Gouden Carolus Classic

Roasted malt and perhaps a little vinegar in this pour. Opaque appearance with a creamy head that stuck around for the duration. Flavor has some apricot, grapes, burnt sugar, toast, apple vinegar and was a bit grassy at times. Palate was full bodied and lively but also bubbly at the finish. Good stuff.

330 ml/11.2 oz bottle. The write-up on the side of the bottle said that Gouden Carolus would charm me, and it did. This is one of those commercially produced Belgian strong ales that is better than most of the beer produced by the Trappists. I’ll be getting a bomber next time.

Bottle. Moderate malt aroma of roasted, caramel and milk chocolate, light herbs for the hops, and moderate barnyard and musty of the yeast, with hints of date, toffee and brown sugar. Head is large, frothy, very light brown with good lacing and is fully lasting. Color is murky dark brown. Flavor starts moderately to heavily sweet and lightly acidic, then finishes lightly acidic and bitter. Palate is medium to full, creamy and has a fizzy carbonation. It finishes sticky. This was a very good Belgian Strong Ale, just a bit too much carbonation.

(bottle from fat cat, Norwich) Really annoyed about this one. Opened the bottle and foam spewed out of it, despite it having been stored carefully upright with no major movement. Lost nearly half the bottle, and, in the rush to pour it in, poured some of the sediment in. Had a dark appearance with a hint of red, and a brown head that diminished quickly. Smell was huge, sweet malty and dark druits. Alcohol too. Great smell. However taste not quite so huge. Had a sharp mouthfeel (probably because of the sediment) with licorice, chocolate and sweet biscuit overtones. Sharpness distracted from the taste substantially. I could tell it would be good had the pouring not gone terribly. Pity. I will re-rate when I have another.

Bottled, 330ml, aged 6.5yrs. Ruddy brown with slight white head. Full fruity strong ale aged into a fortified wine flavour. Some remaining spice, but mostly amalgamated into a rich, thick body. Some toffee, caramel notes in a sweetish finish. Overall a heavy, rich sipper, worth aging.

Mahogany appearance with a large, firm, tan head and very good lacing. Multi layered aroma of yeast, dark fruits, chocolate and caramel malts. Sweet, yeasty flavors with a variety of fruits, some spicyness and a passive amount of hops. Well concealed alcohol in the full bodied, moderately carbonated mouthfeel. Medium length finish remained sweet but not cloying.

It improves with age... Hard to believe this could improve. Love at first sip, it was ! (Could I really be the first one to use this expression for anything drinkable? I never heard it but it’s cute! If it has been used often, I’m not dumb, I’m a french-speaking Québec separatist!) Beautiful reddish-brown color with a light sweet aroma. It’s all in the taste, with aggressive sweet flavors, ripe plums, with a slightly bitter finish. The texture is nothing watery, in fact it is very thick... And warming... And thoroughly delicious... Awesome all the way. A love at first sip that will surely be a lasting one!

Ruddy brown with a quick light tan head. Dark ruby fruits, prunes, grapes, yeasty and bread notes. Taste is plums, light chocolate and caramel, a bit thin but hides the alcohol well with some dark candy sugar notes.