Kasteelbier Donker

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Ingelmunster, Belgium

On tap at Ortinos Northside. Pours a deep brown with ruby/amber notes and a smaller bubbly tan head. Aroma of dark fruits, molasses, cherry, Belgian yeast, brown sugar and lots of fruity notes. Flavor of dark fruits, sweet and malty, touch if tartness, some cherry, Belgian yeast. On the sweet side, low carbonation.

11.2 oz bottle with the new graphics. Pours dark mahogany with amber edging. A beige head of a half-inch rose up with a longish pour. Traces of finely beaded lacework throughout the glass, with whisps on the surface. Aromatics lead off with rum-soaked raisins, caramel, nougat, vanilla, and fresh figs. Alcohol warms the nose and dark fruits step forward. Medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel. Slickish and slightly chewy. Dark rum, plump raisins, toffee, and a hint of Kahlua start the pallet. Drizzeled caramel, cocoa-dusted fruit, and warming alcohol follow through. Finishes with lingering figs, dark rum, caramel, and brown sugar. Pretty damn flawless and tasting like a real freshie. Quite a bit of fresh dough and lively hops (for a quad). Way too drinkable.

In the bottle at the 2008 Crescent Moon Extreme Beerfest. This was surprisingly thick. Pours dark brown with a light brown head. There’s a great malty thickness to this flavor. Lots of chocolate and raisins. Really great.

Bottle. Brown-red body. Aroma has chocolat, sugar, malt, syrup and a earthy tone. Flavor is from burnt sugar, syrup, malt, chocolat and has a burnin´ hot tone frome alcohol.

Coloração marrom escura, creme denso e consistente. Aroma de café, torrado e leve chocolate. O paladar segue o aroma, com a presença do lúpulo e do malte. Final longo e levemente amargo.

Best by 07/07/12. 750 ml. corked and caged green bottle. Loud pop when cork was released. Poured out a deep amber color, with a weak head. Aromas are of sugar coated raisins, burnt sugars, some rum soaked figs. Flavors are an esoteric blend of heavenly sugars, sublime malts, and an enigmatic blend of flavors too special to mention. This is the beer spoken of in dark circles, in dark corners. Fabulous beer all in all, a beauty to behold.

Very deep and dark red brown color. Small but lacy beige head. Sweet malty aroma is wine-like with berries. Strong flavor is sweet malty, sugary and cherry. Quite full-bodied, sugary and smoothly carbonated palate. Alcohol doesn’t taste but it certainly will be felt.

Bottle (2006): Pours a cloudy brown with a lingering tan head. The aroma is sweat with a hint of cinnamon and spice. The flavor is sweet, with lots of malt, caramel, dark fruit and cola. The alcohol doesn’t overwhelm which is surprising considering it’s 11%. The palate is clean an fits a Belgian well but overall this is unbalanced and too sweet to impress me.