I always look to include Belgian Christmas beers in the Advent calendar each year, as many of the country’s bières de Noël rank among some of the best in the world. Today’s beer comes from a Belgian brewery I’ve never featured before on this calendar: Val-Dieu Bière de Noël from Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu.

It’s a winter warmer-strength beer at 7% alcohol by volume and brewed in the style of a Belgian strong golden ale. Here’s some of the description from the website (translated via Google):

This beer is very warm amber yellow in color with a quiet sparkle.

Its excellent and digestive character is accompanied by a strong aroma on yeast and its malts.

A note of Port comes to tie up this beautiful marriage of fine flavors.

The Christmas beer from the Abbey of Val-Dieu could be compared to a triple but a subtle rebalancing of pronounced aromas of malts and yeast gives it roundness and softness.

This beer has a very white foam, not very abundant but persistent and its color is blond with pleasant copper reflections. On the nose, we let ourselves be enveloped by aromas of roasted malts, caramel and spices, especially cinnamon.

In the mouth, it is the same flavors that return to which are added flavors of dried fruits as well as a touch of grapefruit. Yeast is also present and the whole offers a balanced and sweet beer.

La Val Dieu can go well with dishes based on lightly spiced white meats or with fruit cakes, especially apple cakes.

Val-Dieu Abbey is located in Aubel, Belgium, and the site dates to the year 1216 when it was established as an abbey of the Cistercian order. Despite the church being destroyed four times and rebuilt three, the website’s history notes, “The Val-Dieu Abbey is the only Belgian Abbey to have survived the French Revolution.” According to the Wikipedia page, the abbey was actually dissolved during the French Revolution and left empty until 1844, when it was resettled.

The brewery opened in 1997, and while the abbey itself closed again in 2001 (the monks left), a lay community still lives there and brews the beers.

Bière de Noël is sure to brighten up your holiday season, and it would be a lovely accompaniment to your holiday meals. I’d particularly favor pairing with fruitcake as the site suggests — ’tis the season!

Find Val-Dieu Bière de Noël on:

• Untappd
• BeerAdvocate
• RateBeer
• Facebook

Image credits: Val-Dieu website and Facebook page.