En Stoemelings’ Christmas ale, vintage bottle of two years old shared by tderoeck, cheers! Bit irregular, pale greyish beige, mousy and frothy head on an orange-glowing deep amber coloured beer, darker, misty and more coppery with the sediment added. Aroma of candied orange peel, some ‘rusty’ oxidized malts, hard caramel, dried out gingerbread, clove, honey, chicken broth (another sign of oxidation), rainwater. Sweet onset but nowhere annoyingly sticky, light sourish touch somewhere; honeyish, with aspects of red apple, dates and orange peel in a sweet, candied way, medium carbonated. Smooth, bit oily body, caramelly and lightly toasty malt base drenched in obvious ethereal ‘Christmassy’ spiciness (orange peel again, clove, vague ginger) paired with a late, floral hop bitter accent and warming, brandy-ish alcohol. The oxidation linger retronasally. A bit too old, but still quite enjoyable, a bit different from what the older (family) breweries typically produce for the Christmas season.

Strong hoppy saison by En Stoemelings, apparently based on an idea from a friend of the brewery’s, an idea dating back to 2016 already but only materialized recently; thanks to tderoeck for sharing. Thick and frothy, eggshell-white, papery lacing, stable head on a near-clear, deep orangey-tinged ‘old gold’ beer with bits of translucent protein flakes swimming around. Aroma of honey, lemon candy, dried apricot, white bread, baked banana, powder sugar, sweet cicely, bitter wormwood leaf, sweetclover. Fruity, sweetish onset, banana, sweet apple and pineapple notes, strong and sharp carbonation, smooth-edged cereally and white-bready maltiness with a light honeyish-sweet touch to it; late but lingering grassy and floral hop bitterness alongside some aromatic spicy notes (coriander, anise, dried peppermint leaf) and some late bready yeastiness. Slick, accessible, pleasant enough sipper, going down easily…

750ml bottle split. Pours hazed chestnut brown with a beige head. Aroma: malt, caramel, red fruits, light sour. Taste light to moderate sweet & moderate bitter, bread, nuts, chocolate, dark fruits, earthy. Medium body, average carb, slightly sour on the finish. More like a sour stout than a bock to this unrefined palate

11/VII/20 - 33cl bottle from a trade, shared @ home, BB: 1/XII/19 (2020-625) Thanks to Bierridder_S for the trade!

Pretty clear blond to orange beer, big creamy white head, adhesive, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: very floral, very yeasty, pretty oxidized, sweet, sugary, bit oxidized. MF: very lively carbon, medium body. Taste: pretty sweet and sugary, oxidized, very yeasty, coriander, soapy, a bit too sweet. Aftertaste: sugary, sweet, some banana, liqueur, some alcohol, unpleasant bitterness, coriander, medicinal finish. Not a big fan. Maybe not fair, so I’ll be mild in the numbers.

11/VII/20 - 33cl bottle from a trade, shared @ home, BB: XII/2020, lot n° SANTA (2020-623) Thanks to Bierridder_S for the trade!

Clear orange beer, small creamy beige head, little stable, non adhesive. Aroma: very oxidized, lots of caramel, bit of a sugary impression. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: soft bitterness, bit sweet, lots and lots of candied orange peel, little sweet, hint of chocolate. Aftertaste: sweet, caramel, little bitter, bit spicy, dry, very oxidized.