Carlsberg Semper Ardens Christmas Ale

Danish: Christmas Ale blev i 2004 kåret som Årets Ølnyhed af Danske Ølentusiaster. Her oplever du en krydret og fyldig juleøl med mange komplekse noter af brændt karamel og nødder og en let syrlighed. Duften bærer moden frugt, lakrids og julekrydderier. I glasset står den rødgyldent mahognifarvet med et råhvidt skum.

English: Star anise and coriander, combined with a Danish ale yeast give the beer a distinct Christmas flavour of ripe fruit, liquorice and spices.

3.5

199 reviews

Copenhagen, Denmark

Community reviews

3.9 Bottle 2010. Brown color with a quickly diminishing off-white head. Aroma has notes of caramel, ripe red fruits and spices. Flavor is slightly sweet at the beggining, ripe fruit, spiced notes mainly anise and coriander, alcohol hidden by candy notes. Slightly bitterness in the final with yeasty and caramelish notes.

3.3 63cl bottle. deep dark red colour, slightly hazy. very rich whitehead. little lacing. aroma of caramel, dried fruit and some spice - quite pleasant. taste of rum, strong alcoholic, trufles and praline accents. low bitterness. high carbonation

3.5 Bottle 2013. Pours cloudy dark amber with creamy tan head. Aroma is toasty malts, dried fruits, molasses. Taste is sweet toffee with some chocolate and dry slight bitter finish. Creamy medium body with some soft carbonation.

3.6 Bottle 0.63 l, bottled: 2014. Dark red color. Medium head. In nose cherry, rum, dust. Very strong smell, something liquor/prosecco like. In flavor again rum, dust, dark fruits, alcohol. Complex. Sweet. Probably medium body. Overall: good beer, but maybe too much spices. Too alcoholic off flavors also.

3.4 Big brown head. Clear brown body with light carbonation. Deep fruity spicy caramelly aroma with earthy chocolatey notes. Dry-sweet roasty earthy dried fruit taste with bread dough and spice notes. Mid-bodied. Mild, soft, fluffy mouthfeel. Dryish roasty chocolatey spicy aftertaste with earthy notes. The aroma and initial flavour of this one are just excellent, and the mouthfeel is great. In the aftertaste the earth and chocolate join together and dominate in a way I don’t really like, but this is very, very close to being a fantastic beer. Maybe if I drank it colder (as the brewer probably intended) it really would be fantastic. Anyway, nice to see Carlsberg doing what everyone knows they can do when they want to. (0.75l bottle, from Føtex, Frederikshavn.)

2.0 duft: malt. karamel. lidt blommer. smag: malt. lidt halm. karamel. appelsin

3.6 2014 bottle. Pours cloudy red with a one-finger off-white head. Aroma of malt, spices and berries. Taste is of malt, caramel, spices, ripe dark fruits, bread and marzipan. Sweet with a slightly bitter finish. Full-ish body and average carbonation. Seems quite complex - and very much like a Belgian ale too, but is IMO a bit too spicy.

3.8 Vintage vertical... 2017: Cloudy brown, small light beige head. Caramely aroma, mild dried fruit. Caramely flavour spice is still evident. 2015: Pretty much the same, still the same spice. 2012: Aroma has a very light vinous touch. Spice more mellowed out. 2007: Darker than the others. Aroma has raisins, some dusty attic too. Spice is all gone. Same dusty attic in the flavour. 2005: Some prunes in the aroma. Spice all gone, some prune juice in the flavour. Light oxidation perhaps, almost sherry-like This one held up pretty good, better than the newer ones. Clear, dark red Brown. Stable, offwhite head. Malty aroma with some caramel and alcohol. Flavour has a rather complex spicyness, caramel, fruityness and warming alcohol. Full, creamy mouthfeel.

3.5 Bottle at home - 2014 vintage. Beautiful red brown color, off-white head. Quite spicy, malty and christmasy aroma with some alcohol pressence as well. Spicy, malty and slightly alcoholic taste as well but with clear notes of Christmas Herbs and spices. Not bad for a Carlsberg.

4.2 63 cl, flaske, 8,3 % ABV, årgang 2014 - BB 12/10/2019, købt i Netto på Roskildevej i Valby, 8. november 2014. Kastanje-brun, roilg og klar juleøl/stærk belgier med 3 cm tyk moccafarvet skumkrone. Tætskummet og langsomt dalende. Aroma: humlenuancer af urter, pære, marcipan, blomme, tørret frugt, malt, koriander. Dejlig bittersød smag med masser af krop. Medium til kraftig sødme, samme bitterhed og zero surt. Konsistensen er sticky til cremet. Meget fin karboneret på et niveau under medium giver en lækker blød og rund mundfølelse. Dejlig lang bittersød eftersmag. Juleøl af høj klasse til ølentusiaster med hang til lidt sødere juleøl, og denne høje klasse har Semper Ardens Christmas Ale haft i mange år. Brygges af Husbryggeriet Jacobsen.

