Bottle at home on Christmas Eve. A deep murky brown pour with a healthy white Belgian head on top. Aroma of festive spices, dark fruit and malts. Tastes of dark fruit, raisins, Christmas cake, really sweet, caramel, hint of coffee. A really delicious Belgian Christmas beer, I could relax in a corner by a real log fire and drink this all evening.

Bottle. The label says it is a natural beer with only malt, hops, and yeast, and no additives. Medium brown with a tall, fine, long-lasting head. Aroma of amber malts, yeast, chocolate and spices. Rather roasted, burnt flavor, very malty. A touch sweet, but overall dry. A bit of an earthy flavor as well. Very solid and rich. Lots of carbonation. Very malty and medium to heavy body. Sour taste as well as dryness. Some natural spiciness, maybe a touch of vanilla? Alcohol heat comes mostly in the finish, along with a dry taste, though it doesn’t quite seem like hops. An excellent, rich beer, but not really Christmas-like. Good and strong, though, so it is a bit wintery.

17th July 2008. Brown beer. Rich sweet creamy malt with a strong marmite tone. Dry finish with a little coca cola. Very drinkable.

33cl bottle at home, from ølbutikken. came out of the bottle to greet me, but not faster than i could pour it into the glass in a controlled manner. unclear brown wth plenty of small particles, even though i tried to pour really carefully, small brown head. As usual with abbaye des rocks, giant pile of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. initial aroma impression is spices and funk, hints of something similar to th leathery notes in cantillion, which i quite didn’t expect. warming up i get mouldy and dark fruity, some caramel, and sweetness, The leather impression disappears. aroma is complex and promising. flavor is well balanced, licorice, faint dark fruits, cardemom, spices, dark caramel, faint roasted grains (coffee? tobacco?). this is very good. a dry not too sweet ever slightly roasted version of a spicy christmas beer. You’d never guess it was as strong as 9%.. (2005-12-07) 75cl bottle from ølbutikken.judging by looks the beer has changed big time, appears clear to slightly hazy brown, no floaties and a smooth head. Also the beer opened like a macro, no spillage , no gushing. Aroma is cellary, yeasty, malty, nutty, sort of like a dry belgian quad , missing the dried dark fruits usually in those, however i do get a little apple and figs, but it is faint. Flavor is clean, belgian yeasty, malty, very slightly fruity, notes of alc. not as wild as i remember it, perhaps they changed something. flavor style reminds me of leffe brune, only more alc. and a little more complex flavor. Still very tasty though, and a lot more easy drinking than the old one, but i would by far prefer the one i tasted in 2009 to this one.

Green bottle, 75 cl, best before end of 2010, via Importations Privées Bièropholie, savoured on July 11 2009; eye: caramel, hazy, suspended matter, no effervescence, voluminous tan head that falls and turns into a creamy sheet, no lacing; nose: fruity, caramel malt, light molasses, candied fruits, alcohol, light tobacco, light yeast; mouth: fruity, caramel malt, candied fruits, alcohol, light tobacco, yeast, molasses, finale in caramel malt with presence of alcohol, medium-full body, mildly sweet, rather carbonated, foamy texture; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Bouteille verte, 75 cl, meilleure avant fin 2010, via Importations Privées Bièropholie, savourée le 11 juillet 2009; œil : caramel, voilée, matière en suspension, pas d’effervescence, mousse fauve abondante qui tombe et se transforme en une couverture mousseuse, pas de dentelle; nez : fruitée, malt caramel, léger mélasse, fruits confits, alcool, léger tabac, léger levure; bouche : fruitée, malt caramel, fruits confits, alcool, léger tabac, levure, mélasse, finale en malt caramel avec présence d’alcool, corps moyen-corsée, moyennement sucrée, plutôt carbonatée, texture mousseuse; en résumé : bien

bottle at Delirium in Brussels - Pours dark brown and has a malty, spicy aroma. The flavor is sweet malt, spice, and yeast. It’s medium to full bodied and very enjoyable. Abbaye des Rocs does not disappoint.