Gouden Carolus Classic

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

Reddish brown with a lasting, light, tan coloured head. Aroma of sweet, dried fruits and fortified vine, and just a hint of quite christmassy spices. Quite pleasing and warming taste of chocolate (not the bitter kind mind you), raisins, vanilla and maybe some cherries or blackberries - can’t quite decide. Not the most exciting beer ever but definetely well breved and very pleasant.

raisin, date, caramel aroma. cloudy brown with a small yellowish head. toffee, caramel, raisin flavored with hints of chocolate. medium bodied.

Hazy brick red with a thin solid head. Very vinous and tart aroma, funky with fruit and toasted bread notes. The flavor is like flowers infused in fruit juice. It is a bit on the hot side though. Finishes clean, tart and quenching. Excellent.

Concentrated notes of sweet plums and raisins waft from my glass as I pour this beer, there is also a touch of something like rum. The beer is quite well carbonated and produces a frothy, easily three-finger thick, tan colored head even after carefully pouring this into my tulip glass. The beer is a hazy, dark amber color that has deep purple overtones. An interesting aroma is on this one; it certainly smells rich and decadent. Notes of concentrated, caramelized brown sugar lead to something akin to cinnamon (though not quite) and some definite prune like notes. Woody fig notes lend a sort of dryness here, but the more you delve into the aroma the more concentrated and varied the rich concentrated fruit notes get. The concentrated fruit character never takes on a sharp, exaggerated fruitiness, but instead remains rounded by the caramelized malt core that makes up this beer.

Definitely sweet, this beer has a heft to it that sticks to the palate and in fact coats it as the beer passes through my mouth. It finishes with a certain chalkiness that makes me think that this might have started to oxidize. It has not reached the point of cardboard, but it may have started down that path. Perhaps cardboard is not the best descriptor as this beer still has ample room to move towards much more pleasing notes of sherry, which I definitely get hints of already. Rum like notes of brown sugar and molasses linger on the tongue as a touch of alcohol warms my chest. This has lots of concentrated, caramelized malt flavors. It is almost has a toffee like edge to it, but with only a touch of the butter character.

This is quite the sipping brew, each sip is rich and complex enough to be contemplative, and it is certainly thick enough that quaffing large draughts of this at a time would not be pleasant. It is right on the edge of being too sweet; it has achieved a great amount of richness without being overly sweet, but just so as any more would be sticky and cloying. In the end I think this is a touch too sweet, it has certainly been an enjoyable way to end the evening though.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Bottle (BB Apr 2009). Fruity and toffeish a little spice. Sweet and creamy. Not too my taste and slightly one dimensional but not unpleasant.

Bottle. Dark brownish colour with a huge mostly lasting creamy head. Aroma and taste of malts and fruits. Good beer. Slightly alcoholic finish.

Bottle, 1 pint 9.4 oz. Great pour with decent head. Simmers down as sweet aroma arises. Fruit tastes as berries and twigs, slight nuts... well rounded. Alcohol not too apparent. Finishes smooth. Lulls one to great times.

(Bottle BB 14/06/09) Caramel and slightly alcohol aroma. Amber colour, bright and small, light brown, fully diminishing head. Caramel and berry-like flavour with slight spiciness. Lively carbonated, alcoholic (not too much; actually only warming), medium-bodied and slightly syrupy palate. Very delicious strong ale! 10/09/06