kerstbierfestival essen 2019

75cl shared by Meeki - many thanks! Pours hazy amber with a lasting, foamy, tan head. Aroma is expressively malty, plum cake, Belgian yeast, red apple, red berries, green tea, wet wood, brioche, liqueur. Taste has sweet plum, red apple & some banana wrapped in brioche-like maltiness; bitter herbal tea, wet wood, spices & early alcohol underneath with just a hint of 'Alvinne sour'. Dry, herbal hoppy finish, more 'ethereal' now (wet clove), more wood, rather bitter in the very end with boozy liqueur alcohol. Medium body, creamy texture, soft carbonation. Slightly off-balance, not connecting all the dots in a sense; needs some polishing but otherwise certainly enjoyable.

31st Jan 2020, International Beer Exchange, Pre-Brugge Bier Festival at De Bierboom. Murky dish water brown/amber, off-white head, weak and thin, just a few bubbles. Sweet, boozy and spicy, fine in small doses.