All the way from France comes “La Goudale de Noel” by Les Brasseurs De Gayant (7.7% alc, from a 75 cL re-fermented bottle and poured at home)
Aroma and Appearance: Pours a dark copper with a small 1/2 inch head of foam, almost no bubble action in the glass. I get notes of plum, dark fruit, raisin and a bit of clove from the nose.
Flavour: This tastes fairly malt forward, with cherries, caramel and sweet molasses hitting as it goes down. I enjoyed the mild lingering bitter aftertaste, the small re-fermented bubbles and the balances sweetness of the beer.
Overall Impression: Mine was aged for a good 6 months or longer so it was fairly decently balanced, yet had a subtle complexity to it which made it really interesting and pleasant to drink.
Rating: I would rate about 8/10 for a craft beer as in excellent, I enjoyed the combo of a Belgian ale mixed with winter spices and would buy this as a winter beer again for sure. It was more interesting than a lot of the standard “winter ale’s” that are offered by some of the local breweries.
Food Pairing: Pair it with salty meat like bacon or prosciutto, just trust me on this one!
West Coast Beer Geek 