6

@ 2018

7.1

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

330ml bottle. Clear, mahongany colour with ruby glimmer and small to, frothy, half-way lasting, minimally lacing, beige head. Sweet-ish, yeasty fruity and malty aroma, hints of dried fruit, raisin, plum, minimally tangy and fruit acidic counterpart, whiffs of liquorice. Taste is slightly sweet, yeasty fruity and malty, notes of dried fruit, raisin, plum, tart-ish, fruit acidic and bitter hoppy counterpart, hints of lemon juice, fruit acidic aspects of red berries; well hidden alcohol. Watery, acidic (or lets say better even thinner than water) texture, minimally cloying palate, lingering, sweet-ish fruity finish. Quite rich and complex, the tart-ish counterpart contributes to relatively high drinkability. Concerning style somewhere between Belgian Dark Strong Ale and Sour Red/Brown. Really nice.

6

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Flaska från Etre Gourmete. 2017 vintage. Mahognyfärgad klar vätska med lågt skum. Sirapssöt och lite platt som om den stått för länge. Torkad frukt, aningen syrlig med plommon och körsbär. Ganska trist och platt. Ok

7.5

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Réaliser une bonne bière de Noël n’est en définitive pas aisée. Et même en y mettant à priori les ingrédients, la réussite n’est pas toujours au rendez-vous. Nous avons à la fois une base de brune, des épices et un niveau d’alcool respectable (9 %) sur cette OWA Christmas. Mais un peu de subtilité et de finesse ne font pas de mal ! Cette OWA est avant tout un stéréotype du style, on vous balance des épices à tout va avec réglisse, girofle, gingembre et citronnelle qui prennent largement le pas sur une base sans nuance ni complexité. L’alcool lui-même a du mal à porter le cocktail et le final très court est quelque peu décevant. En verre, rien à redire cependant avec un joli brun surmonté d’une mousse crémeuse d’1 cm. Le nez se porte directement sur de lourdes épices (girofle, réglisse, gingembre et citronnelle) avec du candi. L’expression aromatique de la base, dès l’attaque, n’est pas beaucoup développée. L’équilibre, à ce stade est par contre satisfaisant, avec une bonne amertume. De petites notes de poivre viennent se mêler à la partie. Celles-ci disparaissent dès la seconde bouche qui toute linéaires. L’arrière bouche ne nous en apprend pas davantage. Avec un final très court, les débats sont clos. Heureusement la présence en bouche est honnête. L’ensemble manque cependant de puissance, pour une bière qui a les ingrédients de Noël, sans son esprit.

7.6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle at home 9% on label not sure which year I think 2016. Delightful dark blackish brown pour fine sudsy head. Nose is dark fruit, herbal and molasses. Tastes of licorice, rootbeer, herbal, minerals, figs, molasses, black cherry. Smooth palate light booze.

6.3

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Sampled 330 ml. bottle @ Modeste 2018. Dark red brown, dark amber. Nose is herbal cough syrup, thin, weird dull bit spoiled BE, weak, fizzy, poor spoiled BE fruit, poor.

7

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

OWA's Christmas ale, two year old vintage bottle (2016) with 9% ABV on the label with deliberately child-like drawings on it. Bottle from De Hopduvel shared with Goedele. Thickly cobweb-lacing, frothy, big, pale yellowish white, closed and stable head over a lightly hazy, warm vermillion-tinged ruddy brown-bronze beer with vivid sparkling. Aroma of caramel, dried fig, cinnamon, ginger and other 'speculooskruiden', liquorice candy, dried dandelion leaves, something iron-like, brownies, cola, apple peel, stewed pear, baker's yeast, star anise, corainder seed, Belgian chocolates. Sweet onset, candied fig and raisin, baked banana, pear, sourish note, medium carb, supple and full body; fruity esters and yeast-spicy phenols oversee a full, very caramelly malt sweet core, penetrated by 'cookie spice' spiciness, coriander, ginger, star anise and cinnamon, enhanced by the phenols and softened by the persisting residual brown sugariness. Earthy hop bitter touch and even more bready earthiness from the yeast, a bit 'dirty' in the end, phenolic, sweet and warmed by eventually slightly wry, 'jenever'-ish alcohol. Your classic spiced 'massieve ale' - as stereotypical as a Belgian Christmas ale gets and in that sense adding nothing to this particular segment, but enjoyable enough.

5.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4.5

24.12 2017, 0,75l bottle @ home:
Nice light brown bubbly-creamy longlasting head. Aroma is slightly sweet mineraly, dark sugar, yeast, minerals, anise, candi sugar, banana, dark malts, grass, apple peel, fruit stones, alcohol. Taste is sweet, dark sugar, anise, minerals, candi sugar, grass, yeast, dark malts, fruit stones, paper, raisins, alcohol. Medium bitterness, slightly watery and sweet mineraly mouthfeel. Fair enough, needs more aging.

6.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Pours clear brown. Smell is sweet, taste is sweet, bit spiced. Some vanilla. Liquorice. OK

6.1

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Imported from my RateBeer account as OWA Christmas (2016 - ) (by OWA Brewery SPRL):
Aroma: 6/10, Appearance: 3/5, Taste: 6/10, Palate: 3/5, Overall: 13/20, MyTotalScore: 3.1/5

22/XI/16 - 33cl bottle @ HoReCa Expo (Gent) - BB: 17/VIII/19 (2016-1350) Thanks to kraddel and Erwin for sharing today's beers!

Clear purple brown beer, small creamy beige head, little stable, non adhesive. Aroma: sweet, ripe banana, some caramel, bit sugary, some liquorish. MF: soft carbon, medium body. Taste: sweet, lots of banana, liquorish, slightly sourish, caramel. Aftertaste: caramel, little bitter, some liquorish, banana peel. Too much yeast esters to my liking, not very complex.