Gouden Carolus Classic

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

(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.

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.

33 cl bottle, bbe 5th Aug 06. Turbid brown with a strong red shine, small off-white head, sparkling. Malty and sticky odour with a lot of brown bread. Beautiful flavour of caramel and carob with gentle hop bitterness towards the end. Full body, a bit (too) sticky texture.

A king of beers. Caramel. Rich. Dark. What can I say that hasn’t been said? One of the beauties we can get on a regular basis and that’s what matters in this spot in the Midwest. We open one every now and then again....

Dark red-brown colour with creamy head. Bit sweet aroma of fruits and caramel. Sweet flavour of dark malts, caramel, fruits. Good mouthfeel though far from the same as in the Carolus Christmas ale. A great beer.

Clear amber color with tan head and excellent lacing. Sugary aroma with a hint of beat sugar. Also a nice molasses and toffee smell. Flavor is cherries, dates, cinnamon, sweet toffee malts, maybe coriander and a hint of candi sugar. I also sense a little of the alcohol. Nice melded flavor brew. Enjoyable.

330 mL into tulip. Pours a clear, deep ruby with a huge tan head that settles down to a thin layer that stays for the remainder of the drink. Not much lacing. Aromas of dark fruits, rust, yeast, caramel, with black licorice dominating. Taste is bubbly up front with overripe dark fruits, plums, chocolate malt. Lots of velvety mouth coating. Aftertaste is dry. Alcohol is non-intrusive but you can definitely feel this one. Rich and powerful but medium-bodied and refined.

The dark caramel color looked fabulous in the official Gouden Carolus glasses. The head was healthy and entertaining (I like to watch it settle). The aroma was subtle and pleasing to the nose. The assault on the tongue was slow, and the caramel and oak flavors eventually subsided to the spike of the carbonation that lingered on the tongue afterwards. About half way through the glass, there was a noticable oily feel left on the roof of the mouth and tongue. I imagine that was what caused the flavor to linger like it did.