Whenever I hear the name St. Bernard, I think beer. Probably that's because I immediately affix an "us" at the end, and make that St. Bernardus, a revered brand of abbey-style ale from Watou, Belgium. Then too, if I somehow were lost in a snowstorm somewhere in the alps, I wouldn't mind being found by a St. Bernard-as long as he had St. Bernardus Christmas Ale in that little keg around his neck.

The St. Bernardus beers, of course, have a long history. In a way, they are the "beers formerly known as St. Sixtus" and under that name they were designated as Trappist brews, or beers brewed inside the walls of a monastery. According to the St. Bernardus website, the Trappist brewer all agreed to strictly enforce this as an "appellation controllee", or controlled name,  back in 1992.

Since the bottled St. Sixtus product for export was being produced outside the walls of the St. Sixtus Abbey, the name was changed to St. Bernardus to avoid confusion. The original contract to farm out production was for a term of 30 years, and the company website has this interesting little tidbit about the renewal in 1962:

"In the beginning of the 60’s, the sun-in-law (sic) of Mr. Deconinck, Mr. Claus stepped into the brewery and negotiations started to renew the license. This was finalised (sic) in 1962, again for a period of 30 years (until 1992)" 

Hmmmm, "Mr. Claus" involved with a brewery that makes a Christmas Ale this good? Coincidence? I hardly think so. At any rate, St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is one of my favorite beers of all time. It's amazingly complex, dark and malty, and warming with an alcohol content of about 10% by volume. This is a Belgian Strong Ale of the dark variety, sort of a suped-up dubbel if you will.

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is a great deal at eight to nine bucks for a crown-corked 750ML bottle. It's only sold during the winter months, and will age rather gracefully with time. The bottle I'm tasting tonight is one I bought a year ago and that I've been patiently aging since that time. I suspect it could easily go another 3 to 4 years and mellow a bit more, or perhaps even longer.

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale pours to a muddy brownish red color with a towering white rocky head of a foam and a very intense funky Belgian yeast nose. Taking a sip, I immediately appreciate the lush full mouthfeel, potent musty Belgian yeastiness, soft fruity pineapple, hints of raisin, prune and chocolate, black pepper and more. The seductively sweet dark maltiness makes the beer incredibly moreish, despite its strength. This beer is amazingly complex, and a real show stopper. In the finish, it's rather dry and warming from the alcohol, but the pepper emerges more forcefully.

What an amazing beer. My bottle is absolutely unreal a year after I bought it. Who knows what a few more would do? We'll have to get more and see. But don't be afraid to drink it young as it's just as delightful, and the perfect nightcap on a cold winter's eve.

Update 12/28/2017: Saint Bernardus Christmas Ale on tap at Taco Mac!. Raisins and prunes and cherries and candied fruit and yeasty funk and spice cake and fruit cake and everything nice. The berry cherry fruit is really popping this year. I’ve only had it in the bottle before, never on tap. Everybody raves about the Founders CBS; for my part I prefer this. A little pricey at $10 a glass, it also runs $11.99 for a 750 ML bottle or $19.99 for a 4-pack.



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