Belgian Christmas Beer – Part 4

Belgian Christmas Beer, aka Barrett's Christmas Sack

The moment of truth is here. Six weeks of waiting for nature to do is wonderous work and it all comes down to this moment. Will the Christmas Beer – now festively called Barrett's Christmas Sack – be a success or will it only be fit for cleaning the drains? With trepidation I open the Groslch-style cap and there is a satisfying pop followed be a heady beery aroma. So far, so good. Pouring the contents into the pint glass and there is a good-looking head forming to the almost treacle black liquid. I savour the aroma once more and take my first sip. Wow. The first thing that hits you in the face is the roasted hop flavour – it is bitter and intense and warm and moreish and it's like getting a big kiss from a smoky bonfire. Then the smoke clears and there's chocolate malt – Horlicks, cocoa, warm milk – seriously, this is good stuff and it's not done yet. The finish is full of Christmas spice – think mince pies, dipped in hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire. And I've got 20 bottles of the stuff. Honestly, I'm a sucker when it comes to seasonal beers – stick some flashing lights on the pump and call it Rudolph's Knackers and I'll be in there quicker than Charlie Sheen at a lap-dancers' work's Christmas party – and Barrett's Christmas Sack is up there with the best I've tasted so far.