Gouden Carolus Classic

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

Deep brown color with amber and slightly purple highlights. Thick, sticky tan head of tiny microbubbles. Delicious aroma of dark brown sugar, dried fruits (dates, raisins), sweet malts, caramel, licorice, and some faint spiciness. Equally delicious, intense, somewhat acidic flavors of dried fruits (dates, raisins, apples), dark caramelized sugars, spices (coriander, nutmeg, anise), cocoa, toffee, and a slight hint of warming alcohol, and a nearly imperceptible amount of hops. Smooth, rich body with a touch of prickly carbonation on the tongue. Nicely sticky and velvety, but not overbearing--finishes crisp and clean, a bit dry from the hops. An amazing beer.

Robe rubis très claire surmontée d’une mousse beige mince. Arômes de cersies, d’épices, d’alcool, de malt et de bonbon. Saveurs de bonbon, de cerise, de levure et d’épices.

Draft @ Woodward Ave Brewery. Nice brown color, small white head. Very complex nose. Picked up fruity mixed with bubblegum. Taste is very complex, and with a peppermint finish. Even with the high alchohol which I normally don’t like, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Really liked it.

Bu au Festival Bière et Saveur 07 (bouteille). Rousse noisette, petit collet. Arome de caramel et de mélasse malté doux, un peu épicé. Goût de scotch malté, des notes d’épices et de cassonades, un peu réchauffant.

This poured the color of root beer popsicles and looked nice & fancy in the gold rimmed glass with the gold "Gouden Carolus" emblem. It smelled of plums and raisins with maple somewhere in the taste or smell as it warmed. The flavor was smokey wtih citrus on the back of my tongue and smooth alcohol, not bitter or overpowering. It had a honeyish texture and was vaguely Meditteranean in theory (or at least what I think meditteranean would taste like when I read books set there). I had this on tap at the Maple Tree, but would enjoy having it on hand.

Nutty, smokey flavor that changes every second that it’s in your mouth. Kind of foamy texture.

Dark brown color, Flavor malty and has sweetness of dried fruits and a bit sourness in the finish

This is how beer is supposed to taste. Grain and yeast along with nuts, dark fruits, and an almost creamy texture. The flavour performs judo chops on your palate, moving in unexpected directions, morphing like a chamaeleon before surprising you with its next strike. Only complaints are it could be a bit more fizzy, and it doesn’t come in a 40.