Gouden Carolus Classic

Brewed by Brouwerij Het Anker
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Mechelen, Belgium

Bottled 33cl. Appearance: It pours a beautiful clear deep ruby beer with a wonderful nicely lasting creamy beige head. Good lacework. Aroma: The nose is of cane sugar, plums, molasses, figs, raisins, dark chocolate, walnuts, vanilla, glue and banana. Rather strong and buttery with some petrol sneaking in. Flavor and palate: Rather sweet taste. Full bodied. A lot of molasses showing up accompanied by banana, raisins and plums. Very smooth. Malty. Low bitterness. Salty yeasty finish with a hint of onion. Overall impression: Decent. Strong nose. Smooth. Far from being great.

Red colored brew. Fruity, sweet aroma. Flavor is yeasty, fruity, sweet. Pretty balanced.

11.2oz bottle from Total Wine (Tampa, FL). Pours a dark brown to black with a massive tan foamy head. Good retention and glass lacing. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of dark ripe fruit, caramel, yeast, bread, spice, and maybe just faint hints of juniper, oak and pine. Flavor is much like the aroma with sweet and malty notes with rich caramel, toffee and dark ripe fruit. Generally full-bodied with a long sweet and malty finish. Nice ale.

Bottle, Ale Cellar, Darlington. Poured a dark reddy brown with a decent lingering creamy off white head. Aroma was potent; vinous, with plenty of brandy soaked dark fruit with toffee and yeast notes. Super stuff. Full bodied and smooth slipping down. Sweetish initially, then plenty of spice chocolate and fruit. Long, malty, slightly boozy finish. Very good stuff.

25.4 oz bottle. Just clear dark brown with a fading off-white head. Lots of lacy specks. Nose is yeast, plum and raisin with an odd mustiness. Slick and slightly chewy with a tang and a tingle. Taste is toffee and dark fruits with jammy notes. Dry finish with a touch of bitter yeast. A solid Belgian Strong.

[Eyes] Dark brown color with a mostly discreet, small white head. [Nouse] The aroma is strong fruity with hints of banana, malt caramel, yeast, vanilla, and brown cuban sugar. [Mouth] Great Full body with nice and gentile carbonation, notes of flavors of sweet, strong fruits, sugar and yeast. The Afther taste is long and sweet with a touch of caramel and vanilla. An excellent beer.

Dark reddish brown, bubbly, with a thick creamy tan head. Very Belgian aroma, sweet raisin, grape candy, fruitcake. The great thing about this beer is the aroma tells you exactly what to expect from the taste. Sweet grape, raisin, fruitcake witth enough carbonation to remind you are having a beer. Alcohol blends so well you can be fooled into having a few. Have this one instead of desert.

Porco boia che buona la Gouden Carolus; se vi dico che mi aspettavo tutt’altra birra mi credete?? Versa di un colore scuro bellissimo con schiuma beige chiara, molta e compatta; l’aroma è complesso e dolce, un poco vinoso, caramelloso ma con sentori di legna bruciata e di sera d’inverno. Il sapore è fantastico e intrigante, una complessità di cacao, ribes nero e crema di latte si ammoscia leggermente nel mezzo in un calore alcolico pronunciato per poi rispuntare nel finale e nel retrogusto. Una birra stratosferica.