Let me get this straight: You leave Brad outside in the freezing cold, while you have your own very merry christmas beer tasting in the warm confines of the Brewdio (tm)? No wonder he's dressed for an Arctic adventure. Also, I'm impressed you can even taste the last few beers. My pallet would have gone numb by then. Cheers!
Love the video as always! What I really recommend is aging Belgian Christmas blonde/amber beer. Recently had a 2019 Stille Nacht and it was easily one of my top 5 beers; something about the Christmas spices keeps it alive even as it goes a little flat from the aging
A few years ago I had 2 750ml st bernadus Christmas beers over my Christmas meal at the parents. I absolutely necked them back and I was snoring not long after
@@TheCraftBeerChannel Had 4 bottles this christmas from gift pack with the glass. Might actually be my favourite. You defo need another bottle.... maybe next christmas.
Blonde Christmas beers can work for sure! I can remember in one of your older Christmas video's you two had a Stille Nacht (Silent Night) by de Dolle Brouwers, and that's a stunner! You're absolutely right about Gouden Carolus Christmas, I like liquorice, but that's too much for me.
I'd love there were more christmas beers in my country. I had a delirium christmas though! And i really enjoyed it. A bit late but hope you all had a merry christmas!!! 🥰🙌🌲❤️ Edit: i found a new local christmas ale with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove🤩
As a British beer lover I have nothing against earthy hops! I've had a few Pere Noels in the past and quite enjoyed them, and I'm a huge lover of XX - but this batch was so earthy I thought it was autolysis. Just pure mud-like aroma and finish.
Just made my first Christmas beer and will be serving on Christmas Eve. I am really enjoying these ales and you gave me a BIG heads up on some beers to try to emulate. Thanks and cheers🍻🍻🍻
These blind taste tests are obviously here to stay and they're cracking. So pleased that St Bernadus was your top one! It's a stonking beer and one of the only Belgian beers I'll actually drink, as a lot of them are too liquorice-y/pithy for my taste. I once had 4 in one sitting which was probably not the best choice I've ever made but it's weird how sometimes it can just go down like a 5%-er aaaaand other times it gives you a headache lol 🤣
@@TheCraftBeerChannel I have to agree. Although one time I had 4 glasses of moonshine (to be fair it was apple pie moonshine). Surprisingly I didn’t have a hangover, only a mild buzzing feeling. I have since given up apple pie moonshine. That stuff’s too addictive. I’ll stick to craft beer, artisan cider and fine wine.
Not surprised on your winner - it's always been my favourite - a really subtle addition of spices that works perfectly with a beautiful beer. They absolutely nailed what a Christmas beer is all about! Great video.
Brewery Ommegang here in NY makes a blonde Christmas beer which my girlfriend is a big fan of (I’m not much of a Christmas beer guy), I think all of their stuff is great though!
St Bernadus goes on sale in the Swedish Monopoly tomorrow. Guess who'll be queuing up outside at opening time??!! Great video & timely Xmas beer tips!! God Jul!🎅
Love the Christmas beer from Belgium, the St Bernardus, the Delirium Christmas and the Chouffe N’ice are my favourites. I’d like to try the Gouden Carolus Christmas, I haven’t had that one before.
The Gouden Carolus is fantastic, and hopefully I can still get some from my usual place. Apparently it can be aged for 10 years or more, although it's never survived into the new year for me so far 😄
@@markhowson9694 Yes, the Gouden Carolus is on top with Sr. Bernardus on my opinion. I have a 4 years botlle in my cellar, but I'll wait a few years to drink it.
Now that's how you justify drinking strong ales in your shed all day! This has been so helpful as there are so many Belgian Christmas beers out there and I've felt it's a bit of a minefield. Keep up the important work
Great video. I hope to do this someday. I think I have tried all of them over the years. St. Bernardus is my favorite too. I'm surprised the Gordon's Xmas scored so low. I like that one a lot. Perhaps the bottle was mishandled?
Super nice video, like always, enjoyed it. As a Belgian my personal X-mas beers are : St.Bernardus, Bush, Stille Nacht, Gouden Carolus X-mas and as a Antwerp person : WinterBolleke ;-)
To save Brad from getting frostbite due to space issues in the Brewdio, I suggest that you design a harness system. During takes he’s suspended above, out of shot, and when needed he can lower himself down Mission Impossible style to fill the glasses. He’d be warmer up there for a start. Next year?
