 zappafan99 (322), Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA
May 10, 2008 Updated: Jul 4, 2008
2006 bottle rated in 5/ 08. MMMM..strong ale with evenness of IIPAs. Even aromas and tastes. Feels like my first rating. Malt is strong and so is ale. Don’t know where to start? Real quality. So many flavors.
oberabcbbsok (682), Hoboken, Belgium
Aug 28, 2008 Had already a lot of them on bottle. Next year i will do a vertical tasting of this splendid beer. Have already 5 different years of this bottle.
EHopper (129), Minnesota, USA
Aug 24, 2008 Clear, dark carmel color with a fast disappearing head. A lot of carmel in the nose, and mouth for that matter. Only the darkest, most shriveled fruits in this beer, with some earth spices. The alcohol is ever present and warms the throat as well as any night time cold medicine, with with a taste that doesn’t make you grimace.
Ober (310), Best, Netherlands
Aug 22, 2008 A dark brown/ruby colored beer, with a foamy beige head. It disappears quickly. The aroma is typical from Gouden Carolus. Very complex, notes of caramel, wood and roasted malts. The taste of dried fruits like raisins and prunes. It’s spicey, alcoholic. The aftertaste is burning sweet. A very good beer.
Stine (1338), St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Aug 22, 2008 Vintage 2007. An imposing wooden red mahogany hue with a frothy cap of beige. Sweet, decadent and vinous nose of butterscotch, chocolate, raisins, and figs in the first breath, which is a mite too buttery. But the depth of nuance in the bitter tones and the sweet ones is unknowable; a westvleteren-like unconquerable cave. Peppery red wine, caramel, raw cocoa nibs, tannins, cinnamon. For the most part, the dryness of alcohol it offers is in the vein of a fine cabernet, as it seems so dark and tannic, and buried deep in that mysterious pure-chocolate soil. The butterscotch sweetness at the beginning is a cumbersome gateway into the ocean of character here for me.
Enormously full flavor; a fully realized, deep malt and yeast collaboration at every turn. Wildflower honey-dipped hazelnuts. An arresting red wine with every warming caress and velvety nuance it offers; cinnamon, sweet red peppers, brown sugar, and powdery cocoa. There’s an ebullient brightness of citrus that blends sunshine with the tartness of the wine character into something undeniably attractive. A fulsome thickness of chocolate, blackberries, caramelized pears and alcohol nearing the finish; warm and expansive, but dusted starkly with a surprising herbal bitterness, that couldn’t be better placed to balance the delirious sweetness and complexity altogether, and to wrap it up on a succinct dry kick. Wow.
Full palate, syrupy and effervescent, with a wholly erudite impression of cleanness and complexity from start to finish. It calms down a bit into maple syrup at the very end, showing a touch of alcohol, generously and appropriately. The balance and warmth of this gorgeously complex experience isn’t divine inspiration, but it’s quite breathtaking!
thejoeshow (111), Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Aug 18, 2008 2008 750ml corked bottle. Pours a beautiful golden/red/brown with a very lively frothy beige head that produces excellent lacing and has wonderful retention. Aroma is sweet brown sugar and there is a bit of alcohol at the end, but what do you expect for an 11% beer? Flavor is of dark fruits and brown sugar and a touch of spice. The finish is a bit dry but I guess you could expect that. There is a touch of warming in the back of my throat as well. Mouthfeel is teetering on the syrupy side. This beer is wonderful.
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