Beer – #866 – Sawmill – Christmas Ale
Sawmill Christmas Ale, the closest of which I can find is the Christmas Dubel, it’s probably me that’s confused here.
Fruitcake
500 ml bottle of a beer that is 8% ABV and 340 calories a serve size, this is 3.1 standard drink units. Lucky I’ve done all the chores.
Brewed by Sawmill Brewing Company (NZ) in the style:that might be Abbey Dubbel or Belgian Ale and that is in the delightful Leigh, New Zealand
I’ve done chores I deserve this
Fruitcake, sweet spice, and raisins.
A decadent Belgian Ale, bottle conditioned to make the most of this distinctive yeast.
Pear, Cloves, Licorice,
Dry and Rich.
So, What could possibly go wrong?
Apart from me pouring the sediment, if there is any, not a lot.
The aroma is quite sharp, that Belgium ale yeast sharp, I don’t get any hints of sweetness or sugariness, it’s almost like a farmhouse saison aroma.
I thought it’d b a dark bar, but its not it’s golden orange bright beer with a a lively head of big white foam and substance. Delightful.
The aroma though, still that saison kind of sour ale.
It certainly packs a punch of flavour, there’s a lot of body malt in this, but again, I get an overwhelming sourness and not deep sugariness from this, However and but it’s magnificent.
Unmistakable Begium esters as you take a sip, and some dusty dampness but then you get that real hit of strong ale body that sits nicely in the mouth
I muddied up the beer with the last of the bottle and the sediment, just because I could. Which then added and took nothing away from the beer.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. Lovely looking beer, nice aroma, even if it wasn’t what I expected and a lovely strong full mouthfeel of beer, without any of that alcohol tang, it drank nicely and that’s all there is to say about that.
I feel on reflection that this is Belgium Ale. But then I’m known to be wrong.
The double dip review
- Where did I get it? Liquorlaand in Forrest Hill
- Am I enjoying it? I am, but I was surprised that it wasn’t the beer I thought it would be.
- Would I have another? I would, it’s a nice beer.
- Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I think so, having had a think about it it’s a lovely Belgian beer that is quite the nice guest to have around, I might invite them back for the real christmas.
Music for this: ” We Cut Corners ” with ” The Cadences of Others ” on Spotify
The highly creative duo – John Duignan and Conall O’Breachain – have notched up two sterling albums, with both releases going on to claim nominations at the Choice Music Prize.
ABBEY DUBBEL
These are dark, malty, yeasty strong ales in the Trappist tradition, but produced (mainly) by secular brewers. Dubbels range between 6.5-8% abv, and have a dark brown, cloudy colour, and a palate mixing malt, a lush fruitiness, and yeast. They are typically bottle-conditioned.
BELGIAN ALE
Belgian-style ales seldom fit neatly into classic beer styles, but this category represents those “session” ales (in Belgium this means under 7% abv!) that do not fit other categories. Colour ranges from golden to deep amber, with the occasional example coming in darker. Body tends to be light to medium, with a wide range of hop and malt levels. Yeastiness and acidity may also be present.
A life just as ordinary 