I’m having a Christmas beer called “scaldis Noel” from brasserie dubuisson as I watch. Normally I would get a st. Bernardus but thought I’d try something different. This excellent, it’s 12% but you’d never know it. Very subtle and beautiful beer. Cheers boys!🍻👍🏻
I'm not a big fan of our Belgian Christmas beers, but.. there's no discussing taste. And btw how do you know Brad isn't finishing off the rest of each bottle outside ? He managed to start off by pouring four of them , and a bit later three and finished with just two :)
Stille Nacht by De Dolle is still my favorite, but St Bernardus is a better example of the style 😊 Did you try Tsjeeses by De Struise ? It’s fantastic 👌
I’m always curious about these videos, what happens to the rest of the beer after the tasting is done? I’ve got a few in my Xmas stash and they aren’t cheap😂
About as I'd expect it to go. My 2 Belgian X-mas go-to beers are also the Bush Noel and St. Bernardus xmas. The De Ranke Pere Noel I really enjoy, but is definitely not what I'd consider a classic strong Belgain Xmas Ale. It's more of a dark/amber hoppy Belgian ale, almost a dark xmas version of xx bitter.
I just opened my Gordon X mas today because of this review, and you're right idk what's wrong with it this year, usually it's similar to Mc Chouffe, or Scotch silly. A good solid scotch ale, but this year it tastes like people who don't like Mc Ewans Champion describe it. Bitter shaving cream.
Huh, when you tried that Gordon and said "very very sweet version of Duchesse de Bourgogne", which is one of my favorite belgian beers, (especially the chocolate cherry version) and Diacetyl, which is also right up my alley in Czech Pilsners or Lagers i knew i had to try that. A real pity that it seemed to taste so poorly overall. Do you think it might've been a bad batch or just not your kind of flavours? Or just objectively a bad beer?
Are you sure Pere Noel was from this year? I drank a 75cl bottle on christmas day and it was pretty nice; really better than the 2021 one that was too much bitter and without any particular nuance..
@@TheCraftBeerChannelHey! I’m re-watching this episode just now and I was thinking… Will you give to Pere Noel another chance this Christmas? This year in addition to the usual beer I pick up for Christmas (Bons Voeux, Pere, Stille, N’ice… no Canaster unfortunately) and reminding me of this blind taste, this year I managed to get my hands on St Feullien, Moneuse Speciale Noel by Blaugies and finally the St Bernardus that I can't wait to try. Three 75cl bottles will be enough, what do you think? 😅
Suggestion for a future video. Instead of just a tasting I'd each, you are required to finish each glass. Then determine how that effects your judgement. 😂
@@TheCraftBeerChannel No they make a spiced bottle that is for Christmas and about $20-ish for the 750ml bottle. I don't know if they import it anymore.
To make this fair it should be redone with all the beers in a different order, just to check the scoring is accurate. Then it needs to be redone again for better accuracy, basically just keep going until standing becomes a health hazard, then average the scores 🍻
@@TheCraftBeerChannel and fun it was! Any thoughts on making a UK version of winter warmers? Maybe a London pub crawl in search of the best winter ale?
Really love the idea of comparing similar beers, however I also support the idea that there's a time and place for every beer. Saying that to say that you came off as a little critical and dare i say it: pretentious. Funny how if someone says everything is good it feels like they're lying and if someone is critical they seem like a jerk. I bet there's a happy medium in there someone can hit, and i know you can do it too. Much love, keep the content coming. No matter what you say, i'll be watching.
Thanks for the comment! Totally agree there is a time and place for every beer, but the two I criticised were objectively flawed, and it's our job as beer writers/communicators to let people know when a beer isn't worth picking up! Otherwise people can't trust our views.
personally, the best belgian christmas beer to me is too much st bernardus christmas ale, followed by spirits (and vintage ale with the dinner). Christmas is best enjoyed after having a lot of boozy drinks and a big hunk of meat in a sea of gravy If i'm wrong on all counts, lets just say I don't want to be right on this one.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel I figured that out when you said it again, but also couldn't unhear "sewer penis" every subsequent time. I'll try to find an opportunity for sewer penis at my next tasting.
