When we think about Belgian Christmas beers, the words big, dark, roasty, spicy come to mind. But a few breweries do something a little different for their winter seasonal beer, and that’s exactly what we have here from Brouwerij Haacht.
Our beer pours a lovely amber colour with a creamy white top. I noticed on pouring my beer that little beads of foam were dancing across the top. Completely inconsequential to tasting the beer, but I liked it!
The beer has a sweet and spicy aroma, malty and fruity with a background of herbal spice.
And that is exactly what comes through in the flavour. The early sweetness is of toffee malt, with a little yellow stone fruit. That quickly gives way to the noble hop bitterness and that herbal spice character. The beer finishes quite dry, with a pleasant prickly bitterness.
A tasty departure from the normal Christmas beers, and with the lower ABV easier to squeeze into a winter evening tasting session!
A rich and boozy Christmas beer to 'add lustre' to your festive celebrations
The 2016 annual vintage Christmas beer from Brasserie Dubuisson
by Brouwerij Corsendonk (at Brasserie Du Bocq)
To help celebrate Christmas in July we have this festive treat from Corsendonk
by Brouwerij Corsendonk (at Brasserie Du Bocq)
The Christmas ale from this well-regarded abbey label
A wonderful winter seasonal offering from the Delirium label - one we look forward to each year
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The winter seasonal offering from the Chouffe Brewery - a dark beer brewed with thyme and bitter orange
A decidedly different and very interesting Kerstbier
A lovely spiced fruit cup of Christmas pudding in a 10% strong dark ale
The Struise Tsjeeses is their blond-amber Christmas seasonal beer, with this 2014 vintage being aged in Bourbon barrels
Struise's winter seasonal offering - a 10% strong blond spiced ale
A dark seasonal offering, capturing all the rich flavours of the festive season.
A Christmas beer that is lighter, drier and hoppier than a standard winter seasonal
A Belgian Blond that has achieved some notable recognition on the world beer stage
A Tripel style beer brewed by Brouwerij Haacht under the Tongerlo label
