St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (Awesome of the Day)

There’s so much to love about the Christmas season, but between chopping down Douglas firs and watching A Christmas Story marathons, don’t forget to enjoy some of the best seasonal ales. I kicked off December at The Brickstore in Decatur, which had several great Winter beers on tap to choose from. I love the Scaldis Noël and the Corsendonk Christmas, but I chose to get into the holiday spirit with the very best—a St. Bernardus Christmas Ale.

Not one of the seven Trappist monastic breweries, St. Bernardus nonetheless has its roots in Refuge Notre Dame de St.Bernard, established by French monks who had fled anti-clericism in their home country and settled in the village of Watou in Belgium’s West Flanders region.

Brewed annually, the St. Bernardus Christmas ale is the most recent addition to a small but masterful lineup, and the only one that could possibly challenge the Abt. 12 as the breweries’ finest. It’s dark as the richest Belgian chocolate, malty without being too sweet, with a perfect frothy head. At 10% abv, just one of these will make for a very merry Christmas season.