I'm sorry but seeing Brad relegated to bottle pourer just doesn't seem in the Christmas spirit. Please tell us that he turned up 2 snowballs to the wind and had to be edited out
Gordon is like Cara pils, Belgian cheap supermarketbeers (I didnt knew it was even Belgian, btw) brewed under licence. But Cara Rouge a fruited strong beer has good reviews. So you never know they bring out something good.
This is the most bizarre way to judge beer I've ever seen. LOL. Only 3 metrics yet 10 permutations each? I can see judging aroma on a 10-point scale, but palate? By "palate" do you mean the mouthfeel and drinking experience (which is a bit more objective) or how much you enjoyed the flavor? (which is completely subjective) Also, I've never seen anyone judge "aftertaste". I would factor the aftertaste in with the general flavor and maybe any heat in with mouthfeel. I'm not the world's biggest fan of the BJCP's judging system with 5 metrics and 50 total permutations, but It makes more sense than this. Even RateBeer and BeerAdvocate use more or less the same scale. BTW I always liked Corsendonk the best of the Belgian Christmas Ales. I'm not sure St. Bernardus actually does anything different with their Christmas beer (perhaps a touch of orange peel?); I suspect it's just their Abt 12 with different packaging.
A couple of points Chad. First up, you may have noticed this video is a bit of fun, so we have simplified the judging into the way that most people tast beer - aroma, flavour, aftertaste. Thats how we see most beer drinkers talk about beer. On that note, as a professional beer judge I've never once done a comp where aftertaste wasn't a metric - it is the reason we don't spit beer like wine judges. We NEED to know the finish, bitterness, and get what's known as the retronasal aromas. As for Corsendonk, decent beer but eclipsed by the top three. Bernardus is only subtley different from the 12, with spice and fruit peel additions. Why mess to much with perfection?
@@TheCraftBeerChannel I'm also a beer judge and I've never seen a competition where "aftertaste" was its own metric. The BJCP has 5 metrics: aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel and overall impression. These are the 5 metrics most beer drinkers I know go by. I suppose you could consider aftertaste as part of the flavor metric but it's just one component of that metric.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel Also, checking St. Bernardus's website (and the bottle label itself), there's nothing mentioned about the beer using any fruit or spice additions (I just posted a review it yesterday and I didn't pick up on any). Frankly I think it's just their Abt 12 fermented at a different temperature.
@@ChadzBeerReviews in BJCP scoresheet aftertaste is in the flacor metric and is defenetly relevant, a great beer experience can be ruined by a bad aftertaste, I think they put it with the mouthfeel and finish body ,and just named it aftertaste
Let me get this straight: You leave Brad outside in the freezing cold, while you have your own very merry christmas beer tasting in the warm confines of the Brewdio (tm)? No wonder he's dressed for an Arctic adventure.
Also, I'm impressed you can even taste the last few beers. My pallet would have gone numb by then.
Cheers!
He had a good coat! What's the problem!?
Love the video as always! What I really recommend is aging Belgian Christmas blonde/amber beer. Recently had a 2019 Stille Nacht and it was easily one of my top 5 beers; something about the Christmas spices keeps it alive even as it goes a little flat from the aging
I think it depends on the beer and on the spices used, but for sure Stille Nacht is a beautiful beer to age!
A few years ago I had 2 750ml st bernadus Christmas beers over my Christmas meal at the parents. I absolutely necked them back and I was snoring not long after
Amazed at the Gordon result, it's my all-time fave Belgian xmas beer and never fails to deliver for me.
I'm gonna have to get another bottle - you are not the first to say it.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel Had 4 bottles this christmas from gift pack with the glass. Might actually be my favourite. You defo need another bottle.... maybe next christmas.
Blonde Christmas beers can work for sure! I can remember in one of your older Christmas video's you two had a Stille Nacht (Silent Night) by de Dolle Brouwers, and that's a stunner! You're absolutely right about Gouden Carolus Christmas, I like liquorice, but that's too much for me.
Great video....I may do some reviews of my own this weekend!
I always like an Old Tom or two at Christmas.
I'd love there were more christmas beers in my country. I had a delirium christmas though! And i really enjoyed it. A bit late but hope you all had a merry christmas!!! 🥰🙌🌲❤️
Edit: i found a new local christmas ale with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove🤩
What I love about Pere Noel and de Ranke in general is that earthy hoppy feel that only them can deliver.
