You can’t have a lineup of Christmas beers without having at least one Belgian ale present; Belgium’s tradition of brewing strong bières de Nöel for the holiday season is well established at this point, and to overlook these beers would be unforgivable. Accordingly, today’s Advent beer pick takes us to the Kingdom of Belgium and Brouwerij Corsendonk for its Corsendonk Christmas Ale.

Corsendonk Christmas has been brewed since 1998, and is 8.5% alcohol by volume. The description says:

This typical deep red-brown end-of-year beer is made from roasted special malts, the finest hops and selected yeasts and seasoned with a hint of coriander. Corsendonk Christmas gives the best of what a Christmas beer can give, a round, balanced taste with a dry and refined aftertaste.

The aroma notes include coriander and a touch of licorice; this would be an excellent beer to pair with Christmas pudding, fruitcake, or Lebkuchen, not to mention a main dish of ham with plum or raisin sauce.

As a side note, the Corsendonk beers are in fact brewed by Brasserie du Bocq, which also offers an excellent Christmas beer under its own brand with Gauloise Christmas.

Find Corsendonk Christmas Ale on:

• Untappd
• BeerAdvocate
• Facebook

Image credits: Corsendonk’s website and Facebook page