Originally made for the justly famed Kerstbierfestival of 2007 in only 25 crates with a preliminary label, now in regular production with a ’full-fledged’ label and dubbed "Kerst-, Paas- en Sinksenbier", basically meaning - with the typically Belgian ironic approach to beer names - that it can be enjoyed all year round. Violent gusher, with foam creeping out of the bottle even after capturing a full glass of the liquid. Creamy and moussy, thickly lacing, yellowish white head, hazy reddish burgundy colour - the typical appearance of a ’massieve ale’, or, as it is called here, a quadrupel. Nose is perhaps a bit ’wild’ but rich and inviting: the liquorice, effectively used here, is clearly present, along with ’speculoos’, ruby port, brown sugar, baked banana, hazelnut paste, candied cherries, raisins, figs, "sirop de Liège", earthy forest floor, some freshly fermented farmland and varnish-like phenols, whisky, milk chocolate, bayleaf, cloves, white pepper. Sweet onset, banana, overripe pineapple, peach, bubblegum, brown sugar, but countered with a deep, subtle sourishness preventing it from becoming too cloying; liquorice already palpable at this point and remaining present throughout the palate but - to me - not disturbing, though I can imagine it will bother people who do not like it. Very soft, fluffy, full mouthfeel with soft carbonation, based on a thick layer of bready, caramelly malt sweetishness with a chocolatey edge to it. Finish remains very thickly malty, along with a peppery, leafy hop bitter note providing balance against the lingering brown sugar sweetness, and a deep, heart warming glow of rhum-like alcohol, pleasurable in this particular style. Too bad for the gushing, a little bit too phenolic, could use some moderation and refinement, but the flavour is quite alright, and if my notes from 2007 were accurate, it seems to have gained more body in the past eight years as well. Enjoyed it, this beer is a real comfort on a gloomy, dreary Sunday afternoon announcing the beginnings of autumn.

Bottle in my used-to-be-clean living room. Are you kidding me ???? This bitch even gushes more than their damn ’maeght van gottem ’ . And this time, lets not blame a Hopcone ( that should not be in a bottle of beer anyways , since it’s a clear invitation for infections and have been proven to cause some serious gushing ) no, this is just a proof of a bad quality in the beer, somewhere . After cleaning up the floor and couch ( thnx for that guys ) The foam had disapeared . Zero resistancy, even though the pour took 2 glasses for half the bottle ( that, BTW, kept gushing ) Smell is metallic and grainy-sweetness, as well as sugar . Overcarbonated . Taste is straight sugar - caramelly . Some earthy undertone, some bitterness . Tastewise, i’d say I like this . Even to the point of ’I really like this ’ . But lets be honoust here . Overcarbonated, simple, yet still not even free of brewing mistakes ( too much sugar in refermentation ? ) ... Its a yummy beer , with bad quality . And how the hell can I rate it high if it has low quality ? ___ otherwise, the score would be about 3,8-3,9 / 5 ___

Hoppy ale in the literal sense of the word, because this is bottled with an actual hop cone inside. Notorious gusher (intentionally so, a rarity!), due to which the hop cone usually is driven out of the bottle - a playful gimmicky effect a hophead like myself can only condescendingly smile at. The head I eventually captured, was very thick and rocky, sticky, yellowish and stable; the beer itself a cloudy peach blonde. Aroma dominated by the ’green’ and resinous effect of the hop cone, with a vegetable, spicy hoppiness, under which more subtle hints of peach, orange zest, melon, caramel, pineapple and cheese are present. Fresh fruity and citrussy taste, light and smooth, with the expected fresh and green, powerful, dry peppery, sticky, long hop bitterness finishing the palate. I enjoyed this very much, a kind of direct forerunner to the hops revival in Belgian beer culture; when I first tasted it, in late 2005, the label was not yet finished...

Bottle at home in London - sourced from Ales by Mail. Gusher! I mean, even the stock image is gushing. Pours murky gold with a few hop leaves floating about (most of the cone flew out with the initial gush) and a creamy white head. The aroma has some pale, doughy bread malts, hints of yeast, floral hops. Medium sweet flavor with some alcohol, ripening apples, yeast, candi sugar, bitter grass. Medium bodied with fine carbonation. Grassy bitter finish with some raw alcohol burnt, more pale and bready malts, some wheat, yeast, plastic, white grape. Not a big fan.

Bottle 330ml. [ As Sint Canarus 10 jaar ].Clear medium orange yellow color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly to fully lasting, white head. Aroma is moderate malty, sweet malt, pale malt, moderate yeasty, phenol, yeast, alcohol. Flavour is moderate to light light heavy sweet and light moderate bitter with a long duration, sweet malt, fruity, yeasty. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20140705]

Bottle @ fonefan tasting. Clear golden with a white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, yeasty and light spicy. Flavor is quite sweet and moderate bitter. Sweet finish with warming alcohol. 050714

Bottle, 8.72%. Clear golden with big white head. Aroma is malt, fruit, yeast, hop, apple and spicy. Flavour is malt, fruit, yeast, medium sweet, phenols, spices, apple and a little bitter.