Day 4 - St Bernadus Christmas
St Bernadus is one of those beers which blends into the 'monk gang'. The name is easy to forget and the label is a chirpy monk proffering a glass of beer (in this case with a Santa hat on). So much so, that I've an empty bottle of the 'ABT 12' - the year-round version of this beer - in my house but I've totally forgotten whether I liked it or not.
Well, I liked this one. A lot. It's a brown beer, but not too dark and the head is fairly impressive. It doesn't leave peaks as it falls but it's nearly there. As I was pouring from a 750ml bottle, my first glass was crystal clear and second was slightly cloudy. No bother to me though, give me murk any day.
It's a real selection box of smells. It begins with an estery aroma and gently spiced with soaked raisins. Not quite like a Christmas pud but nearly there and a slight woodiness too. If you've been lucky enough to try chocolate figgy pudding - this is it!
The sophisticated flavours continue into the mouth and blend into a warm, comforting sensation with a very well-controlled strength (10%). There is the hint of sourness to give the sumptuous warmth a wee bit of bite and edge. The excellent balance continues into the aftertaste with gentle bitterness complementing the sweet saliva in your mouth. It could be one of those beers to give a little bit too much thickness to finish off with but it's perfect.
Whilst it may be contained in a forgettable bottle, this beer is nothing but. It's a superstar with tonnes of flavour; the slightest hint of iron at the beginning stops it getting full marks. What struck me was its similarity with the much lauded and revered Westvleteren XII. If you can't get your hands on the XII (which is pretty likely!) then this should give you a good idea of what you're missing.
St Bernadus Christmas - 9.5
Christmas rating - 10
http://www.sintbernardus.be/en/beers.html
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