Brasserie du Bocq (pronounced like “bock”) is a family brewery situated in the picturesque hills of the French speaking Wallonia in the tiny village of Purnode which is located about 20 minutes south of the city of Namur. Founded by Manuel Belot, the brewery is owned and managed by the 6th generation of the Belot family.
Gauloise is one of the lines of beer brewed by Brasserie du Bocq. In fact, Gauloise is the breweries oldest line of beers dating to the founding of the brewing in 1858. Currently, the Gauloise Brune (brown) is the oldest continually brewed recipe at the brewery going back over a century to 1905. The Christmas beer is a spiced version of a the Brune.
Appearance: Brown, tan head, good retention.
Aroma: Spicy, cinnamon, caramel, toffee, chocolate, mossy, woodsy, nutty, alcohol/rum nuts.
Taste: Cinnamon, cocoa, toffee, woodsy, nutty, rum/alcohol notes in the finish.
Overall Impression: Gauloise Christmas is a dark, rich, sweet beer that’ll warm you up on a cold winter night. If you’ve had other Belgian Brunes or winter beers, this is an excellent one to add to your list. The spices add a nice bit of holiday festivity to an already excellent beer. For my western European readers, grab a bottle or two of this for your Christmas table and share it with your friends and family. For everyone else, find something special for your table!
Happy Holidays from I think about beer!
Availability: Not available in the US. Bocq doesn’t export the Gauloise line to the US. You can find this beer in Belgium and France during the holiday season. In the US, you can find 2 beers from Bocq, Blanche de Namur & Saison 1858, both of which are imported by Merchant du Vin.
8.1% ABV
Notes: I picked up this beer on my brewery tour of Brasserie du Bocq. I’d like to thank the fine folks at Bocq for an excellent tour and Merchant du Vin for setting up. Check back for my full article about my tour of the brewery.
