Ultra short-lived head over red-brown beer. Christmas tree decoration spices, speculaas herbs, spice oil. Spicy, sweet. Speculaas, gingerbread. Not much else. Bit thinnish & undercarbonated, but quite viscous feel all the same. The spices are OK, not overdone. Good thing they're there, because there's nowt else. 7/4/7/3/13 Thanks to Stef!

02/03/2018 @home - 33cl bottle from a trade with tderoeck. Dark brown with creamy tanned head. Nose is dark malts, typical Christmas spices, some roast, bit licorice. Taste is dark malts, hint of roast, some licorice, spices, some hops, softbitter ending and not as sweet as lots of them.

The third of these De Vos beers, bottle from Van Eetvelde in Lokeren. Belgian style Christmas ale with medium thick, irregularly lacing, pale greyish off-white head, slowly dissipating in the middle but very well-retaining around the edge; warm, purplish tinged, deep and purely burgundy brown colour. Aroma of gingerbread and 'pepernoten', strong cinnamon, cloves, toasted brown bread, dark honey, old raisins, plums, dried banana, elderberries, white pepper, 'jenever'. Sweetish onset, burnt brown sugar effect, lots of dried plum and baked banana, light sourish undercurrent; sharpish, minerally carbonation but within the range of what is acceptable for this style. Rounded, caramelly and brown bready malt sweet body shifting to a lightly bitter toasty character, but sweetness remains dominant, coated in - unsurprisingly - a thick layer of 'Christmas pudding' or even Gluhwein-like spiciness, lots of cinnamon, soapy coriander, cloves, dried orange peel. Subtle floral hops add light bitterness, but most of the 'end bitterness' comes from the toasted malts - supported by an afterglow of warming, rather astringent gin-like alcohol. A tad too boozy for me - as in: the alcohol could have been better hidden at this ABV - but otherwise quite a successful, pleasant, heavily spiced Belgian Christmas ale, yet stereotypical and old-fashioned like the other beers in this range, which still puzzles me a bit as being commissioned from Sweden (but indeed by a Belgian).

Imported from my RateBeer account as De Vos X-MAS (by De Vos):
Aroma: 8/10, Appearance: 4/5, Taste: 7/10, Palate: 3/5, Overall: 15/20, MyTotalScore: 3.7/5

30/XII/17 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker) @ New Year's holiday (Ardennes) - BB: 22/X/19 (2017-2267)

SLOW GUSHER ALERT!
Clear dark brown beer, small aery irregular beige head, unstable, non adhesive. Aroma: ginger bread, some cinnamon, soft roast, spicy, some milk chocolate. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: soft roast, some ginger bread spices, dried fruits. Aftertaste: some caramel, malty, lots of chocolate, sweetish finish, decent one!

Imported from my RateBeer account as De Vos Dubbel (by De Vos):
Aroma: 7/10, Appearance: 2/5, Taste: 8/10, Palate: 3/5, Overall: 15/20, MyTotalScore: 3.5/5

30/XII/17 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker) @ New Year's holiday (Ardennes) - BB: 14/I/19 (2017-2266)

Clear dark purple brown beer, small creamy beige head, unstable, dissipates quickly, non adhesive. Aroma: very malty, chocolate, soft roast, dried fruits, some caramel. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: bit spicy, liquorish notes, bit sweet, caramel, some chocolate. Aftertaste: little sourish, chocolate, soft bitterness, nice roast, sweet malts.

Imported from my RateBeer account as De Vos Tripel (by De Vos):
Aroma: 7/10, Appearance: 4/5, Taste: 7/10, Palate: 3/5, Overall: 14/20, MyTotalScore: 3.5/5

30/XII/17 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker) @ New Year's holiday (Ardennes) - BB: 24/VIII/19 (2017-2265)

Clear dark blond beer, small creamy white head, little stable, dissipates quickly. Aroma: very malty, some grains, ripe banana, little fruity, yeast. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: malty, some ripe banana, soft bitterness, some almonds, bit sweet. Aftertaste: malty, grains, more ripe banana, soft acidity, yeast, little bitter, some alcohol, phenols.

Bottle from Dranken Geers. Christmas beer evening; shared with Anke!
Pours hazy dark brown with a small, off-white head. The aroma contains light roasted malt, caramel, herbs, hops, spices, dark fruits, even some leaves and 'forest', reminding me of a Bock. It tastes medium chocolatey sweet and light spicy bitter with a faint fruity sour touch. Hoppy, not too dry finish. Medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation. A pleasant surprise.

Sampled @ Kerstbierfestival VandeOirsprong. Dark brown color with a red glare coming through when held into the light. Average sized beige head. Smell and taste malts, herbs and spices and sweetish. Decent to medium body and carbonation. Ok.

Bottle @ kersbierfestival vandeoirsprong. Black with no head. Smells anice, herbs, sambuca, sweet. Tastes anice, herbs, sweet, liquorice. Medium body, nice carbo.