Gouden Carolus Tripel

Brewed by Brouwerij Het Anker
Style: Abbey Tripel
Mechelen, Belgium

Bottle; poured a classic gold color with a large, nice looking head. Aroma was yeasty, spicy, with dough and fruit/apples. Pretty unimpressed with the flavor, based on the high average that this beer has. Not bad tasting, but was a missing something that would have brought the flavors together. Moderately sweet. Pronounced yeasty and doughy flavors; some fruit. Alcohol was noticable, but nothing too pronounced.

Poured from the bottle into a trappist glass. A cloudy orange-straw color with a very big, foamy white head with long retention. A rich aroma with a blend of citrus hops, other fruits, some malt, and a touch of yeast. Sweet, fruity flavor with a touch of sour and bitterness at the finish. Wet, thinner body, with a lot of carbonation and tingle, and a presence of alcohol; best to be sipped. A solid Belgian ale, but not one that stands out in my opinion.

Bottle- Deep hazy yellow topped with active bleached white froth. Nice lace. Spicy, floral nose with lots of soft fruit and bready yeasty nuances. The flavour is quite nice. Huge fruit component with lots of spices and floral edges, yeasty with sweet sugars. Bready with super sharp hop profile and freah leafy greens towards the finish. Quite assertive and full bodied. A hop forward, very full triple that I like.

33 cl bottle. Very clear beer for a triple. Complex beer with a taste of banana and honey.

From caged and corked bottle. I opened the cage and the cork went flying. Pours clear gold with a huge head of tiny bubbles. Aroma is uninspired with some malt and bread like yeast. Mouth feel is lively with lots and lots of carbonation. Flavor is better than the aroma with some nice fruit (mostly banana) and bread. A good amount of alcohol is also present. Not enough to distract, just enough to enhance what is there.

33cl. bottle: Lightly hazy light amber with an orange core. Nice creamy off-white head that starts out above average but dies down to a film rather quickly. Powerful aromas of bready malt and grain. Banana bread and some toasted marshmallow come just behind the malt. Definite toffee and caramel continue the sweetness while the alcohol sneaks in behind then surprises you. Flavors are quite deep and complex (especially compared against all the ho hum tripels that have flooded the market). Malt, dark brown sugar start up front and roll back on your tongue while fading through and dark, almost burnt, caramel. Further back some apple and a bit of "green" harshness that can be best described as green tree bark. Toasted marshmallow shows up in the flavor as well. Perhaps just a slight cardboard in the back but it doesn’t distract you. If anything it adds a certain level of depth. There is some grilled fruits in the back, or perhaps fruit marmalade cooked in a pan. Nicely balanced tripel and the alcohol is well hidden.

11.2 ounce bottle purchased al Case & Keg Boca Raton, FL for $4.00 Very good

Hazy pale orange colour with huge white head. Clove and spicey mouthfeel which hides the alcohol. Very pleasant.