Spencer Trappist Holiday Ale

Mahogany in color, wholesome in body, lightly spiced, a heart-warming feast day ale from our table to yours.

3.6

220 reviews

Spencer, United States

Community reviews

4.1 Amber in color with a very large head. Aroma was Belgium spices and fruitcake. Taste was also Belgium spices with hints of dried fruit and a subtle sweetness. It was very good.

4.0 33 cl. bb 10/17/22. Deep chestnut brown with a creamy disc of foam. Nose has clove, chocolate, toffee and a touch of orange zest. Tastes of clove, ginger, bread, caramel, and citrus zest. Medium body gets a little sticky but never cloying. Mid-level carbonation and just a bit of chest warming abv peeking through.

3.9 Capped bottle from The Davis Beer Shoppe. Pours clear dark mahogany with a large foamy biege head. Aroma of mild Xmas spices (nutmeg for sure) over caramel/toffee. Med body. Flavor is roasty toffee with a great deal of Xmas spices. I think ginger stands out. Good brew.

3.8 La Holiday Ale es una Dubbel al más puro estilo belga. Oscura, con reflejos caoba y una tenue cabeza de espuma beis. Textura aceitosa. Su olor tiene un punto ácido y despliega toda una batería de matices herbales y de especias. Pero en el trago es donde viene lo mejor. Maltas tostadas, ciruelas pasas, frutas carnosas dulces que van abriendo un hueco a especias como la pimienta y por supuesto, como siempre en este tipo de cervezas, conforme va subiendo la temperatura aparece el caramelo y el reconfortante y navideño carácter licoroso.

4.0 chestnut brown. well balanced malt, yeast and light spices. warming and exactly what I wanted in a belgian style winter warmer

3.6 Strong herbal & spicy nose. Clear deep ruby brown, small fizzy off-white head, vanishes within no time, almost no lacing. Aroma roasted malt, caramel, mix of spices (coriander seed, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, anise, licorice root), some wood, brown sugar. Taste light heavy sweet, light bitter, roasted malt, caramel, spices, alcohol. Medium body, oily to sticky texture, average carbonation, sweet and sticky sweetbitter aftertaste, sugary, spices, some orange peel, alcohol notes, complex, tasty, in fact easy to drink – or better to sip because of the pronunciated spiciness, very nice.

3.9 Pours a dark brown and almost opaque with a dense and off-white head. Smells of prunes and dark rich malty caramel. Taste is like prunes or dates, very rich and full bodied, syrupy and sticky with some alcohol heat, a bit of a raisin type flavour, dark molassess and bread crust in the malts. A long aftertaste on this sweet full bodied beer, leaves my lips sticky, good.

3.6 Bottle. Deep reddish brown with a pale beige head that fades to a cm or so. Aroma of dough, brown sugar, prunes, ginger, mace, woody herbs. Only medium bodied and a bit creamy with modest carbonation. Fairly sweet with nicely rounding bitterness and fairly heavy spices. The malt side of things is pleasant but lacks a real bottom end rumble for something this strong (although there's a bit of warmth). Pretty good though.

3.6 0,33 litre Bottle shared with friends. Dark amber with beige head. Malts, hops, yeast, spices, sweetness.

4.2 750ml bottle brewed in the USA at 9%. Aroma of chocolate and dry dark cherry/raisin. Smallish, decent-duration ivory head on an ebony body. Low carbonation. If you've tasted Spencer's Monks' Reserve Quadrupel, the same building blocks are immediately apparent in here, but the emphasis is completely reversed. Instead of starting with the pungent dark fruits, it kicks off with the sweet chocolatey malt and creamy whole milk character (although at its sweetest still reminiscent of a very high cocoa content milk chocolate) and then thinning out and being balanced by some of the same dark fruit, raisin, black cherry, and hints of black grape as the Quadrupel, but without nearly as much pungency, or tanninic bitterness. Much easier-drinking, then, but still a very rich and complex beer - more suited for the intended holiday sharing. A standout offering from Spencer, strongly recommended for Trappist beer fans or those who want a rich holiday treat for sharing round the table (or the fire). Bonus enjoyment can be had if you elect to pair it with their Monks' Reserve Quadrupel, as each puts the other into perspective and showcases the abbey's brewing character. Maybe break open the Quad second, as you bring out the cheese course...splendid stuff all round.

3.9 75cl bottle from Hi-Time in Costa Mesa. Pours a mahogany brown with thick tan head. Rich, fruity aroma of dates and dark caramel. The taste is rich, delicious and complex. There are notes of toffee, prune, vine fruits, port and Christmas spices. Very mouthfilling and a long, spicy aftertaste. Delicious and highly drinkable.

3.9 Medium brown, great head. Spicy nose, smells like Christmas pine, flavor is a great burst of caramel Christmas. Roasted notes, rounded coffee caramel biscuit background. Excellent!

