but less one-dimensional, surrounded by hints of fig, medlar and candied orange, soft carbo, fluffy caramelly malt sweetness underneath with a very light toasted accent somewhere; ends in ongoing speculoos sweet spiciness well paired with a soft, gentle, leafy and herbal hop bitterishness and a glow of warming, slightly liqueurish alcohol. Sweet, but in a multidimensional and subtle kind of way, beautifully balanced with faint sourish and gently bittering flavours - this is delicious.

Bottle @ ansjelaah. Dark amber colour with a small to medium sized off-white head. Smells pepernoten, speculaas, sweet, malts, herbs, schrobbelaer. Tastes sweet, malts, raisins, speculaas, pepernoten, hint of iron. Medium body, soft to medium carbo.

Braun-rötliche Farbe, Geruch nach dunklem Bier mit Weihnachtsgewürzen. Der Antrunk ist vollmundig-malzig, schön mild. Schon zum Ende des Antrunks hin machen sich die typischen holländisch-belgischen Spekulatiustöne breit. Genau wie die Kaffee-Kekse von Lotus. Der Hauptteil ist von diesen «Sepculoos-Aromen» geprägt, malzig-süßlich, wie dickflüssiger Keks mit einer leichten Alkoholnote. Auf der Zunge bleibt der Keks mit einer angenehmen malzigen Bitterkeit.
--> Wer Gewürzspekulatius mag, wird dieses Bier lieben. Ich persönlich finde es sehr interessant, bin aber noch nicht so ganz von der Aromenmischung überzeugt.
Test vom 26.12.2010, Gebinde: Glasflasche Noten: 12,10,12,12,12,12 - 11,70

Pours dark amber good white head Grainy smell Lower carbo Grainy , bit yeasty . Bit bitter Dont get any coockie ..

Nice beer, really warm and spicey. It has actual notes of speculaas and cinnamon and not in a chemical way, but in a real organic way. Complex aroma and taste.

Sampled at the 18th Christmas beerfestival in Essen on 15th Dec 2012. Looked fine: a deep copper body with a light tanned head. Sweet malty aroma, with winter spices and a nut note. The taste was also malty, spiced and with a mild nut feel to the overall flavour. The alcohol is never far away in the body feel and a cinnamon taste beings to take over towards the end of each sip. Different and interesting.

rood/bruin met schuimge licht kaki kraag aroma: moutig, zoet, caramout, brood, deeg, banaan, speculaaskruiden smaken: medium zoet, licht bitter, stevig, redelijk fruitig, rood fruit, banaan, kruidnagel, taart, kaneel, gedroogd fruit, vanille, anijs, lekker fruitig. medium body, dun, laag van co2, afdronk: kruidig/zoetig hij had van mij een iets vollere body mogen hebben. Ondanks de vele smaken kwam hij toch vrij dun over in de mond. aardig Maar verveelt snel. waarom een 75 cl ?

Bottle @ Papsø. Pours a hazy orange color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty spicy caramel aroma. Fruity malty spicy bitter caramel and dark fruit flavor. Has a fruity malty spicy caramel and dark fruit finish.