Bottle 500ml @ home
Pours clear amber with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, yeast, bubblegum, caramel, floral and hint of alcohol. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter with a warm and fruity finish. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.

Bottle. It pours a deep amber to chestnut colored body, not entirely clear. A dense, finger-thick, light beige head sits patiently on top. The aroma is lightly perfumed and flowery, with banana esters and malty sweetness in the back. Some bubble gum and a faint spiced hint too. And the alcohol is detectable as well. It’s lightly warming on the palate, with caramel, bread and some sweetness as a foundation for banana and some bubble gum and spicyness. Cardamom and cloves I think it is. It’s full-bodied, quite effervescent and warming on the palate. Some bitterness shows up in the end, but it’s mostly the bready, caramel sweetness and banana that runs the show. Quite lasting finish. A fine beer indeed, although a bit on the sweet side. Reminds me very much of a weizenbock with hints of Belgian-style sweetness. Think I’ll have to buy more of this one. 130303

Bottle from the Davis Co-Op. Pours hazy dark copper amber with a 3 finger creamy /fizzy beige head. Nice aroma of xmas spices - no one spice seems overwhelming - could be cardamom standing out. Med body. It’s nearly creamy. Flavor is very spicy, and there’s a very strong Belgian yeast/spice aspect. Esters of banana/pineapple? Dark malt/dark fruit throughout. Seems to have a touch of chocolate as the flavors wash away. It heads towards dry - but doesn’t quite get there. It’s a little bit earthy in the finish. Nice.

Bouteille 500ml. Couleur ambrée foncée limpide, mousse beige aérienne laissant une dentelle éparse. Arôme de malt, vanille, cannelle, alcool léger, menthe, bonbons de Noël, banane?, levure. Goût de malt, menthe, cannelle, clou de girofle, caramel, légère amertume en fin de bouche. Carbonation moyenne, corps faible, un peu aqueuse, collante

Pours deep mahogany into an English pint. Off-white head with good retention pancakes and recedes leaving no lacing. Sweet toffee and nutmeg aromas. Hot with sweet treacle, bread and earthy nutmeg. Lasting warming finish.

Pour is a murky brown with a small tan head. Aroma is some apple cider notes with some sweetness from the honey and a bit of alcohol. Flavor is slightly spicy with some sugar notes. Some minor dark fruit with a little sticky toffee bring up the end. A decent beer with no over abundence of x-mas spices, just enough to make it pleasing.

Brown bottle, 500 ml, gift from Philippe Wouters, savoured on November 19 2011; eye: copper with reddish reflections, lightly hazy, minimal effervescence, beige head that turns into a tiny ring, no lacing; nose: clove, nutmeg, slight grain that is drying in a cow barn, light malt, slight raisin, anise, slight pepper, light molasses; mouth: clove, nutmeg, light raisin, malt, slight grain that is drying in a cow house, anise, slight pepper, molasses, finale in anise with presence of malt, medium body, below-average carbonation, lightly sweet, a bit thin; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 500 ml, cadeau de Philippe Wouters, savourée le 19 novembre 2011; œil : cuivrée avec des reflets rougeâtres, légèrement voilée, effervescence minime, mousse beige qui se transforme en un mince anneau, pas de dentelle; nez : clou de girofle, muscade, très léger grain qui sèche dans une étable, léger malt, très léger raisin, anis, très léger poivre, léger mélasse; bouche : clou de girofle, muscade, léger raisin, malt, très léger grain qui sèche dans une étable, anis, très léger poivre, mélasse, finale en anis avec présence malt, corps moyen, carbonatation sous la moyenne, légèrement sucrée, texture un peu mince; en résumé : bien

Bottle at Churchkey. Clear deep amber color, fine beige head. Aroma of acetone which clears, then ruby port. Taste is sweet prunes and light spice. Nice.

Sugar, candy and a nice spicy finish. Really feels like candy on the lips. Some dried fruit and heavy on the malt. Not really cloying.

A reddish copper ale with a thin moka head. A pleasant aroma of sweet cinnamon, molasses, licorice and warming alcohol. In mouth, a smooth sweet malt with very nice treacle-barley candy, light cinnamon, sweet candi sugar, and warming alcohol. A xmas treat. Enjoyed Nov. 1 2010.