Entendez Nöel
Origin: Sound Brewery (Poulsbo, Washington, USA)
Style: Belgian Pale Quad
ABV: 11.5%
IBU: 50
Description: When I saw this beer I was truly excited. Sound Brewing makes great Belgian styles usually with their twist. Entendez Nöel is categorized as a Pale Quadrupel, we could also think of this as a strong Belgian Golden ale. Upon first pour aromas of spice, fruit, and a slight hint of bubblegum billow out of the glass, with spice and banana being the dominant aromas. There is also a subtle hint of alcohol, which one would expect from a beer with such a high alcohol content. The taste followed the aroma very closely with dominating flavours of fruit and spice, with a slight warming of alcohol. This beer is incredibly balanced, it is neither too sweet nor dry, and has the perfect amount of bitterness to balance out the malt character. This is usually fairly hard to do when brewing a beer with such a high alcohol content.
If you want to pair this beer with food I would pair it with strong soft cheeses such as Camembert, or triple cream Brie (preferably made with raw milk though that is very hard to find in Canada). This beer would also pair nicely with Porchetta and a wine reduction, or roasted short ribs with fried cauliflower herbs and fresh horseradish. Belgian beers pair well with lots of dishes due to being well balanced and rich in vibrant aromas and flavours.
If you were looking for a beer to fill the craving for Entendez Nöel I would go with almost any Belgian Tripel or Strong Golden ale. The yeast character of Westmalle Tripel or Tripel Karmeliet are very similar to this beer though the alcohol content is not as high and these beers tend to be slightly lighter in colour so the overall character of the beer will not be the same. Legacy Liquor Store also keeps a few of Sound Brewing’s other beers in stock if you want to try other offering from this wonderful brewery.
I hope you had as much fun with this advent calendar as I did. I wish you the best in your beer journeys in the New Year. – O.P.
Legacy's Holiday Beer ADVENTure 