Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keizer Blauw/Blue

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

Brownish pour with descent head. Nose of dark fruits, alcohol, sweet syrup. Flavors similar, but really potent on the alcohol. Pretty tasty and complex.

WOW, this brew is so thick it looks like melted taffy. The smell is of egg nog, apples, bananas, and that hard milky candy coating that dresses every jawbreaker/polka-dotted easter mini-malt candy egg. You can’t see through this beer with two 120watt bulbs physically touching the back of the glass. Mine was aged 18 months and has thick gloppidy glollops of yeast chunking around inside that are cool clover bursts of spicy flavor on the palate. Abbaye des Rocs anyone? Fantastic beer; one that could fit well in De Dolle’s lineup with the success of Tris Pistoles and Brune. Amazing belgian, in every sense of the beverage style. I will buy this again and again. RERATE: I have bought this beer again and again. Wow was I lucky. I’ve tred 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. All were just abominations of flavor and alcohol. Just supreeme greatness. Perfect!

At Max’s 72 hours of Belgian. 2007 release. After the alcohol shock, very enjoyable. I’d love to retry in a couple of years. booze hit, then we get to a brown sugar/ fruity sweetness. Drying finish.

Maybe my palate isn’t educated enough. Blah blah kiss my arse. I can appreciate how other people like it and I am certainly not knocking it. It isn’t my thing though. A highly rated beer and fair enough as I can understand the quality. I’m not going to lie and say I like it that much. Personal taste, I am not rating to style.

Opened with high carbonation. Strong scent of sweet fruits, like cherries and even raisins and prunes. Poured slightly syrupy, deep brownish red, with an off white head. Beer is strong and sweet, with a velvety mouthfeel. Upfront flavors are of raisins and sweet fruits, and nuts, with diminishing tart fruit flavors, mainly cherry, all reminiscent of brandy. Also, recommend letting it breathe, as the alcohol was a little strong tasting at first. Overall, a delicious and drinkable beer!

Oct. 2006 - Beer poured reddish dark brown with nice head and lacing. Aroma was really strong sweet fruit. Flavor was sweet, dark fruits, raisins and candied sugar with a lot of oak noticeable. Nice full mouthfeel. Nothing to complain about here!

2007 vintage. Translucent chestnut with ruby highlights and a large head that settles quickly into a sticky ring. Aroma of chocolate, raisin cake with icing, and Bananas Foster. Flavor is very similar, with more brown sugar and rum flavors than the aroma. Some pecan pie, more rum, and molasses flavors in the middle; then more alcohol and some faint spicy herbs on the finish to dry it up a bit. Near-medium body is tingly and warm with noticeable alcohol; and is sometimes smooth, sometimes airy-fizzy in the mouth.

2007 Bottle. Opaque mahogany pour with little off-white head. Aroma of fig, peat smoke and cinnamon. Deep rich malt flavor with a sligth ester character, dark fruit, nutmeg and spices. Medium-full body with moderate carbonation.