Corsendonk Christmas Ale and branded tulip glass. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn
Winter is finally waning here in Tennessee. The snow has melted and given way to chilly rain. So the time has come for my wife and I to polish off our now dwindled hoard of cold weather brews. We finished off our last bottle of Highland’s Cold Mountain Winter Ale last week.
But we aren’t alone in this spring cleaning effort. A lot of your local bottle shops are marking down winter beer for a quick sale. And I lucked on one recently, Corsendonk Christmas Ale. I had this one before some time ago, but I didn’t remember much about it.
I paid $7.99 for a 750 ml bottle here in Johnson City. That’s $2 off the regular price.
Smell: The aroma after popping the champagne style cork was a nice yeasty, bready smell with a bit of wine.
Corsendonk Christmas Ale poured into branded tulip glass. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn
Sight: The pour was a deep mahogany with a thick cappuccino head.
Taste: It had a nice brown ale taste with a dash of sweetness and a pinch of bitter. There is, however, an oddly metallic taste that puts it off just a bit.
Alcohol: The alcohol clocked in at a strong 8.1 percent, but it wasn’t too heavy.
Overall: It is very drinkable. I wouldn’t put it at the top of the heap, but it is good.
Bottom Line: At $7.99 (on sale) for almost two beers in the bottle, it’s not a bad price on a premium beer. Some cheaper alternatives I can recommend would be New Belgium’s Abbey or Lagunitas’ Brown Shugga.
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