Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor

Perfect appearance. A light orange colored beer with a massive head that could only come from Belgium. Frothy, fully developed, huge head that forms great shapes, laces and lasts very well. Nose is alarmingly vibrant and full of hop (spice, peach, lemon) and nice yeast derived smells (farmhouse, leather.) Flavor is devastatingly complex and utterly amazing. Was expecting something good after reading Ernest’s and Jeff’s reviews, but this is beyond good. Starts off dry, peppery, spicy and all hop accented, then settles into an amazingly well extracted vinous-like range of flavors, which leads into the finish that lasts for at least 10 seconds. Wasn’t expecting to be blown away by a beer tonight, but was.

Bottle. Will have to buy a lot more of this. I was a bit twatted when I drank it, and I loved it. Cloudy gold with a lovely fluffy white head. Perfect for me, right amount of citrus, hops, sugar and alcohol. I rate beer to find my perfect beer, I’ve just found it. I may have to cancel my life while I drink more to make sure. Absolutely loved it.

Golden straw. Rocky stark-white head cakes the glass with thick lace. Heavenly aromatic medley of lemongrass, pepper-dusted honeydew, pear, aniseed, baked apples, banana cream pie, and haylike Pils malt. Lightly phenolic with a hint of bubblegum. Tight, weightless carbonation graces the palate. Soft, flavorsome hops inundate the palate with a lustrous and uplifting array of flowers, honeysuckle and herbs. Elegant interplay between the malt and hops, as the deftly extracted Pils malt pillars the succulent hoppiness as it crackles with vibrant tones of hay, crackers, and fresh bread. Beautifully defined spicy-hop bitterness teases the palate amid an awe-inspiring assortment of yeast-derived nuances and persistently juicy hops. Peppery phenols match the feisty qualities of the hops. Lemony fruitiness generates a lemon meringue pie effect as it teams up with the refined malt. Highly quaffable as a tonic- and honeydew-twinge of tartness adds lift while stimulating the palate. Alcohol is well concealed, though a late dusting of clove and coriander accentuates it slightly. Finishes fluffy with yeast and daintily soft with malt, and sealed with a well-defined lime-peel bitterness and herbal hop snap. Aside from the higher ABV here, this is easily in the same league with world-class Belgian blondes like Zinnebir, Taras Boulba, XX Bitter, La Rulles Estivale, and Russian River Redemption. An absolutely beautiful beer!

After the first pour into my Michelob Celebrate glass I capped the bottle and reached for the Duvel glass. Huge, fluffy, long lasting, white head. Hazed to cloudy golden colored liquid. LIght fruit and mildly grassy hops in the aromas. Ok, first pour into the Duvel glass produces a head even more foreboding than the in the prior. Some yeasty notes come out as I allow the brew to settle (actually there is more liquid in the glass, but the head is still at the top of the tulip with just a few ripples to give a slightly rocky appearance). Yeast is rather simple with a light dough and hint of dry granary. Simple malt and heavy hops in the flavors. Some pine and grapefruit juice demand inclusion in the middle and work their way to the finish and linger. LIght tartness seeps in and keeps this one clean and fresh. If anything, a bit to bitter in the linger. I’m with Ernest on this one. I’d pose to him that this one has a lot of the qualities and characteristics that Duvel once had, albeit this one is a touch more bitter in the finish. Hell yes! I’m getting more of this!!

Bottle. Head is initially huge, frothy, white, fully lasting. Body is hazy medium yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain), moderately hoppy (flowers, herbs), lightly to moderately yeasty (cobwebs), with notes of lemon zest, pepper, and gum. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately to heavily bitter. Medium to full body, velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly to moderately alcoholic. Easily the best beer out of Anker in a long, long time...I really didn’t think they had a beer like this in ’em, but it’s a winner. This is their answer to Dupont Moinette, quite frankly, and pretty much just as good (or at least this particular bottle is...more samples are required!!!). Beautifully dry with nice yeasty sourdough-style tartness working in tandem with the bittering hops. Bright and complex aromas, huge lasting head, fluffy mouthfeel...what more could you really ask for? Why can’t more American brewers make stuff like this?!