The French

Make nice beer. I'll update with more as I finish the bottle.

Update: This is just generally yummy. Extremely malty, with a balance on the sweet side and minimal hop presence. Very strong caramel in the nose, but not a huge aroma other than that. Great mouthfeel, creamy with good body, finish is a bit sticky.

This is actually a "Bier de Garde" (roughly translated as "beer for keeping" or "beer for saving"), and not really a "Christmas" ale in the sense we mostly think of it now with lots of spices and such. I think that explains why it's quite a bit more subtle than some of the beers in the calendar so far. I do really like the style though, and is actually the only kind of French beer I've made myself.

Update the second: I forgot to mention: 750ml bottle, alcohol not specified, but not crazy strong, probably 6 to 7 percent.