A NICE REFRESHING WINTERKONINKSKE

Back in December I picked up this “Christmas in Belgium” box of 5 Belgian winter ales, and it was a good move, despite how slowly I’m making my way through them. All are from fairly medium-sized, second-tier breweries - perception-wise, not quality wise. I’ve also seen a couple of them for sale as individual bottles elsewhere, so thankfully they weren’t just created for this box, they were simply pulled together by the importer, and packaged up with a nice bow so people like me would buy ‘em. My most recent conquest from the box is WINTERKONINKSKE from BROWEIRJ KERKOM in Kerkom-Sint Truidon, Belgium. It’s another winner. This dark, dark winter ale is exceptionally malty while remaining medium-bodied with a good aftertaste. Not too thick, which is good. Definitely unfiltered, with some serious sediment as the bottom of the bottle. Fairly hoppy, but really driven by the malts (seven types!) – as well as by flavors like figs, dates, and toffee. Man, seems like I’ve been saying that about a bunch of beers lately – I probably should start reviewing some ambers and some pale ales again. 7.5/10.