Gouden Carolus Classic

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

Draught. Dark brown colour with huge head. Nice aroma of caramel, coffee, dark fruits etc. The same stuff in the flavour. Some anise notes as well. A great brew.

Bottle: Clear, chestnut-amber coloured, slim beige lacy head; sweet raisins in the fruity-alcoholic nose; solid sweet flavour, medium bodied, a bit sticky; fruit-cake and warming brandy in the sweet finish.Fine, fine.........

[33cl bottle, mille grazie Ivo] Clear, ruby amber colour with a big and beige foamy head. Sweet toast-malty and slightly nutty aroma with toffee, vanilla and a slightly vinous fruity touch of raisins. Sweet flavour with a light burnt bitterness, full bodied with a very creamy and pleasant mouthfeel. Aromatic, delicately toasty malt profile with notes of caramel, dark berries and raisins. Strong malty and subtle fruity finish with a pleasant, Armagnac-like finish. A very balanced and complex brew [19.XII.08].

Bottled, 33cl. Reddish-brown beer, with a beige head and some floaties. It has a rich aroma of toffee, fruits and beef-stock. Some yeastiness too. A nice candi-sweetness in the flavor is followed by hops, spices and some alcohol. It has a light sourness in the finish, and an almost full body. A nice beer, that worked well with sausages and mustard. (060428)

Brown rum flambé over wealthy meat, rich raisins and dark malts…Candied raspberries in sensuous molasses…A good sherry with dark chocolate, perfectly blended and intelligently sweet...Subdued torch lighting in an elegantly rustic castle hallway…Het Anker truly have no reason to envy the Rocheforts of this world, their malt control is absolutely stunning and delectable...

Bottled: Clear amber coloured. Huge beige head. Malt, spices, alcahol and light cocoa notes in the aroma. Very mild and smooth flavour. Very pleasant. Malts, fruit and some light roastyness and alcahol is present. Has a great alcaholbitterness in the end. Yummy.

Bottle courtesy of hogtownharry. Pours cherry red with a tan head. Smells of cinnamon, cherries, touches of dough, oranges, hints of oak, some spice. Tastes of figs, brown sugar, molasses, some alcohol, cloves. Mouthfeel is full. Some melon on the finish.

Best before 07/12/06. Dark brown beer with a ruby tint. Nice sweet fruity and malty aroma, plum/prune, caramel/toffee apple, black pepper and cardamon. Full bodies, malty sweetness, plummy with heavy notes of bread and toast. Lingering yeasty spice, a bit of wheaty tartness and some other fruity acidity. Nice complexity. Tap at Mugs Ale House. I wanted to re-rate this with a few more years on it, so here it is. Deep brown with a ruby tint. Nose is peppery and lightly alcoholic over sweet slightly oxidized malts. Sherryish and pruney with sweet dried fruit in back. Plums and raisins on the nose. The flavour is still very sweet with brown sugar and dried fruits. Slightly alcoholic which helps cut the sweetness, but it’s still too sweet and chewy. I thought that some age would have dried this out, but it doesn’t seem to have done that. It has added some nice sherry character to the sweet maltiness. I don’t think it’s going to improve with any more age on it though.