Gouden Carolus Classic

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

Sweet notes of toffee and caramel are emitted by the pour. A deep mahogany body and a whipped tan head. A cornucopia, = plums, dates, raisins, figs, vanilla, a fresh loaf of honey nut wheat bread. The palate is sensational! It’s so creamy and velvety! Some spices that I can’t identify? Light notes of chocolate, a touch of nutmeg and coriander, maybe lavender? This is a sensational use of malt’s! Yeasty, bring a slender bittersweet finish…… What a great beer! I will certainly be aging a few bottles of this!

Post Note: - Reminiscent notes of a fine Tawny Port, - Enjoyed this brew to the maximum!

Pours a deep, cloudy brown with a thick, fluffy off-white head. Rich, malty nose. Strong malt flavor, lightly toasted. Nice alcohol warmth. Very, very nice.

Pours a hazy mahongoany hue, cool woody brown, with a with a nice bit of froth, if short-lived. Aroma, sour, citric, and spicy, from the start, lemon peel, clove, and pepper. Taste: big, brisk, fruity blast on the palate, softly fading into a firm malt base. Cherries, berrries, bananas, melon, all accompanied by a tidy peppery kick on the side, and the flavor never fades, nestles well in the mouth, offering a resilient, bright tingle on the tongue. Great texture, wonderful play on the palate, a genial joust of tastes in the mouth. Fruity, to the point of being wine-like, but with plenty of it’s own individual charms to make it a supple, special little thing in the mouth. Very special ale, hunt it down, if you must!

Bottle: Burnt orange, brownish, medium foamy beige head, attractive lacing.   Huge plum and licorice aroma.   Soft notes of other dark pitted fruit as well.   Dark and pale fruit on the tongue, both strong.   Soft licorice and even chocolate is present.   Fairly sweet up front, with a soft hop bitterness on the back end.   Fairly big body, with a moderate mouthfeel.   Plum, apple skin, minor maple syrup, and chocolate all linger after the finish.   I wish I had two or three bottles of this.   Simply delicious!

Clear ruby-brown pour. Medium light brown head with decent lacing. Huge malty nose, tons of dark fruits, toasted notes, chocolatey richness, maybe even coffee, caramel and grapes reminiscent flavors, very estery anyway. Very appealing and powerful. In mouth, the typical initial Het Anker rich sweetness is luxuriously accompanied by drying out yeast. Smoky, woody and mineral long finish full of memories with an ever so slight alcohol hint and noble hop bitterness. Medium-full bodied, moderate to high carbonation, rich mouthfeel. Fantastic malty belgian, almost like a doppelbock, enormous level of sweetness included. Still, more balanced if not as rich as the grand cru, but perhaps less exciting than the noël as far as I’m concerned. That’s a bit like comparing napoleon and alexander the great though. A must.

Served in a Gouden Carolus glass, pours a brown head that lasts all the time and leaves some lace. Red brown colour. Smells of dried fruits, burnt wood, soaked earth, toffee, molasses. Sweet flavor, not much pronounced. Taste of dried fruits, spices, with pepper, cloves and nutmeg. It could be a greater beer, I found that it lacks some more sharpness or having stronger ends on both smell and taste.

rootbeer brown body with small white head...splendid aroma of chewy malts, toasty caramels, toffee, nougat, twigs and berries...flavor begins nice and sugary, leading to caramel, brown sugar, and molasses notes...nice palate, and an excellent beer!

11.2 oz bottle. Beer is red-brown with a small but lasting beige head and lacing. Aroma of dark fruit, (figs, raisins, prunes) and maybe some apple. Flavor is really excellent with the dark fruits, banana, Belgian yeast, and sweet candy sugar. Notes of wine or sherry. Very complex with hop spicyness and faint bitterness. Very rich in flavor but remains light drinking with good carbonation in a medium body. More enjoyable with every sip. I may even like this more than the triple which is not usually the case with me. This is an awesome dark Belgian strong. Silky and delicious.