Brasserie Dubuisson, Scaldis Noel

Perhaps it's an odd time to be opening this Belgian Special Ale designed for the Christmas season, but as always I was swayed by its foil label and the lack of otherwise light beers in my tasting queue.  This isn't really a light beer, it has a dark amber color with a light body and no head.  But when everything ahead of it is a barleywine, stout, or black lager, a hot sunny day will start making this beer look like a pilsner.

Aromas bring images of apples, floral spices, belgian yeast, and a hint of the pear oil smell of Isoamyl Acetate.  The brew tastes much as the aroma advertises with the floral spices leading the way on the front end.  The light body opens up with a slightly syrupy, fairly spicy head.  This evolves somewhat evenly into a strong mix of malt and the Isoamyl Acetate from before.  It finishes with a reverberation of black pepper drumstrokes, which emphasize the sweet tones from before.

The skill is apparent here, but the end result simply isn't for me.  I appreciate the way it opens up, but the sweet and spicy overwhelms like an over indulgent cup of hot cider.  Perhaps my opinion would change if I drank this on a cold day in the appropriate season, however, I doubt it will ever get cold enough in LA to warrant this intensity of syrupy flavor.

Scaldis Noel: **1/2