Abbaye des Rocs Spéciale Noël is an excellent strong Belgian ale with loads of sweet and spicy flavor with no added sugar. The malts do all the work!
Spéciale Noël pours deep amber with a tan head that turns to lace after a few minutes. Sweet malts strike the nose with a touch of spice, vanilla, and banana. On tasting it, I’m reminded of a dark Triple. In fact, it is triple fermented and bottle conditioned. The taste is bright and medium-sweet with vanilla, dark fruits, cinnamon, caramel, and Belgian yeast. The whopping 9% alcohol by volume is well integrated.
I like the beers of Brasserie de L’Abbaye des Rocs. They tend to be big with spices and a distinctly Belgian feel to them. The brewery is located only a few hundred yards from the ruins of the 12th century abbey farm that gave their name (Abbaye des Rocs). The brewery began small in 1979 as one of several breweries seeking to revive Belgian traditional beer. Two other noted breweries began around that same time, De Dolle Brouwers and Brasserie d’Achouffe, both of which produce excellent Christmas beers.
You can’t go wrong with Abbaye des Rocs Spéciale Noël it is an exceptional beer.
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