Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor

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

I think I’ve found my everyday IPA. Pours cloudy gold, persistant head, dissipates slowly. Aroma is llight of citrus and floral notes. The mouthfeel is not potent hoppiness, very well balanced. Lasting citrus after taste. A good beer.

Bottle from Dranken Geers. There seems to be a trend for Belgian brewers to start making a hoppy beer along with their classic selection. This exudes hop. Hazy pale gold, thick rocky beige head. Lovely hoppy aroma in the style of Hommelbier, slightly hoppy yeasty aroma. Good leafy hop. Really quite earty and a little muddy in the mouth. Refreshing though and excellent hop intensity. This is good and very much my type of beer. Really sharp peppery hop finish.

Wow. Bright golden color, huge frothy sticky head. Maybe I shook this one up too much or something but there were some very very tiny particles in suspension. No big deal though. The head on this beer was magical though...super light and foamy, bright white, sticking to the glass, creating a meringue-like appearance. Had to pour this one really slowly and gently, it was pretty lively. The aroma was a nice grassy, hoppy, bittersweet, nice and sugary/malty/sweet in that Belgian kind of way. Flavors were predominantly sweet and malty, though there was a huge amount of bitterness from the hops. It was actually fairly subtle and well-blended... the right combimation of hops to create a rich earthy, grassy, funky quality... not just plain bitterness. The body was pretty huge, very rich, well-carbonated and champagne-like. Kind of a like a crazy super hoppy tripel. This beer was great, this brewery makes great beers, plain and simple.

I poured this into a pint glass and initially the entire glass was filled with white foamy head. One this obnoxious head settled down, a nice hoppy belgian ale became noticable. Some lemon, flowery hops, and a belgian sweetness beneath. This is slightly below Houblon Doublon, which I consider to be the top of the belgian hoppy ales. Alcohol is more noticable here. Still a nice effort.

0.75l - Cloudy gold liquid under a thick, white head, nice lace. Sour smells, loads of hops on nose. Seltzerlike mouthfeel with a cinnamon note, and a long, dry, hoppy finish. Nice.

Bottle, has a hazy yellow-orange gold pour with moderate effervescence, produced a fluffy, dense foamy white persistent head, aromas of flowery hops, pilsner malt, lemon and orange fruits, faint yeast and herb spice fragrances, faint flower honey-nectar sweetness, sip has lots of hop herb flavor with fleeting light fruity lemon citrus, pilsner and gentle bread malt flavors, finish is pretty dry with hop bitterness and pepper on the taste buds, mouth feel is light with a creamy fluffiness. Why is this written as a Amber Ale on label? It looks a like a golden ale, anyway, this is a very nice ale, alcohol is hidden well, the 8% alc. is not evident, a very nice Belgian golden ale.

Lighter golden color with a thick, bubbly head. Aroma is quite sweet and mildly hoppy - honey, candi sugar, citrus hops, and a smooth yeastiness in there. Flavor is a bit more Belgian than most "hoppy Belgian styles" - just sweet enough with lots of sugar, citrus/floral hops, and a sweet maltiness that lingers. Very good with the bronzini and assorted Italian food I was eating. Nice creation.

Pours hazy golden with a nice sized white head. Aroma is light fruits, banana, and spices. Flavor is estery fruity light malts, with flavors of candy sugar and piney, citrus, slightly earthy hops with a slight bitter finish. Good stuff.