3.5 Hazy brownish. Aroma is chestnut caramel some different nuts rosemary. Taste is the same. A little boozy with creamy sirupy juice. Also a bit herbal finish. Good.

3.5 Bottle. Hazy amber color with white head. Aroma is very herbal, rosemary, raisins, a bit boozy. Taste is herbal, rosemary, warming finish, some raisins. Oily mouthfeel with medium carbonation. Quite nice!

3.7 Bottle. Hazy Ruby brown, creamy tan head. Fresh fruity nose, light mood. Medium body, chewy dry, light umami, Rosemary, fruit and wood, pleasantly moreish, nutty dark sugar retronasal.

3.5 330ml Bottle - Dark brown in colour. Fruitcake, spice and caramel in the aroma. Fruity and fairly rich taste with notes of fruitcake, dates and figs.

3.7 Dark fruit aroma. Head lasts a while. Powdery texture. Nice toffee and coffee flavour.

3.8 75 CL donkerbruin bier met voldoende koolzuur. Geur mout, suikers, kruidig, fruitig, zurig. Smaak mout, karamel, kers, kaneel, cardemon, kruidnagel, vanille. Vol mondgevoel. Nasmaak mout, kruidig. Lange nasmaak. Niet heel overdreven, goed in balans.

3.1 Helderbruine trappist met vrij weinig geur. Licht beige schuim dat snel wegtrekt. Dd smaak is vrij licht en niet zo uitgesproken: tikje gebrand en kruidig, wat kersen/rood fruit. Licht bitter in de afdronk, die vluchtig is. Niet onplezierig en ook zacht. Subtiele trappist, geen krachtpatser.

3.6 Pours a reddish brown with a small off white ring. Aroma is cinnamon and cadamon spice. Taste is lightly spiced. Everything is subtle, it doesn't hit you over the head like some beer. Better than most holiday ale.

4.0 Pours dark mahogany with an off white head. Aroma is dark fruit, candied sugar, and Belgian yeast. Flavor is sweet dark plums with candied sugar and a spicy Belgian yeast. Light cinnamon. Champagne bubbly mouthfeel. Great holiday brew.

3.2 Bottle @ Smag på øllet tasting, Hørning Bibliotek. Slight gusher that pours hazy dark brown with a tan head, light lacings. Aroma of sweet malt, caramel, yeast, spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, light fruit. Flavor is sweet and light spiced, malty, belgian yeast, caramel, cinnamon, fruit. Medium body, average to lively carbonation, sweet mildly spiced finish. 271119

3.4 Bottle 0.33L Hazy brown body with copper nuances; small, frothy, tan head, mostly diminishing with some lacing. Moderate malty (caramel, toasted) aroma with notes of alcohol and some syrup. Moderate sweet and light bitter flavour; long-lasting sweet finish. Medium body with oily texture; soft carbonation; light alcoholic warming in the finish.

3.4 Pours hazy mahogany with a light tan head. Aroma is spice, Belgian yeast and toffee. Taste is toffee and cinnamon, moving to Belgian yeast. Finish is cinnamon, toffee and Belgian yeast.

4.1 Fles 33cl thuis. Warm, flink kruidig, kaneel, kruidnagel, donker fruit, pruim, rozijn, wat wijntonen, malttonen, minttonen, tinteling, licht boozy. (23-11-2019).

3.7 Color marrón rojizo oscuro, sin turbiedad, translúcida. Espuma marfil de un dedo de espesor y corta retención. Aroma vinoso, a ciruelas y uvas pasas, maltas tostadas, ligeramente caramelizadas, notas cítricas y especiadas, clavo y canela. Sabor a maltas tostadas, madera, frutas pasas, ligero caramelo y resina al atemperar, notas especiadas y de piel de cítricos, final moderadamente amargo, alcohólico y seco. Textura acuosa y oleosa. Carbonatación media.

3.4 samen met yves bij hem thuis een donker bruin kleurig lichaam met een witte kop en met een kruidig donker fruit mout aroma een mout hop kruidig zoet fruitig droge bitter smaak met een alcoholic bitter einde

4.3 I have found this bottle at Amstein, St-Légier, savouring and enjoying this bottle, at home, in Epalinges. In my point of view, it is an excellent quadrupel, well done and subtle, a beer to drink step by step. The color is brown and black, troubled, average carbonation, white and brown foam. The taste has a warm and generous side of alcool, malt, sweetness, plum, apricot, cynamon, fair hop, side of barrel and porto, next pint please.

2.0 Dark color, middle foam size. Good beer, aroma and taste fit into the style.

3.7 Bottle from Dranken Geers, nr Ghent. Dark brown cloudy beer with an off white head. Nose is cranberry, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, orange peel, tobacco. Loads of Christmas spice. Taste is big nutmeg, cinnamon, spice, fruity, dark fruit, prune, raisin, fig, bread, Christmas cake, clove. Touch of that malty bread Westvleteren flavour on the finish. Big spice taste almost a touch medicinal. Tasty though.