As a British beer lover I have nothing against earthy hops! I've had a few Pere Noels in the past and quite enjoyed them, and I'm a huge lover of XX - but this batch was so earthy I thought it was autolysis. Just pure mud-like aroma and finish.
Just made my first Christmas beer and will be serving on Christmas Eve. I am really enjoying these ales and you gave me a BIG heads up on some beers to try to emulate. Thanks and cheers🍻🍻🍻
These blind taste tests are obviously here to stay and they're cracking. So pleased that St Bernadus was your top one! It's a stonking beer and one of the only Belgian beers I'll actually drink, as a lot of them are too liquorice-y/pithy for my taste. I once had 4 in one sitting which was probably not the best choice I've ever made but it's weird how sometimes it can just go down like a 5%-er aaaaand other times it gives you a headache lol 🤣
FOUR?! Good lord. That's like two bottles of wine....
@@TheCraftBeerChannel Not my proudest moment like I said 🤣
@@TheCraftBeerChannel I have to agree. Although one time I had 4 glasses of moonshine (to be fair it was apple pie moonshine). Surprisingly I didn’t have a hangover, only a mild buzzing feeling. I have since given up apple pie moonshine. That stuff’s too addictive. I’ll stick to craft beer, artisan cider and fine wine.
Not surprised on your winner - it's always been my favourite - a really subtle addition of spices that works perfectly with a beautiful beer. They absolutely nailed what a Christmas beer is all about! Great video.
Subbed. Have a bar with 46 faucets and had the christmas beers of bernardus, gordons and delirium. St. Bernardus all the way.
Brewery Ommegang here in NY makes a blonde Christmas beer which my girlfriend is a big fan of (I’m not much of a Christmas beer guy), I think all of their stuff is great though!
St Bernadus goes on sale in the Swedish Monopoly tomorrow. Guess who'll be queuing up outside at opening time??!! Great video & timely Xmas beer tips!! God Jul!🎅
God speed David! Enjoy!
Nice reviews man! Surprised you were still standing at the end! Cheers from Belgium!!
Love the Christmas beer from Belgium, the St Bernardus, the Delirium Christmas and the Chouffe N’ice are my favourites. I’d like to try the Gouden Carolus Christmas, I haven’t had that one before.
The Gouden Carolus is fantastic, and hopefully I can still get some from my usual place. Apparently it can be aged for 10 years or more, although it's never survived into the new year for me so far 😄
@@markhowson9694 I’ll give it a try, I’ll hope that you’ll find this beer again. Cheers! 🍻
@@markhowson9694 Yes, the Gouden Carolus is on top with Sr. Bernardus on my opinion. I have a 4 years botlle in my cellar, but I'll wait a few years to drink it.
Now that's how you justify drinking strong ales in your shed all day! This has been so helpful as there are so many Belgian Christmas beers out there and I've felt it's a bit of a minefield. Keep up the important work
Great video. I hope to do this someday. I think I have tried all of them over the years. St. Bernardus is my favorite too. I'm surprised the Gordon's Xmas scored so low. I like that one a lot. Perhaps the bottle was mishandled?
I think it must have been in retrospect. Will find another and report back
St Bernardus for sure a fave, Gauloise on draft was an unexpected surprise was very good
Great work! Went slightly mad listening to Deck the Halls for 20 minutes… 😂😂😂
That was the aim... trying to make watching me feel like you'd had 13 12% beers.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel Ha! Love it 😂
Would love to have seen you and Brad after you had finished those. An outtakes special perhaps? Cheers lads and here's to more good beer to come 🍻
that sweater is fantastic
Why thank you. The finest Next garment.
big fan of the chouffe n'ice!
Next year add 'Avec les Bons Voeux' from Dupont! It 's the best blond christmas beer imo.
Superb vid lads !! I’ll be trying to source your favs as always !!👍
A blind test we needed! 🙌🙌
Had most of these in November, they never got to see December.
Super nice video, like always, enjoyed it. As a Belgian my personal X-mas beers are : St.Bernardus, Bush, Stille Nacht, Gouden Carolus X-mas and as a Antwerp person : WinterBolleke ;-)
Amusing & informative today 👍
So sad about your experience with Gordon Xmas, one of my favorite 🤩
Awesome content! Thank you.
Great show.
Just came here to say my local has just put Gouden Caralous Christmas on tap!
