Every December in Essen, Belgium a local beer club holds an international Christmas Beer Festival.
With 187 beers available for tasting over 2 days, participants were asked to vote for their favorite. Organizer, Gunter Mertens, reports the top 10 beers of the festival. Here’s the list.
2018 Christmas Beer Festival Top 10:
1. Schuppenboer Winter 2018 (Het Nest, Oud-Turnhout)
2. Stille Nacht (De Dolle Brouwers, Esen )
3. Black Pudding (Vleesmeester Brewery, Boechout, gebrouwen bij Anders, Halen)
4. Murder 2018 Islay Oak Aged (Crow Mountain, gebrouwen bij Pirlot, Zandhoven)
5. Chimay Grande Réserve (Abdij ND de Scourmont, Chimay)
6. Winterkoninkske haspeng. Gr. Cru vintage (Kerkom, Kerkom gebrouwen bij Proefbrouwerij, Lochristi)
7. Sint Bernardus Christmas Ale (St. Bernardus, Watou)
8. Chimay Grande Reserve vieillie en barriques 2016 (Abdij ND de Scourmont, Chimay)
9. Oerbier Special Réserva (De Dolle Brouwers, Esen )
10. Jule Mælk (To Øl, Kopenhagen DK, gebrouwen bij Proefbrouwerij, Lochristi)
Unfortunately, only a couple of these beers are available outside of Belgium. I, for one, am preparing to join the 2019 pilgrimage to Essen December 14 & 15.
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