Kasteelbier Donker

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

On-tap at the Blue Nile: A browned, dark cherrywood color with a firm capping of off-white foam that lasts a short while. Once the foam has drifted off it keeps a web thin collar and a slight whisp of topical foam residue. Lacing is slick and glaring with some soft spots and stringy patches sticking to the Kasteel chalice in which it was served. Sweetly scented aroma with a good load of toffee and caramel intertwined with some fig and raisin fruityness. A tone of unique Belgian lambic-like sourness and spicy yeast adds a queer funkyness over the top of its sweetness adding a bit of strangely acceptable earthy, nose hair grabbing, spunk. Taste is wonderfully sweet and mellow. Very well rounded toffee flavors and caramel stickyness is allowed to settle right in on the palate. It sinks off from there merging into a dark fruity melange of raisiny, plummy, dark cherry syrup and/or jam. Little tropical nuances of apricot and pineapple seep in as it really warms up with a port-like, alcoholic laced, big malt back splash of the toffee and caramel stickyness. Wow, what a ride of sweet candyness. Very nice! Feel is super silky smooth and fairly full with the malts. Slighty sticky, yet, soft and quite warming on the back end staying smooth and candy soaked with just a nudge of some yeasty spice peppering the edges. A sweet, sweet treat. Very sensitive and smooth. A carefully crafted sipper that’ll keep you planted in one place for a while as it takes hold of your senses. A very nice brew and highly recommended.

330 ml bottle, purchased at some unknown and unremembered midwestern location in December 2005, BBD 03/2010. Cellar temperature, Duvel glass. Very, very dark purple-black pour, lasting gobbet of creamy tan head....prunes and raisins dominant in the sugary nose, touches of caramel and vanilla, and more than a hint of alcohol....very, very sweet flavor, must be one of the sweetest Belgians in existence, like essence of raisin with dollops of pure caramel in an alcoholic rum bath..... thick, syrupy mouthfeel with peppery stinging alcohol and light dry herbs quite noticeable late.... there is no doubt that this is luscious and as well-made as any cream caramel masquerading as beer could be, but even this sweet beer lover has his limits. An interesting failure.

Desde luego, con mucho, mi cerveza favorita; espectacular color oscuro, achocolatado. Aroma intenso, dulzón y alcohólico. En boca es un portento, te llena la boca, se nota un dulzor intenso que contraresta el amargor. Es muy larga, el gusto no se acaba nunca. Parece más un buen jerez o un Oporto que una cerveza.

Very dark thick head, over an inch in foam. Sweet very sweet taste, almost wine like. Slightly bitter on the tongue. Very sweet and strong alcohol taste.

1 pint, 9.4 fl. oz. 9/2003. Pours mahagony, very bubbly, with the bubbles sticking to the glass, and a small rocky tan fizzy head, lined lacing. Malt (cookie, meal) medium roasted caramel, nutty, yeast (cellared) aromas with notes of port, and a fruity nose. Malty, medium bitterness and acidity, moderately sweet, lasting, perfumey finish. Full bodied and fizzy-spicy palate, warming.

Light-hazed mahogany with a spotty, tan film and a halo that remains thick, tan & creamy. Aroma starts vague and malted, revealing caramel, cherry and invasive alcohol as it warms. Flavor is sweet & vinous but majorly alcoholic, leaving a first impression of cheap wine with some cloying back-burn. As I work my way through the glass, I get a different picture of a sweet brandy or cognac. This takes some getting used to... its numbers went up considerably as my glass got emptier.

<font size=-4>On tap at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/illinois/blue-i Tree Inn, Blue Island, IL 60406<font size=-1>

On tap at "Den Tatoverede Enke", Copenhagen. Extremely sweet Belgian Strong Ale. The sweetness reminded me of macaroons and was frankly a bit cloying. You can find much more pleasant and interesting Belgian Strong Ales than this…

Bottle. Syrupy colour, not much head. Syrupy in taste too, very sweet, but it works. Very smooth, almost no alcohol detectable. Not something you’d want to drink too often, but very good occasionally.