North Coast Brewing Company - Christmas Belgian Ale

Northcoast’s Christmas Ale is a Belgian Double and is brewed with a combination of two row-Pale, Munich, Caramel, Brown, and Carapils malts. Mark uses cluster hops up front during the 80 min. boil for their bittering contributions. The lion’s share of the hops used are Northern Brewer hops which are added late in the boil for both their bittering and aromatic contributions. An Abbey Ale yeast strain is used and this complex Belgian is naturally carbonated during a long secondary fermentation period.

First note a predominantly fruity and spicy, complex and intense nose, characteristically Belgian. Look for great head retention in this cloudy, ruddy, amber-brown colored, medium-to-full-bodied beer. This ale’s flavor profile is also complex, offering a dry fruity malt/hop profile and traces of clove also evident. Overall, a very enjoyable and complex beer as well as a refreshing style choice for a Christmas Ale.

Beer Journalists and food critics resoundingly agree that the North Coast Brewing Company, located in the tiny fishing, logging and now brewing town of Fort Bragg, California, is a place you can go to simply feel good. Maybe it’s the isolation of the sparsely populated, rugged coastline of Northern California or that fact that, to get there, you have to drive for hours along hairpin turns that trace the Pacific Ocean. Maybe it’s the friendly reception you’ll get from a small-town kinda staff. Or maybe it’s just the damn beer! My bet’s on Brewer/Owner Mark Ruedrich’s award-winning product line up. He’s received no less than 15 brewing awards, 12 of them from either the Great American Beer Festival or the World Beer Championships.

The brewery started as a brewpub in August of 1988 and prior to being a brewpub, the building served as a mortuary, a church, and a college! Brewpub manager Merle Ruedrich mentioned that a few of the local townsfolk have never set foot in the establishment and have no intention to as, "They don’t think they can have a good time in the place where they saw Aunt Wheezy or someone else for the last time." The brewery has since expanded operations to include a separate brewery located across the street from the brewpub and currently brews Red Seal Ale, Scrimshaw Pilsener, Old No. 38 Stout, Alt Nouveau, Centennial Ale as well as several other seasonal brews.

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (707) 964-BREW.