146. Scaldis Noel (Bush De Noel)

It has been a couple of days since I drank this beer and I am still not sure about it. It is the first beer that does not come in a 12 oz or higher bottle with only an 8.5 oz pour from the very decorative Christmas themed bottle. Appearance is different than most other beers and the best comparison I can make is to apple cider with similar color, minimal head and a sweet spicy smell. Taste mirrors the smell as long as you let it warm slightly. Belgiums were not meant to be enjoyed cold and this is no exception. At 12% alcohol you do get a slight burn but the sweet malts and caramels mask this pretty well. Not really my style of beer but worth trying. 
Pros: Original

Cons: Expensive for a small bottle

Alcohol Content: 12% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Dubuisson

Brewers Description: Bush de Noël was born in 1991 to satisfy consumers seeking a hearty beer for the Christmas and New Year celebrations. A product made exclusively from malt, hops, candy sugar and water, Bush de Noël is a high fermentation, filtered beer and has an alcohol volume of 12%. The substantial use of caramel malt gives it a coppery red colour and an exceptional roundness. Particularly carefully studied hopping gives Bush de Noël a consistent, fruity flavour with a delicately hopped aroma. A limited edition beverage, Bush de Noël is an indispensable reference among the end-of-year beers

107. Stone Vertical Epic (11/11/11)

I think this is only my second review of a Stone Brewing beer and both have been unique but not necessarily my kind of beer. This one pours a great amber color with solid tan head. Lots of fruits and a fair amount of alcohol in the aroma on this one. Taste is complex with many different fruity flavors and a lot of lingering aftertaste. Not a bad taste at all but it certainly lingers for some time after you are done. This is an interesting beer but certainly a Belgium style which I usually do not enjoy as many other types of beer. Stone Brewing says this beer ages well in the bottle and may be best after 12-12-12 so I may purchase another bottle and try it again next year. If so I will post an update or a new review for the aged version of their 11-11-11 brew. 
Pros: Complex

Cons: Too Fruity

Alcohol Content: 9.4% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??

Rating: 

Brewers Website: Stone Brewing

Brewers Description: As with any good epic, herein lies the promise of larger-than-life experiences, heroics and twists & turns as the adventure unfolds. These bottle-conditioned ales are specifically designed to be aged until sometime after December 12th, 2012. Provided you can wait that long. At that time, enjoy them in a "vertical" tasting. Each one unique to it's year of release. Each with its own "twist & turn" in the plotline. Each one released one year, one month and one day from the previous year's edition. To remind you, the remaining dates are: 12.12.12

102. Unibroeu Terrible

This is the first beer that I bought because of the bottle. The bottle is a great dark brown with silver label. Unfortunately I did not get a very good picture as I was using my phone at Thanksgiving dinner. The beer itself had a great dark color and solid head. Aroma had some fruit and yeast aspects to it. Taste was bad at first but improved as the beer got warmer. I should have looked at the suggested serving temperature below because it was much better towards the end of the bottle. Of course some of that may have been the 10.5% ABV helping to mask the taste. Overall a bit disappointing but I did only buy it because of the bottle. 
Pros: Bottle

Cons: Needs to be served warm

Alcohol Content: 10.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 15Rating: 

Brewers Website: Unibroue

Brewers Description: 

Origin	Chambly, Quebec
Brewed since	2002
ABV	10.5%
Fermentation	High
Style	Abbey-style
Color	Black, nearly opaque dark chestnut color
SRM	45
Clarity	low
Head	Persistent and thick
Bubbles	Thin
Effervescence	Medium
Nose	Rich notes of fruits and spices
Flavor	Subtle fruit flavors are complemented by rich Madeira wine notes.
IBU	15
Suggested serving temperature	10 - 12°C / 50 - 54°F
Suggested glass	Chalice

37. Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre

The first Dogfish Head review and it is not their best but certainly better than the last beer I had. This is the first in a series of high alcohol content beers made for sipping and not chugging. Having a full 8% alcohol content you can certainly taste the alcohol more than in the typical 4-5% ABV beers. There is a lot of flavor in this one and sip seems to bring something different. It has a great dark color, nice aroma and could be enjoyed with a meal or all by itself. I happened to enjoy this one in the evening after supper and I'm thinking it will be my last beer of the night.
Pros: Complex flavor, color, aroma

Cons: Strong alcohol taste

Alcohol Content: 8.0%
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 25

Rating: 
Brewers Website: Dogfish Head
Brewers Description: A deep, mahogany Belgian-style brown ale brewed with beet sugar, raisins, and Belgian-style yeast.

We began brewing this one at our brewpub in 1996 (we began packaging and selling it sometime in 1998) as the answer to the question, "What beer should I enjoy with a wood-grilled steak?" Raison D'Etre fits the bill, tasty and as complex as a fine, red wine.

Food Pairing Recommendations: Steak, duck, game, wine-reduction sauces, Blue cheese, goat cheese, ham, mussels

Tasting Notes: 

pit fruit, decadent, winey, raisiney, malty

Wine Comparable: 

Bordeaux