The Bush beers are renowned for being amongst Belgium’s most alcoholic brews, but still very balanced and drinkable. The Bush Amber (Scaldis) for a time held the record as Belgium’s strongest beer.
So it is no surprise that the Bush de Noel is one of Belgium’s booziest Christmas beers. Introduced in 1991, the brewery responded to consumer demand by producing a beer ‘to add lustre’ to their festive celebrations.
It is a beer made of only malt, hops candy sugar and water. And of course the very distinctive Dubuisson house yeast. Unusually for a Christmas beer, there is no spicing or any other adjunct added to this beer.
This beer is also dry-hopped, with hop flowers added to the tanks in which the beer rests after fermentation. The result is something akin to a hoppy barley wine. A big thick body, full of caramel malt and over-ripe stone fruits with a nice hoppy bite to balance things out.
While it is still only brewed in small quantities, this is one winter seasonal beer that is eagerly anticipated each year.