Holiday Cheer, Belgium Style!

Although I haven't been brewing at home nearly as often as I used to, I always find the time in the fall to brew my Holiday Cheer beer for the Christmas season. This year, I chose to brew a Belgium Strong Dark Ale, which should hopefully turn out similar to Stille Nacht from De Dolle Brouwers. I was able to do a vertical tasting of the previous three years of Stille Nacht while at the 't Brugs Beertje beer bar in Brugge, Belgium last fall. The aroma and flavour were both sweet and fruity with a bit of spiciness in the finish and a nice warming affect from the higher alcohol. Exactly what I hope my Holiday Cheer will be this year. If it ferments out completely, it should come in at around 9% abv.

I was a little disappointed in the Double Chocolate Stout that I brewed last year, but the Holiday Cheer brewed in '05 and '06 have aged very well. I enjoyed a bottle of each while brewing this year's.