3.5 Karamel og let vinøs syrlig duft sammen med lidt figen og rosin. Flot kastanjefarvet og mokkafarvet skum. Stor moden fyldighed og belgisk dubbelsmag. Let bitterhed og muligvis en smule lakrids eller også lidt ristet i eftersmag.

2.9 66cl flaske. Flot mørk gylden farve med offwhite skum. Kryderet smag af jul, lakrids. Sødlid aroma og smag. Årgang 2012

3.9 66 cl. flaske. 8,3 %. God gedin juleøl, med dejlig julesmag. Passer til det meste juleøl. Årgang 2012

3.5 Bottle @ Christmas at Erik og Betinna. 2012 vintage. Dark brown, medium tan head, nice lacing. Aroma, malty, dark fruits, toffee, bread. Similar taste. Dry mouth feel, soft carbonation.

3.6 Nice offwhite creamy head. Cloudy. Cloves and a bit of citrus on the nose. Taste is on the bitter side, with christmas spices. Top 5 in christmas beers

4.8 2008 vintage (in 66cl bottle). Nose: Wonderful and complex nose with "everything" a Nordic Christmas Ale should have: caramel, liquorice, chocolate, coffee and more. Taste & Palate: Rich, smooth, velvety, malty, yet fresh and lively, semi sweet, wonderfully balanced. Christmas Ale doesn’t become any better than this 5 year old, just different. A beer to remember!

3.6 For 9.år i træk = en fantastisk juleøl med masser af krydret smag. Koriander og stjerneanis dominere den komplekse smag. Let sødlig ale med god eftersmag. Passer til det meste julemad.

3.1 licorice and coriander aromas, appear dark brown with a small head, soft bitter taste. fine mouthfeel, but a bit to fizzy. short bitter aftertaste.

3.4 En dejlig krydret juleøl, med en pæn alkoholstyrke. Dejlig ledsager til den danske julemad.

3.5 66 cl. bottle poured in to a trappist glass. 2013 "Vintage". Dark amber colour with a small, dense off-white head, that fades to a thin cap. Sweet aroma with caramel malts, toasted, nuts, Christmas-like spices: Cinnamon, hints of cardamom and licorice, some overripe fruits. Taste is sweet. Medium body, creamy texture and a soft carbonation. Finishes sweet with toasted caramel malts, spices and fruits. One of Carlsbergs better offering. Perhaps I should buy a 2013 Vintage and drink it next Christmas?

3.4 Bottle. Pours deep amber, browny color with tan airy, light head. Aroma of roastet malt and caramel. Little hints of liquorice and spices. Taste is very malt sweet, caramel, brown sugar, along with moderate spiciness and good balanced bitterness - ends warming from the high alcohol volume. Medium body, slightly oily and creamy. Quite lively carbonation.

4.0 Vintage 2006 bottle 8.3% abv. Could easly misidentiy this one for being a belgian abbey ale or similar. Aroma reminds me of the brown Corsendonk, Taste is sweet but balanced with plum and dark fruits. If you have this beer, store it in the cellar and let it ripen for some years.

3.5 Bottle, 2010-vintage. Mørk-amber farve med hvitt skum. Maltfylt aroma, med noen mørke toner. Smaken er overraskende "svart", med lakris fra anisen, litt over middels fylde og overraskende god stemning i forhold til forventningene. Hint av røyk.

3.7 Nice, fruity odour in the beginning, but it disappears quite fast (maybe because of the drinking glass). Taste is fruity too, and sweet - maybe a bit too sweet. Appearence is dark brown with a thick head that stays for long.

3.6 Deep amber color white head. Aroma is malty, sweet with hints of caramel and boild sweets. mouthfeel is slightly thick. Taste: First a rush of maltsugars, raw sugar and caramel.Then comes the bitterness which leading to a nice bitter-sweet balance, a trademark good danish christmas beers. Ends in a nice fruity and spicy aftertaste. A good drink with hearty foods and game.

3.6 As gift from Denmark shared with the family. Clear amber color, medium foamy, light brown head. Grainy and a bit caramely odor. The aroma is malty, caramely, a bit roasty. Candy sugar and alcohol flavour also appears. Light bitter taste. Medium body, creamy texture, lively carbonation. Roasted malty finish. Delicious, grainy beer. It fits to the Christmas menu!

3.5 Nice rust-brown colour with a light tan head. Noses of barnyard, straw, alcohol hops. Light slick and hint of fizzyness. Bit oily texture with a medium-full body.

3.7 Nice rust-brown colour with a light tan head. Noses of barnyard, straw, alcohol hops. Light slick and hint of fizzyness. Bit oily texture with a medium-full body. Finish is medium-long.

3.9 Bottle. Pours clear dark brown with airy tan head. Dark aroma of malt, roast and caramel. Intense, smoke, roasted and sweet flavour of malt and caramel. Good, sweety-rough finish. Nice.

3.6 Flaska årgång 2011. Vacker mahognyfärgad öl med givmilt smutsvitt skum. Intensiva dofter av fikon, karamell och lakrits framför allt. Torkad frukt, apelsinmarmelad, karamell, men också julkryddor, i smaken. Söt, men inte för söt. Ren njutning till (i mitt fall) stark mat.