To save Brad from getting frostbite due to space issues in the Brewdio, I suggest that you design a harness system. During takes he’s suspended above, out of shot, and when needed he can lower himself down Mission Impossible style to fill the glasses. He’d be warmer up there for a start. Next year?
Haha! You over estimate the height of the building!
I’m having a Christmas beer called “scaldis Noel” from brasserie dubuisson as I watch. Normally I would get a st. Bernardus but thought I’d try something different. This excellent, it’s 12% but you’d never know it. Very subtle and beautiful beer. Cheers boys!🍻👍🏻
Same as the Bush that came 2nd!
@@TheCraftBeerChannel ha! I thought the bottles looked very similar
I'm not a big fan of our Belgian Christmas beers, but.. there's no discussing taste. And btw how do you know Brad isn't finishing off the rest of each bottle outside ? He managed to start off by pouring four of them , and a bit later three and finished with just two :)
Stille Nacht by De Dolle is still my favorite, but St Bernardus is a better example of the style 😊 Did you try Tsjeeses by De Struise ? It’s fantastic 👌
Amazing beer!
I’m always curious about these videos, what happens to the rest of the beer after the tasting is done? I’ve got a few in my Xmas stash and they aren’t cheap😂
The good ones get sipped at and shared, the bad ones go straight down the drain.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel Life is too short and the number of livers we have, are not enough for drinking bad beer...
Wow, that is a very impressive palate you have. Evaluating 13 beers against each other is a tall order.
The editing got more intense towards the end...
Going to mark every single one down, my kind of beers 🍻 were was my invite?! 😝
Just bought a few of these the other day, very curious! Looking for the st Bernardus one, haven't found it nearby yet, unfortunately
I tried the St. Bernardus Christmas ale for the first time about 2 weeks ago. It's really good.
The fact Brad has that big jacket on implies you made him stand outside during filming!
I did, but only because the Brudio is THAT small
What’s the best temperature to drink St Bernardus Christmas Ale?
"some bananas", the best Christmas beer
Off topic but have you tried Witkap ? Their 'Stimulo' is famous in my region in Belgium.
Indeed! It's a nice blonde!
About as I'd expect it to go. My 2 Belgian X-mas go-to beers are also the Bush Noel and St. Bernardus xmas. The De Ranke Pere Noel I really enjoy, but is definitely not what I'd consider a classic strong Belgain Xmas Ale. It's more of a dark/amber hoppy Belgian ale, almost a dark xmas version of xx bitter.
I also enjoyed the Christmas beer from De Ranke, great one.
I think I became drunk just watching this.
I just opened my Gordon X mas today because of this review, and you're right idk what's wrong with it this year, usually it's similar to Mc Chouffe, or Scotch silly. A good solid scotch ale, but this year it tastes like people who don't like Mc Ewans Champion describe it. Bitter shaving cream.
Interesting. Perhaps something has gone wrong at bottling and not been picked up by the brewery! Perhaps we'll contact them and let them know.
That bottle of Bush Noel looks suspiciously like my bottle of Scaldis Noel I still have from last year.
Same beer that's why! Think it might be a legal thing.
Amazed at your view on the Gordon’s Xmas. I get a couple of bottles this every year and really like it. Have you had it before, is this an off year?
It could be a bad bottle, certainly showed a lot of oxidation. I'll have to find another and see.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel Better have a back up ready for Christmas morning 🙂
I need to lie down just watching this😂
Huh, when you tried that Gordon and said "very very sweet version of Duchesse de Bourgogne", which is one of my favorite belgian beers, (especially the chocolate cherry version) and Diacetyl, which is also right up my alley in Czech Pilsners or Lagers i knew i had to try that. A real pity that it seemed to taste so poorly overall.
Do you think it might've been a bad batch or just not your kind of flavours? Or just objectively a bad beer?
Not 100% sure. Gonna get another bottle and find out.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel Let me know of the results. I've also ordered a bottle now.. i'll report if it was a waste of money or not. :)
Still getting that Jack Whitehalls older taller brother vibe when I look at your vids.
Goddamn it. I hate that guy.
Personal favorite is definitely Stille Nacht by De Dolle Brouwers
Joint top for me. Love that beer and indeed that brewery with all my heart. Arabier is top 3 beers in the world for me.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel absolutely! Arabier is an absolute classic
I tried Gouden Caralous Xmas beer in Brugges and absolutely love it's strange flavour, anaise perhaps. Be interested to know what you think
It is liquorice. I hate it, but I hate liquorice. I hear it is lovely if you like that flavour!
