Tonight's beer: St. Bernardus Christmas Ale
Dark bread, toast, caramel on top; a substantial dollop of dark dried/candied fruits—cherries, plums, raisins, etc.—and dark baking spices like allspice, cloves, cinnamon; maybe some ginger. Earthy-grassy-floral bitterness struggles to surface through the middle. Fine dense threads of leather, peat, smoke, dark spirits (mainly brandy and rum). Tends toward the sweet, but dies out a bit through and beyond the finish.
Very light-bodied, densely and explosively carbonated. Drying, softly refreshing. Dim traces of boozy warmth, but nothing like what I'd expect from a 10% ABV beer. Scrubbing and cleansing, in spite of a bit of stickiness on the long finish.
Yum, and wow. Intense and complex and integrated. Like a liquid boozy cake, perfect for anything you want to celebrate; Xmas will do, I guess. Massively drinkable; deceptive and subtle and graceful as hell. Also, delicious from start to finish.
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| St. Bernardus Christmas Ale |
Dark bread, toast, caramel on top; a substantial dollop of dark dried/candied fruits—cherries, plums, raisins, etc.—and dark baking spices like allspice, cloves, cinnamon; maybe some ginger. Earthy-grassy-floral bitterness struggles to surface through the middle. Fine dense threads of leather, peat, smoke, dark spirits (mainly brandy and rum). Tends toward the sweet, but dies out a bit through and beyond the finish.
Very light-bodied, densely and explosively carbonated. Drying, softly refreshing. Dim traces of boozy warmth, but nothing like what I'd expect from a 10% ABV beer. Scrubbing and cleansing, in spite of a bit of stickiness on the long finish.
Yum, and wow. Intense and complex and integrated. Like a liquid boozy cake, perfect for anything you want to celebrate; Xmas will do, I guess. Massively drinkable; deceptive and subtle and graceful as hell. Also, delicious from start to finish.
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