Saint-Martin Cuvée De Noel from Brasserie De Brunehaut
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Saint-Martin Cuvée De Noel
Not Your Typical Winter Seasonal Beer.
Brasserie De Brunehaut was founded in 1890 in the Belgian town of Brunehaut. In 1990, the brewery relocated to an updated facility with modern equipment.
Brasserie De Brunehaut grows all of their barley and wheat used for brewing, guaranteeing quality and consistency in their beers. All of their beers are bottle refermented in 33cl & 75cl bottles, which adds to the overall complexity of the beer.
Today, the brewery still follows recipes developed by the original monks in 1890. They produce three styles of beer – Abbey, Organic, and Regional. The Saint-Martin Cuvée De Noel is one of Brasserie De Brunehaut’s Abbey ales.
Appearance:
Murky brown color with a slight ruby hue and a large khaki colored head that dissipates quickly. The dissipated head leaves behind some nice lacing.
Smell:
There is a very pronounced spiced aroma backed by notes of sweet candied sugar and caramel.
Taste:
Again, a very strong holiday spice flavor that is complimented by candied sugar, caramel, and hints of malt sweetness. At 8.5% ABV, the alcohol is noticeable but very subtle.
Mouthfeel:
The mouthfeel is much lighter than I was expecting. There is a crispness that I found unique for this style of beer.
Drinkability:
The light and crisp mouthfeel, combined with the very subtle alcohol presence makes this an easy and enjoyable drink.
Overall:
I had heard good things about the Cuvée De Noel and had been trying to find this beer for sometime in DC, which never happened. I was finally able to grab a bottle from the Foodery in Philly over the holidays.
This beer was definitely a surprise in a bottle. I was expecting a medium to full-bodied beer; a dark beer with a thick and coating mouthfeel – expected characteristics of winter seasonal beers. Instead, the Cuvée De Noel had crisp flavors with a much lighter body; making it a very drinkable. This is not your typical winter seasonal, but an enjoyable drink nonetheless.
Brewery website: http://brunehaut.com/
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