Day 15 of the 3rd Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 15: Platform Beer Co. Esther Belgian Style Christmas Ale
Esther is a Belgian style Christmas ale. It’s modeled after old world, traditional ales brewed around Christmas in Belgium. They all had a few things in common: dark, rich and boozy. Platform always tries to do things a little different, so for their Christmas beer they went with this no-spice Belgian. The only additions in this beer besides the usual water, hops, yeast and barley are honey and Belgian candi sugar. The honey imparts a bit of a lingering sweet flavor, while the Belgian candi sugar is used to add a bit of color, and also help the beer ferment and achieve the high abv without coming off too sweet. If that doesn’t say Christmas, I don’t know what does!
REFLECTIONS
Beard & Broad
Beard: I’m always a fan of the non-spiced fare around the holidays cause the former is prevalent in almost every beer that says the word Christmas on it. That being said, this is one I’m always excited about. I find boozy Belgians to be really warming on a cold night, like wrapping yourself in a boozy beer blanket from the inside. This achieves that, but it’s a bit too roasty for a Belgian beer. It does get better as it warms, but I want more of that dark, dried fruit that’s typical in these kinds of beer. Still wouldn’t kick it out of my Christmas beer fridge though!
Broad: This is a beer I look forward to every year because it’s so different from all the other CLE Christmas ales. It tastes like a traditional Belgian ale and has a hint of all the Christmas flavors you want in a beer. It’s malty and almost a tad syrupy but still very drinkable. Everyone should add this to their CLE Holiday beer rotation.
Adam & Alex
Adam: Man I really like Esther. Platform makes a ton of great beers (we’d say this even if we weren’t Beard’s frans!) and Esther falls in line. It’s a wonderfully spiced Belgian. I get cherries and brown sugar. It’s maybe a touch syrupy but it’s still genuinely one of my favorite holiday beers.
Alex: I love Belgian beers and Esther reminds me why. It’s different than most Christmas beersz. It’s not overly spiced, but kind of sweet and I can taste a little bit of honey. I have been a big fan of this since it first came out and can happily say that has not changed.
Scott & Christa
Scott: Ohhh Esther, there’s always a place in my heart and refrigerator for you. Whenever we go down to Cincinnati for wife’s family holidays, Esther is always brought along to represent the incredible Cleveland holiday beer selection. It’s malty, slightly sweet and more aromatic than most beers we’ve tried.
Christa: It’s our girl, Esther! Hey Esther! We love this beer. It’s probably the beer that tickled my taste buds and proved trying new things is worth it. There’s a whole world of beers out there! I love the maltiness and the sweet blend of spices. It’s smells like a Christmas: cinnamon, nutmeg, toffee…it’s all here. It’s truly a delight and I am so proud it’s representing Cleveland so well. Esther, such a babe!
Tony & Megan
Tony: This one is nice! Real nice Clark! #cousinEddie….I’m not just sayin that because Beard works for Platform. This one is really good. Dark amber color, you get some hops in the aroma and then when you drink it you get deep, complex flavors of malts, hops, and then even some sweetness. Based on the can, that sweetness seems to come from honey and….belgian candy? Well whatever it is, it all comes together really nicely. Robust, malty, and sweet this beer will definitely get you in the holiday spirit.
Megan: This is a good example of a beer that feels like Christmas but doesn’t feel like someone slapped you in the face with spices. I taste the honey and hints of chocolate, so it is sweet but I think this is well balanced and deserving of being in the collection. Also, I enjoy that this is the first beer that showcased honey as a prominent flavor. And at 9.5% alcohol, fun will be had by all.