Every now and again, I come across an old favorite beer of mine like Affligem Noel Christmas Ale and discover I’ve never actually penned a review. It amazes me that this is possible since I love the beer so much (else it wouldn’t be an old favorite), and that is especially true of Affligem Noel. This is a beer I’ve been drinking for more than 25 years. That’s nothing to Affligem, though. They can trace their history back to 1074, only 34 years younger than Weihenstephan, the oldest brewery in the world.
Today, Affligem beers are not brewed in an abbey, and therefore not considered trappist. They are, however, abbey ales in style. The brand is owned by the Belgian firm Alken-Maes, which is in turn owned by Heineken/Carlsberg.
I did jot some notes on usenet on New Year’s Eve of 1997, about Affligem Noel:
Split a bottle of this with friends on Christmas Eve. The dark maltiness of a double with the fruitiness of a tripel? I'll be grabbing extra bottles for lying down.
And indeed that is an apt descriptor. Affligem says on the label of their Noel Christmas Ale:
For the season we offer you our best wishes and especially delicious Ale. Rich and dark like our Dubbel. Sumptuous and smooth like our Tripel. Enjoy.
Affligem Noel Christmas Ale has an alcohol content of 9% by volume. I got a bottle at Sherlock’s in 2014 for $9.99, so it has a few years of age on it. The beer is not listed on the brewery website currently, nor do I see it on Total Wine’s website. It would be a shame if this has been discontinued.
Affligem Noel Christmas Ale pours to a murky dark brown color with a thin creamy head and a lovely spicy chocolate malty nose. Taking a sip, the beer quickly exudes chocolatey cookie malt notes, licorice, raisin fruit, musty funky yeast notes, German gingerbread cookies, and a warm alcohol finish. The texture is smooth creamy and the palate becomes nutty, more so after rousing and decanting the yeast.
A big Christmas cookie of a beer, and truly delightful with German gingerbread Christmas cookies
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft