Affligem Noël (Christmas Ale)
For the season we offer you our best wishes and especially delicious Ale. Rich and dark like our Dubbel. Sumptuous and smooth like our Tripel. Enjoy.
3.6
590 reviews
Opwijk, Belgium
Community reviews
Light copper, slightly hazy.
Mid-full body, well flavored, alcoholic heat and taste, silky texture, good length.
Bitter, not too dry.
Pleasant and rich, not as many flavors as I hoped for.
Nice malty aroma dark fruits, molasses, sugared caramel, Belgian candi sugar and Belgian yeast. Appears a dark brown with tons of head. Taste is nice with notes of sugary raisin overtones, molasses, plums, prune juice, caramel, subtle toffee and Belgian candi sugar. Finishes sweet with a nice dark fruit sweetness. Overall, Nice balance but not anything spectacular. A- rating.
Draft: Wasn’t a huge fan of this...but I’m curious what it would be like with some time on it. Would like to try it again sometime. Had too much dark fruit for me...although I suppose I should have anticipated it.
Interesting but not very impressive. Plum, spices and cola flavors. Lively carbonation.
Bottle. Sweet with raisiny dry finish. Full bodied flavor with notes of dates, raisins, and dried fruit. Smooth, but packs a wallop. Good for celebrations.
On draft at a hotel in Paris. Light caramel color with minimal head. A bit of Christmassy spices. Slight alcohol burn. Not bad
Currently I am updating my ratebeer with al the beers I drank but was too lazy to rate at the time. I give the scores I gave back than. If I drink the beers again I might re-rate them.
From site: For the season we offer you our best wishes and especially delicious Ale. Rich and dark like our Dubbel. Sumptuous and smooth like our Tripel. Enjoy.
Very creamy. Syrupy, cherry. Just not my style of beer.
Bue à la pression en 25cl dans un bar à Besançon, couleur abricot, peu de mousse et peu d’effervescence, une bière avec une petite attaque sur le fruit jaune et fin de bouche sur l’épice passable.
Draught at Pizzeria Kariš, Pesek, Italy. Pours clear ruby brown with thin creamy tan-like head and sparkling appearance. Aroma of yeast, dark fruits, spices, caramel and alcohol. Taste starts with moderate sweet caramel malt and burnt sugar, follows by fruity and yeasty esters, spicy and warming alcoholic mouthfeel and mild bitter finish. Full body, thick texture and lively natural carbonation in palate. Typical Christmas ale, good without any flaws...
"spicy aroma and a dried fruit/spicy palate...dry finish. medium to full mouthfeel. overall, one of my favorite winter ales from abroad. highly recommended. 12/09-a year old bottle had a far more noticeable vanilla character to it and more subtle spices. same score. nice beer."
The body has a deep coppery amber color with bright reddish/orange highlights. On top sits a long standing light tan head. A small cap of foam hangs on till the very last sip and makes for some good lacing on the glass. It has a big sweet character with loads of yeast and tropical fruit notes. It has a wonderful mix of toasted malt, Belgian sugar, bready and yeast notes with sweet tropical and dried fruits mixed in. There is a mild peppery warmth from the alcohol as well. I get a little more dry spice and maybe a slight touch of hops in the finish which is still carries some sweetness. This all comes by a smooth easy drinking medium to full body.
Bona cervesa, es bastant equilibrada i gustosa.
Buena cerveza, es bastante equilibrada y sabrosa.
Pours a nice dark brown color with off-white head. Dark fruits, raisins, and spice on the nose; follows onto the palate. Finishes with a nice sweetness.
I hope this ages well because I bought three cases for a song at Total Wine after the holidays. Had a couple of bottles and I’ve decided to try the next one in a year’s time. Spice upfront and sweet, not too much else. Happy for the price I got but for $9/bottle would not but again. If I am lucky this will last in my closet for years and years and turn into something great.
750 ml. bottle from local liquor store. Aroma of ginger, clove, bread, caramel, plum, alcohol, and cinnamon. Pours dark amber/cherry red with a nice thick head and mild lacing. This seems to get better as it warms in the glass. At first it seems too sweet and cloying but the other flavors shine through as it warms. Medium to heavy sweet, mild bitter, very fruity and spicy. The Belgian yeast adds character to an otherwise generic Christmas spiced beer.
Une vrai bière de noel très bonne et fraiche surtout en pression très agréable
Belgian yeast, booze and hints of spice (coriander) aromatics, meld into flavors of burnt sugar, candied orange, must, malts, and again hidden spice. Pleasant and not overly cloying. Enjoyable holiday ale.
Very disappointing. Poorly-balanced; there is not much there besides sweet caramel malt and a strange mix of spices. Tons of licorice in the aroma as well as the flavor. Dense, rich, cloying. Bordering on "gross".
Bottle. Can you say bananas? In addition some light spice. Percent holiday peer. ABV we’ll hidden.
Aroma of dark red fruit. Pours a clear cherry brown with an off-white, mostly lasting, head and no lacing. The taste is moderately sweet, but not cloying. Dark fruit, spices, candy sugar, and hints of alcohol. Medium-light body and medium carbonation. A nice tingle/burn lingers on the tongue. Overall, a rewarding Holiday sipper. Cheers!
"Malty aroma has a strong fruity note and an overtone of cloves and cinnamon. Pours a clear dark mahogany with a fairly thick light tan head. Robust flavor fills the mouth with fruity (apple, banana, a little pear), malty, clove, cinnamon, caramel and horehound notes. Firm, smooth texture has plenty of fizz and life. Good any time of year!"
Wooow, 1999 bottle! Aged 14 years, golly. Clear dark ruby, almost brown, no head. Nose is like a hotel lobby but with herbal spiced honey mead and a touch of cherry. The taste is big yet smooth, with a mellow toffee backbone, and Christmas spices, some boozy cherry, honey, raisin, and spice.
Nutty, earthy, very dry, light spice. The flavors and aromas are spot-on for a Belgian winter-type strong ale. Palate is a bit thin, however, and that’s my only complaint.
Rich dark with Christmas spices to accentuate the season. Delicious double bock with the Christmas flavoring that is smooth and easy. Essential for Christmas night.
Had this at a Christmas tasting party. Nice and enjoyable. Thanks Doug for a great tasting!
like bernardus xmas ale, this a decent winter strong ale. a little more watery though.
Draft at bistro on bridge. Pours clear copper with a small tan head that quickly dissipates. The aroma has dark fruit, brown sugar, cinnamon, some clove. The taste has a big nutmeg, brown sugar, pretty Damn sweet.
Poured into a snifter from a bottle with a cork marked 42/12. Sort of a hazy brown with ruby highlights and a cream colored head with quite a bit of sediment floating throughout. Aroma is a mix of sugar, bread, and dark fruit notes. Flavor is sweet malts with a good dose of fruity almost cider like notes, and some spices. Palate seems a little odd - mouthfeel starts off on the thin side, but finishes sort of sticky, making it seem thicker, all the while with quite lively carbonation. Overall this is not bad, but just a little too cloyingly sweet for my tastes.
Hazy brown with a thick white head. Aroma is dark fruit, a little yeasty and bready. Flavor is pleasantly sweet with a bit of mild dark fruit and a touch of funky yeast. Big malt, nice and thick while finishing clean.
Wife: 4.1