Nice, I do prefer the Corsendonk over the St. Bernardus one, but both are awesome beers..
It's been such a long long time since I had any or seen any Corsendonk beer. I had the Angus and the Pater I don't think I had their Christmas beer.
Are you sure Pere Noel was from this year? I drank a 75cl bottle on christmas day and it was pretty nice; really better than the 2021 one that was too much bitter and without any particular nuance..
It was - might be a different batch, or badly cared for by the distro
@@TheCraftBeerChannelHey! I’m re-watching this episode just now and I was thinking… Will you give to Pere Noel another chance this Christmas? This year in addition to the usual beer I pick up for Christmas (Bons Voeux, Pere, Stille, N’ice… no Canaster unfortunately) and reminding me of this blind taste, this year I managed to get my hands on St Feullien, Moneuse Speciale Noel by Blaugies and finally the St Bernardus that I can't wait to try. Three 75cl bottles will be enough, what do you think? 😅
Get on the boat, the banana boat! 🤣
Nice!! 😁🍻
Suggestion for a future video. Instead of just a tasting I'd each, you are required to finish each glass. Then determine how that effects your judgement. 😂
Haha I wouldn't make it through the first round!
After 4 beers, they all taste the same....prove me wrong hic!
Good stuff. Have you retired that other Christmas jumper ?:)
For the good of society it went in the charity bin
Christmas decoration budget I see got a cut this year.
Actually it doubled. That's real gold and real green.
St. Bernardus is Westvleteren in disguise,,,,good call
No St Bernardus Christmas Ale. I had to settle on a St. Bernardus Tripel.
Can I find you on Untappd?
I'm JonnyCBC but not using it very often these days!
St. Bernardus and Chimay Christmas edition rule the Belgian Christmas beers
Chimay Christmas edition is just the blue in a big bottle right?
@@TheCraftBeerChannel No they make a spiced bottle that is for Christmas and about $20-ish for the 750ml bottle. I don't know if they import it anymore.
To make this fair it should be redone with all the beers in a different order, just to check the scoring is accurate.
Then it needs to be redone again for better accuracy, basically just keep going until standing becomes a health hazard, then average the scores 🍻
I mean, standing wasn't easy after one run through...
De Dolle, Stille Nacht is yummy.
It sure is. Perhaps the best one, but none made it to the Uk this year sadly.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel shame. I once had a vertical with it. Quite a fun evening.
First! Great video as always!
I presume that wasn’t one of those days when you shoot 2 or 3 videos in a row.
Actually it was. Evidence incoming.
Curious how Chimay Blue would fare against these
Pretty well I think! Chimay beers are so heady and estery anyway!
shit have De Ranke Xmas in the fridge and now i am not keen on it anymore :(
Sad you didn't face off the Chouffe, delerium and bon sec.
Serious question: Did you mean "pea water" or "pee water"?
Definitely pea.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel That's a relief.
Oh! Peas. I thought you meant the other kind.
Should have had Samichlaus as a non Belgian Christmas wildcard! Regardless thanks for doing the "science" so we don't have to 🤣
that backing music... 😶
Thought about mixing it up, decided it reinforced the repetitive nature of my challenge...
@@TheCraftBeerChannel haha :)
If you really wanna get nerdy about blind tasting beer, eat a cracker and swill with water after each beer.
Helps to reset your palate.
Ha - if this were pro judging I would, but this is just a bit of fun. I do reset my palate in between rounds though.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel and fun it was!
Any thoughts on making a UK version of winter warmers? Maybe a London pub crawl in search of the best winter ale?
Good video. Pity stille nacht not here but maybe too unique to blind test
Really love the idea of comparing similar beers, however I also support the idea that there's a time and place for every beer. Saying that to say that you came off as a little critical and dare i say it: pretentious. Funny how if someone says everything is good it feels like they're lying and if someone is critical they seem like a jerk. I bet there's a happy medium in there someone can hit, and i know you can do it too. Much love, keep the content coming. No matter what you say, i'll be watching.
Thanks for the comment! Totally agree there is a time and place for every beer, but the two I criticised were objectively flawed, and it's our job as beer writers/communicators to let people know when a beer isn't worth picking up! Otherwise people can't trust our views.
de ranke always so good, what happend!?
