As promised, I have another Christmas style beer review for you. There’s still one more to come, but I won’t have it until next week, because I haven’t enjoyed it yet.

The good news on that is, for my 3rd Belgian Festive Ale review of the season, I will finally be using the correct glassware for the beer. For the Serafijn review though, you’ll just have to suffer once more, as I did, with it having been poured in an improper glass.

So, now that all of that’s out of the way, on to my review of Serafijn Christmas Angel (8% ABV), the second Belgian Strong Ale I’ve tried on account of the season…

Serafijn Christmas Angel, a Belgian Strong Pale Ale from Microbrouwerij Achilles, poured a deep pumpkin orange with a pleasant cloudiness, enhanced by fermented bits, floating around in the glass. In the nose, I took in the very present Belgian yeasts, sweet malts and some citrusy fruits.

In my first sip, I noticed how light and lively the carbonation is, especially on the tip of the tongue. The brew is really very crisp. Its body is medium-light… I think the carbonation played a large part in keeping the mouthfeel on the lighter side for me.

The taste itself is not an overwhelming one, to be honest. Not that that’s bad, but I suppose I expected more from the brew from the aroma. I tasted the hints of citrus that I had smelled, perhaps orange or tangerine. Also present, perhaps because of the yeasts, was a hint of apple.

Most of the time, especially in winter, I prefer a heartier beer with more to tastes to dicern, and a bit more chewiness in each sip. I know it’s created for Christmastime, but I would see myself more likely to drink this, if I did indeed drink it again, on a summer evening, perhaps in lieu of a hefeweizen. The Serafijn wasn’t a horrible offering, but definitely not what I would look for in a winter warmer.

Hopefully my Christmas Nightcap will be a completely different experience (especially with the correct Belgian glass)!

Cheers to you all, and have a most wonderful New Year!

TAGS [ BEER REVIEW | BEER REVIEWS | BELGIAN STRONG ALE | BELGIAN STRONG PALE ALE | SERAFIJN CHRISTMAS ANGEL ]

Delirium Nocturnum. With a name like that, I had high hopes for this brew… and it did not disappoint. This is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, weighing in at 8.5% ABV.

The beer poured deep, hazy brown with a 1½ finger head that quickly dissipated. My first whiff caught essences of flowery hops and orange. When I took my first sip, I noticed right away the crisp, rather lively carbonation – near soda quality – yet the brew had weight to it, sitting on my tongue with a medium body, which is a lovely combination.

The very first flavor I tasted at the front of the sip was the orange, which I had expected from the aroma. What I did not expect was the deep apple flavors, along with black cherry through the dry finish. The desiccation that stays in the back of your throat is very present, not unlike that of a dry wine. As the Delirium Nocturnum headed closer from chilled to room-temperature, the black cherry flavor became even more robust, and even more enjoyable.

I can envision drinking this on cool evenings in late summer through fall… I know, I know, this is classically a winter warmer style of beer, but I’m going with my taste buds here. I most definitely recommend Delirium Nocturnum and look forward to drinking it again.

TAGS [ BEER REVIEW | BEER REVIEWS | DELIRIUM NOCTURNUM | DELIRIUM REVIEW | BELGIAN STRONG ALE | BELGIAN STRONG DARK ALE ]