Barbe Noël (10%)
Verhaeghe in Vichte, West Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪
Belgian Style - Strong Ale Regular|
Score
6.88
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Barbe Nöel is a blond top fermented beer. This is one of the few golden Christmas beers. The Barbe Nöel has a bitter and fruity taste.
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6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Verhaeghe’s current Christmas beer, the follow-up and replacement of the old Noël – Christmas – Weihnacht, now rebranded under their Barbe label. Thick and frothy, egg-white, moussy head over a lightly hazy, pure, warm, metallic ‘old gold’ coloured beer with a pale orangey tinge, turning misty with sediment. Aroma of spiced bread, (actual) clove, honey, old wrinkled apples, clear oxidation (sweetish – a bit like old oxidized white wine), star aniseed, dried orange peel. Sweetish onset, apple and pineapple with a light dash of banana, fizzy carbonation, slick and somewhat resinous mouthfeel; smooth cereally, very clearly white bready-wheaty backbone with oxidized edges but not in an unpleasant way, still a tad metallic and ‘rusty’ though, with increasing added spiciness towards the end, very clove-like with notes of aniseed and coriander seed as well; herbal touch of hop bitterness remains limited in power, alcohol gives a very light ‘afterwarmth’. Spiced sweet tripel just like the original Noël – Christmas – Weihnacht, which is a long time since I had it but probably is more or less the same.
Tried
on 26 Nov 2018
at 10:13
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
F: medium, egg-white, good retention. C: deep gold, almost clear. A: sweet malty, fruity, banana, bit honey, hint of orange, caramel. T: malty, vaguely fruity, bit peach and banana, bit metallic, caramel, bready, spicy, full body but quite simple BSA, medium carbonation, bit funny to see rates over 4 here but several years ago may be I would also give high points here, now nope, not great yet not bad, enjoyed, 33cl bottle from Carrefour market – St. Michel @ Etterbeek, Brussels.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Nov 2018
at 19:00
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
330 ml bottle into tulip glass, best before 2/8/2019. Bit of a gusher opener. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep golden amber/light orange color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big golden raisin, peach, plum, apricot, cherry, berries, citrus zest, melon, pear, red apple, white grape, pepper, clove, light banana/bubblegum, honey, candi sugar, biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, bready malt, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big golden raisin, peach, plum, apricot, cherry, berries, citrus zest, melon, pear, red apple, white grape, pepper, clove, light banana/bubblegum, honey, candi sugar, biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast spiciness and herbal/grassy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of golden raisin, peach, plum, apricot, cherry, berries, citrus zest, melon, pear, red apple, white grape, pepper, clove, light banana/bubblegum, honey, candi sugar, biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, bready malt, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with an awesome malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, and fairly sticky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 10%. Overall this is an excellent Belgian strong pale ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, bready malt, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV. Great well rounded Belgian yeast complexity, balanced bready malts, and nice earthy hop presence. Not overly sweet/heavy feeling, well attenuated. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Jan 2018
at 01:35
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
opalescent golden colour, large, dense and stable white head; aroma of dried apricot, grainy and apple notes, some wine cellar and Belgian yeast; taste of malty sweetness, dried fruits, banana and peppery notes; great strong ale with definite tripel notes
Tried
on 01 Jan 2018
at 12:39
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Helder donkergeel bier met schuim. Smaak is warm, krachtig, zoet en licht kruidig met iets van banaan en honing. Heel goed.
Tried
on 26 Dec 2017
at 09:53
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
From a 33 cl bottle. Pours a clear orange gold with an off white head. Aromas of fruitcake. Flavors are sweet toffee and candi sugar. Smooth finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Dec 2017
at 17:01
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
bottle bb 9/2/19 oro carico buona schiuma media persistenza un filo grossolana speziatura leggera un filo maltato zucchero candito buona secchezza amaro medio solo un filo riscaldante pepato nel finale
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Dec 2017
at 11:07
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Aroma: berries and sweet fruits with some dusty yeast. Flavour: Fruity sweet with notes of cherries and caramel with a tangy bitter finish. Colour: Dark amber with a white head. From: Bottle @ Boxbeers.com Nov. 2017.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Dec 2017
at 09:56
6.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
33 cl bottle. Pours clear golden yellow. Small white head. Aroma is fruity and slight herbal. Sweet and toasted malt. Bitter and smooth fruity.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Dec 2017
at 08:17
6.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 7
Thanks for sharing! Sampled 330 ml. bottle @ Kerstbierfestival 2017. Orange golden, little white head. Nose is banana, BE esters soap, cloying sweet tripel in a poor way for me, hand soap, rubbish cloying banana, BE esters, sweet,… Somehow I expected better from this brewery.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Dec 2017
at 04:24