I think partly context with all the sweet stuff I tried, but also I don't like their Christmas Beer much.
HURRAY! I didn't like the diole it tasted sweaty. My three favorite are the Bush Noel, Gouden Carolus Christmas, and St berny Christmas.
One man's sweat is another man's pea water. Wait, no.
Pee- or pea water? 😅
Pea. Definitely pea.
Personally, I always look for a bit of "pee water" in my Christmas Ales.
On first watching I genuinely thought he said “pee water” 😂 only on the second time round did I realize it was “pea water” 😅
personally, the best belgian christmas beer to me is too much st bernardus christmas ale, followed by spirits (and vintage ale with the dinner). Christmas is best enjoyed after having a lot of boozy drinks and a big hunk of meat in a sea of gravy
If i'm wrong on all counts, lets just say I don't want to be right on this one.
Wait... you're on the spirits before lunchtime!?
Did anyone else here "sewer penis" around 3:46?
Lol - I said "syrupiness"
@@TheCraftBeerChannel I figured that out when you said it again, but also couldn't unhear "sewer penis" every subsequent time. I'll try to find an opportunity for sewer penis at my next tasting.
I'm sorry but seeing Brad relegated to bottle pourer just doesn't seem in the Christmas spirit. Please tell us that he turned up 2 snowballs to the wind and had to be edited out
Lol its all true.
What's the difference between a beer expert and a drunk?
By the end of this video, not much.
Too bad you didnt taste the best belgian Chritsmas beer : Stille Nacht by De Dolle Brouwers
Couldn't get hold of it this year, but it is joint best with Bernardus
Gordon is a cheap beer that is mostly drunk by drunken drunks, because of the big alcohol percentage, really bad indeed.
I did not know about this reputation, but I won't be going back in a hurry
Gordon is like Cara pils, Belgian cheap supermarketbeers (I didnt knew it was even Belgian, btw) brewed under licence. But Cara Rouge a fruited strong beer has good reviews. So you never know they bring out something good.
Gordon beers are terrible. It's the beer for homeless ppl in Belgium
This is the most bizarre way to judge beer I've ever seen. LOL. Only 3 metrics yet 10 permutations each? I can see judging aroma on a 10-point scale, but palate? By "palate" do you mean the mouthfeel and drinking experience (which is a bit more objective) or how much you enjoyed the flavor? (which is completely subjective) Also, I've never seen anyone judge "aftertaste". I would factor the aftertaste in with the general flavor and maybe any heat in with mouthfeel.
I'm not the world's biggest fan of the BJCP's judging system with 5 metrics and 50 total permutations, but It makes more sense than this. Even RateBeer and BeerAdvocate use more or less the same scale.
BTW I always liked Corsendonk the best of the Belgian Christmas Ales. I'm not sure St. Bernardus actually does anything different with their Christmas beer (perhaps a touch of orange peel?); I suspect it's just their Abt 12 with different packaging.
A couple of points Chad. First up, you may have noticed this video is a bit of fun, so we have simplified the judging into the way that most people tast beer - aroma, flavour, aftertaste. Thats how we see most beer drinkers talk about beer. On that note, as a professional beer judge I've never once done a comp where aftertaste wasn't a metric - it is the reason we don't spit beer like wine judges. We NEED to know the finish, bitterness, and get what's known as the retronasal aromas.
As for Corsendonk, decent beer but eclipsed by the top three. Bernardus is only subtley different from the 12, with spice and fruit peel additions. Why mess to much with perfection?
To be fair he did give a detailed description of all aspects of the beers, far more useful than any scoring metric
@@TheCraftBeerChannel I'm also a beer judge and I've never seen a competition where "aftertaste" was its own metric. The BJCP has 5 metrics: aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel and overall impression. These are the 5 metrics most beer drinkers I know go by.
I suppose you could consider aftertaste as part of the flavor metric but it's just one component of that metric.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel Also, checking St. Bernardus's website (and the bottle label itself), there's nothing mentioned about the beer using any fruit or spice additions (I just posted a review it yesterday and I didn't pick up on any). Frankly I think it's just their Abt 12 fermented at a different temperature.
@@ChadzBeerReviews in BJCP scoresheet aftertaste is in the flacor metric and is defenetly relevant, a great beer experience can be ruined by a bad aftertaste, I think they put it with the mouthfeel and finish body ,and just named it aftertaste