There's a common saying of 'don't mix grape and grain', but that normally refers to going out and sticking to wine or beer, not both. Luckily, MUSA has clearly never heard it and they've brewed a dubbel with grapes.
And it's pretty darn good, to be honest. Whoever came up with that saying needs to really look hard in the mirror.
MUSA say that it's 'an aromatic and complex toast to the disappointments of 2020'; which is pretty sport on to be honest. Couldn't have put it better myself.
When the cap is popped there's a spiciness that comes out in the aroma, which is paired with a delicate fruityness too. It's very similar to the scent of cold mulled wine, but not as strong.
The pour is a dark brown, but there's a definite hint of red in there that makes it look almost mucky purple in the light. The taste is subtly sweet, but the booze is definitely presence and makes itself known with the malty flavour working nicely with the fruitiness and touch of spice.
There's a bittersweet aftertaste which is akin to a deep-bodied red, where the richness of the flavour coats your mouth and makes you want more. Very strange, but also delicious.
The bottle is very clever, using a green wrap around and making both a Christmas tree and a bunch of grapes with a serious of dots and a big asterisk.
One way up it's a tree, the other a bunch of grapes. There are quite a few random dots and asterisks (snowflakes?) dotted around the label too which not only stand out well against the green label, but also add to the festive feel.
And the name. What a name. The name is basically the reason we bought it, in search of Christmas beers for our collection, and we certainly weren't disappointed.
If you're looking for a Christmas beer for your cupboard, or if you can't decide whether to have wine or beer at Christmas, then this is the perfect middle ground to keep the winos and the beer-bellies happy.
And at just £4.06 per bottle for Honest Brew members, too.
And that's what Christmas is all about, right?
