Glasgow brewery Simple Things Fermentations will release its Belgian Christmas beer — first seen in 2020 — on 7th November.
This year’s version maintains the ‘no adjunct’ approach, using only traditional brewing ingredients to conjure intense aromas of dried fruit, sherry, banana, pear, cake spice, and festive pastry.
Pouring a chestnut colour with a fine off-white head, the combination of malts and fermentation profile gives rise to a seductive, warming beer, that’s surprisingly refreshing and quaffable for its 7.4% ABV, says the brewer. The finish is dry, long, and lingering.
“As a brewery, we love to see beers like Fuller’s Vintage Ale and De Dolle’s Stille Nacht come around every year, with each new version offering a slightly different take on previous recipes,” said the brewer. “That idea of something new, but familiar and festive, is the inspiration behind our Belgian Christmas.
“This time we’ve included DRC [double roasted crystal] from Simpsons Malt, which lends itself perfectly to a Christmas beer, contributing notes of dark fruit, slightly acidic cherry, and caramel.
“We’re offering Belgian Christmas in cans for the first time this year, which is a bit of a departure for the style, but you get more per stocking, so Santa’s pleased about that.”
As with all Simple Things beers, Belgian Christmas is naturally conditioned and vegan friendly. In upcoming weeks, the brewer will also be releasing Burton IPA (6.3% ABV) and British Strong Ale (8.2% ABV).
