St Bernardus Christmas Ale

Christmas Ale. St. Bernardus. Watou, Belgium.

10% ABV.

Appearance

Pours real frothy, with big bubbles. Easy to pour too aggressively and create a huge heady mess.

Dark mahogany, brown with a tint of red.

Opaque.

5

Smell

Acidic and fruity. Smells like an abbey ale.

Cherries perhaps.

Smell is not that strong, even after swirling.

4

Taste

Sour fruity alcohol. Non-specific fruit.

Aftertaste has a lingering bitterness that is kind of unpleasant.

It has a stronger sour-bitterness than their Abt 12 quad, which I have had a lot of recently. Complex.

It tastes slightly spicy, and I wonder if it has perhaps a cinnamon in it.

3

Mouthfeel

Medium.

3

Overall

Like their Abt 12 quad, but I don’t like it as much.

The flavor is just not as palettable.

3