Gouden Carolus Classic

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

Very dark amber with a thick off-white head. Sharp peaches aroma. Smooth peach flavor with a bitter aftertaste. Decent beer but there are better Belgium beers out there.

Bottle - Dark red/brown with beaut beige head. Full bodied with low to medium carbonation. Rich, sweet and fruity, (apple and plums), caramel, slightly spicy,a bit of alcohol. There is a bit of hoppiness and bitterness in the background but it is predominantly a sweet beer.

Pours a fine hazy brown with little carbonation. Aroma is like wine, with date and banana notes. Taste is smooth and spicey, with a little acid bite under a lot of sweet, ripe fruit. Palate is a bit cloying. High gravity is well hidden.

Taster at the SLC tasting 2009
Appearance: Pours brown with a nice tan head
Aroma: Raisins and roasted malts with some chocolate
Taste: Belgian candy and roasted malts. Very smooth

Pours clear amber with a creamy off-white head. Sweet aroma of caramel, honey, sugar and cherries. Very sweet flavor that almost attacks the senses. It has an almost sticky texture and medium carbonation. It finishes again very sweet. Too much sweetness involved in this one for me.

Pours ambery, ruby red color with well-lacing brownish froth. Dried cherry esters with mild clove spiciness and some weird leather or bubble gum-like yeast profile. Absolutely dark fruity malt-owned flavor profile. Sweet brandy-coke blend like initation with dryish molasses, sweet roots, caramelized figs, alcoholic prunes and so on....Easy, quaffable body with slight alcohol warmth, oily texture, mild carbonation. It’s bold and complex, but also very easy and refreshing. Nice stuff.

Deep red/brown color, cappuccino-like head, average persistence. Not so strong and long aroma. Caramel, fruits: prunes, berries, a bit of coffee/chocolate and alcohol. Sweet taste with a not so strong bitter in the end. The body is rather full. I liked it, rather good balance.

750ml caged&corked bottle. Pours dark slightly murky brown with orange and red highlights. The head pours medium-sized and light tan in color. Lots of small specks of lace are left on the glass. Lots of complex and fruity aromas - bubble gum, cherry, molasses, subtle cola, and subtle licorice - a touch of chocolate and roasted malt. Chewy malt+ester aroma with pleasant streaks of alcohol. Flavor is malty with odd ester profile - cola, soft fruit, very subtle acidity. There is a touch of oxidation and some bready, toasty malts. At mid-palate, esters turn to cherry with some clove phenols. Finish is dry with notes of alcohol, slight balancing bitterness, notes of dark malts, cocoa, and dark fruit. The mouthfeel is slippery and full bodied with a subtle alcohol sting and a soft (surprisingly low) level of carbonation. Overall, a very decent Belgian strong ale - very "Belgian" tasting and decadent. It is missing something - perhaps the low carbonation - that prevents it from being 4+ total score though.