A strong Belgian ale infused with an intoxicating mix of spices, flower buds and fruit peel to make a beer perfect for celebrating with.
[Character]A decadent Belgian Winter Strong Ale that blends the rich caramel toffee and dried stonefruit malt character with a blend of holiday spices and Belgian fruit esters. [Food Pairing]Beef wellington, fig and cream cheese with "shiraae", caramel nut banana bread[Naming]The Winter for many is a time for getting together inside the home. We wanted this beer to be a reminder of that sensation of being in a room full of friends or relatives, seeing everyone's lit up faces, and enjoying that special feeling you can only get with other people. There is a lot of "more" in this beer, and it will only be even more merrier when enjoyed with others.[Brewer's Voice]Just in time for the holiday season, we have “The More the Merrier” Celebration Ale. We’ve been looking forward to the release of this beer for some time! The name of this beer is quite accurate as everything about this beer was big, bold and fun. Sticking to our Belgian roots seemed the most fitting way to ring in the holiday season and the new year, not least given Belgium's rich history of spiced and fruited Christmas strong ales. The base beer is a true-to-style Belgian Dark Strong with Medium Crystal, Biscuit, Vienna, and Cara Amber malts. Alongside the malts in the mash, however, we added a blend of rosebuds, cinnamon, allspice, candied iyokan peel, and cloves. From there, this beer underwent a long two-hour boil to concentrate the rich malt flavours, while adding some Kokumitsu sugar to deepen the caramelized character even further, and help boost the ABV. This beer was lightly bittered with classic European hops to balance out the malt sweetness and, later in the boil, another hefty addition of spices was added, including more cinnamon, clove, and allspice, but this time with some nutmeg, and candied kiyomi peel. The wort coming off the brewhouse smelled incredible and, while the weather hadn’t cooled off quite yet, it was making us already look forward to sipping this on a cold evening. This beer was brewed all the way back in October, and allowed a long slow fermentation and cold conditioning, before being packaged and can/keg conditioned for more a natural and classic carbonation. The deep amber and brown hues, rich flavour, and immense depth of aroma makes this beer a special treat. This is of course one to celebrate together with friends and family over the holidays, but also definitely one to continue sipping in a comfortable chair with a blanket on the cold winter evenings beyond.StyleCelebration AleSeriesRediscoveryABV9.0%IBU40Gas Volume2.5
