Gouden Carolus Classic

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

Hazy dark brown body that pours with a quickly dissipating head. Rich fruity aroma that’s all over the place -- I smell raisins, cherries, banana and vanilla. Sweet flavor, a bit yeasty and spicy, with alcohol undertones.

Looks darker than I expected. More complex than I expected, too. Caramel, toffee and hints of fruit. Would be nice to have an aged bottle to try.

Nice compact head on an inviting copper/amber body. Aroma of alcohol, raisins and sugars. Flavor is subtle (perhaps even "subdued") but complex. Vinous initially, then many flavors push their way through - apples, grapes, raisins - then come heavier, maltier flavors, with caramel and maybe even brown sugar. Warm, medium bodied. A nice little belgian indeed.

Deep brown color with some orange and yellow hues showing through, something like light ancake syrup. Head is medium thick and khaki color. Smell is delicious, if only all beers could smell this delightful: brown sugar, dark & candied fruits, and a spicy hop bite. Taste isstong and interesting: grapes, raisins, prunes up front with sugar, heavy malt and slight hopping. Lucious aftertaste, coating and sweet. Strong beer. Sampled from a 12oz bottle purchased at Whole Foods in Vienna, VA.

330ml bottle yields a cloudy, dark copper colored ale with a large tan head. This ale left some excellent lacing. Aroma is caramel, molasses and hint of alcohol. The initial palate is quite sweet, giving way to fruity esters of overripe banana, raisin and, perhaps, port wine. Full bodied and smooth, this ale has a long-lasting, moderately hopped finish and warm alcohol coda.

(Bottled, 0.75l) Quite clear, dark amber color with a small head. Sweetish, malty, slightly alcoholic, candy aroma. Sweet, syrupy-malty, vanilla, pear, candy-toffee flavor, with anise and berry hints, plus some acidity. Black pepper in the aftertaste. Alcohol is very well hidden in the flavor. Smooth, syrupy, slightly ashy palate with a bit foamy carbonation. A nice and balanced brew. Much easier to drink, than the Xmas version, and not nearly as anisey. (1984 vintage, sampled 3/2006, 7.6% ABV) A thick, extremely malty-syrupy, sweet plum/raisin soup. Some vinous character, too. Definitely not dried out.

Bottle. Dark copper body topped with a decent beige foamy head. Sharp malty/hoppy aroma with yeasty and plummy notes. Alcohol is very well hidden. Taste is complex and perfectly balanced. Here again, alcohol is barely noticeable. Ends with a good warming and yeasty aftertaste. Superb!

As its name supposes the Carolus Classic is indeed a true archetype of the dark Belgian ales. Its mesmerizing lateritious hue is subtly clouded and rises to an oat-colored creamy head, exemplary of the style. An overwhelming fragrance of bananas emerges initially and follows in a suite of dried pears, raisins and figs. The warm, vinous touch offers a definite density to the nose, one supported by the indubitable scent of walnuts, pepper and the candy-like aroma of artificial cherries. Fruits are equally pronounced in the flavor, particularly in the recurrent vehemence of dried bananas, followed by plums and cherries again. The sweet, sticky almost syrupy texture contributes a certain weight to the dark malt background of coffee, roasted chocolate and caramel weaving an immaculate framework for the assertive nutmeg and anise tonalities. Alcohol is certainly present but does not burn, and for a turophile like myself gives the apropos strength to perfectly match a Chabichou or a similarly soft goat cheese. The aftertaste leads to a beautiful evolution starting with coffee and marrons glacés that finishes with the lingering piquant of licorice.