Biere De Noël
Origin: Big Sky Brewing Co. (Missoula, Montana, USA)
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 10.1%
IBU: 35
Description: Biere De Noël from Big Sky Brewing has a spot deep in my heart. Growing up in the States, one of the first breweries that I stumbled across when starting my adventure into craft beer was Big Sky. I feel this is the case for many people living in the Northwestern states. Their perennial beers are very approachable and drinkable yet still have lots of flavour. Another love of mine in the beer world is Belgian style beers, especially ones from American and Canadian breweries.
Bière De Noël is a beautiful deep brown colour with amber and mahogany hues. The aroma of this beer is truly wonderful. There are tons of dried fruit aromas of plums, raisins, figs, and dark sweet cherries pouring out of the glass followed by caramelized sugars, Belgian yeast and alcohol. Big Sky hit the mark with this one. If I didn’t know better I would expect this to be from a Belgian brewery. Upon tasting the beer one sees that the flavour sticks close to the aroma. There are lots of dried fruit though caramelized sugar and Belgian yeast dominate the palate with a lingering bitterness and alcohol warmth.
There are many different options when pairing this beer with food. For me the cheese plate would be the first place to start. This beer would go perfectly with a strong pungent cheese such as Roquefort, Limburger, or Epoisses. One would also pair this with heartier dishes such as Flemish Carbonades (essentially beef and beer stew. Ones could even use this beer for delicious results), really any red meat or game meat, or a Croque Madame (grilled ham and cheese sandwich smothered in béchamel sauce and topped with a sunny-side up egg).
If you were looking for a similar beer most Belgian dark strong ales/Quads would suffice. There are many options such as Straffe Hendrik quad, St. Bernardus 12, Rochefort 10, North Coast‘s Brother Thelonius, Chimay Blue, or Kasteel Donker. I hope you enjoy this beer as much as I did and happy beer drinking. – O.P.
Legacy's Holiday Beer ADVENTure 