Gouden Carolus Classic

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

Bottle: Pours deep amber with a medium sized beige, fluffy head. Some lacing is present. Yeast, malt, caramel and dark fruit in the nose. Sweet flavour of dark fruit, mild chocolate and carmel. Creamy texture. Medium to full bodied. Malt, brown sugar and a little alcohol in the finish. A very nice brew.

Aroma is sweet fruit with something that’s almost tart. I’d say it’s sour apple way in the background. Hint of alcohol in the pour. The tartness is less prevelant in the flavor. Soft mouthfeel. Very fruity (red fruit...can’t pick it out exactly) and very nice overall.

Pours a cloudy dark maroon color with a medium light beige head. Pretty good retention. Really enjoyed the nose on this beer, not over the top candy sugar and fruits like some tend to be. Got a bunch of banana, some light molasses, grapes, mild apple, with some sweet candy sugar as well. The flavor was also nice. Definitely on the fruity side as well, with the apple and grapes taking the reins and pulling along the malts and candy sugar. The alcohol was masked proficiently, with a lengthy fruity sweet finish. This is well crafted and very delicious. Quite an enjoyable experience.

We had a little begian beer taste test, with this beer going up against St. Bernardus triple and Gouden Christmas Ale. This one was the most popular. Hazy nut brown with a creamy tan head that stuck around until the finish. Rich nutty caramel aroma, faintly fruity. Silky smooth, very rich and malty with sponge toffee and caramel flavours, a little fruitiness, a little breadiness and a spicy finish with a suggestion of licorice. Truly excellent and a pleasure to drink.

[ Bottled ; chilled ; fresh ]
mostly diminushing large creamy tan head that tops up a muddy medium brown body. Heavy lacing. Few thick Particules. Bottle conditioned Aroma is heavy roasted , toasted, molasse, creamy, plum, dates, figs while hops are light spruce and yeast is light earth. . Initial flavor is moderate sweet while being balanced afterward Finish is medium. Wonderful body.. creamy and thick texture...
Definitly over average belgian

33 cl bottle. Red brownish with a medium beige head. Aroma is spicy, with notes of yeast, dark fruits and candy. The taste is pretty much the same, with notes of coffee, toffee and chocolate. Full body. Great beer!

330ml bottle. Rich brown, initially thick beige head. Beautiful sweet fruity aroma - apple, pear, melon, glue-solvent. Gentle carbonation leaves a smooth creamy feel in the mouth. Upon swallowing a beautiful wave of richly roasted malt covers the tongue. Given the colour I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it was so wonderfully rich a taste it really lit my eyes up. Everything in excellent balance - well mellowed maltiness, subtly winey sweetness. Two sips, and I indeed feel like an emperor!

330mL bottle from a group order. Pours a deep dark copper with a small tan head. No sediment which is something that bugs me about this brewery. But the nose on this is quite nice: booze, roasty malts, caramel crunch, some biscuits, grapes, an odd hoppy aspect, general sweetness, very complex and enticing, I like it. Flavour: Nice! Sweet grapes follow nice bready malts, some pear, toffee, booze but restrained, dates, figs, very tasty! Comes in complex waves, a very multi-layered beer. I was worried this was going to be a sugar bomb but I am very pleasantly surprised. Very unique actually, not at all what one might expect. Seems sort of like a Dopplebock with Belgian ale yeast used to ferment it, which is not at all a bad thing by my palate!