Bière de Noël 16°

Bière de Noël literally means Christmas beer and thus this Belgian ale is often flavored with seasonal spices typical for Christmas patisserie and mulled wine. While most such beers have a massive malt body and high alcohol content, our Bière de Noël is a bit different. Obviously, it is rather strong, but its body is highly attenuated and carbonated and with a refreshing sour twist, it evokes gingerbread frosting. This is thanks to a unique strain of Belgian yeast combined with citrus peel. Freshly baked gingerbread is also present in the aroma originating in a mix of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander and precious grains of paradise. Such mixture, also known as gruit, was used for centuries in Belgian beers before the appearance of hops. Therefore the question stands: does our beer taste after Christmas cookies, or the cookies are baked following centuries old beer recipes?