Belgian Christmas Beers in a Bottle

From the DE BIE brewery in the hop growing town of Watou, in West Flanders, comes Kerstbie-r (8%). Almost black in appearance brewed with dark malts and maize and finished with honey and cloves. Delicious and expensive!

The DE SMEDT brewery of Opwijk, in the Flemish speaking part of Brabant, annually unveils its dry, hoppy and pale Affligem Paters Vat (7%). Brewed with hops, grown in the same-named Benedictine abbey garden, says the label.

From the same brewery comes an abbey beer, Postel Christmas Kerstbier (8.5%) A highly drinkable chestnut-coloured brew, packed with hops, spicy undertones and a slightly sugary background. Also sold a Affigem Xmas, and probably Abbaye D'Aulne Super Noe1.

In the province of West Flanders, the VAN HONSEBOUCK brewery of Ingelmunster has for many years produced a metallic tasting, harshly imbalanced strong amber ale called Brigand (9%). However, they deserve credit for. their Christmas Brigand (9%), a deep amber, more rounded beer, spiced with cinnamon.

Over in East Flanders, the 200 year old CROMBE' brewery in Zottegem is known by beer lovers for its unusually bitter and sour brown ales. Its seasonal offering is a heavily laden molasses brew called Christmas Crombe' (8%), containing Arabian frankincense resin and Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis Odorata), a bitter, aromatic strain of myrrh. The beer has a sweet but stale taste, perhaps due to ageing in the brewery. This still costly beer once contained edible gold leaf!

Down in French-speaking Hainaut province, the orange-throwing town of Binche is home to the LA BINCHOISE brewery. Its beers are much respected and highly prized, none more so than its Speciale No~el (9%). Sold only in 75c1 corked and wired bottles, the beer can be volatile. Take care when opening, as it may decorate your ceiling! When you get the beer into your glass it is delicately spiced and warming, with herbal tones. Contains bog-myrtle, butterscotch and, of course, oranges.