REVIEW #22: Gauloise Christmas (Brasserie du Bocq)

I thought I had drank the last of my Christmas beers but apparently not! This one appears a striking ruby hue, it has a large pillowy cream head which is retained well. Pungent yeast esters and forest fruits on the nose. Intensely sweet upfront on the palate, it just stays in balance with the dark malt, but comes dangerously close to overpowering the other flavours. Tooth-decayingly sweet cherries and chocolate linger in the finish along with yeast esters and an interesting peppercorn note. The alcohol is very well hidden making for a very drinkable ale, especially for those with a sweet tooth.

This strong Belgian dark ale was previously known as Bocq Christmas before being integrated into Bocq's Gauloise range. La Gauloise was the first beer brewed by the brewery back in 1858. Bocq remains an independent brewery so deserves credit for that. Other beers they produce include the Waterloo range (which I've found in House of Frasier), the St. Benoit range and Blanche de Namur; a well respected wheat beer (witbier). They also do fruit beers such as AppleBocq, which I've seen in Tesco's.

• MALTS: ?
• HOPS: ?
• IBU: ?
• ABV: 7.1%

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