La Caracole Cuvée

Formerly brewed at La Caracole
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Falmignoul, Belgium

Bottle 75cl. [ Vintage BBF 04.01 ].
Clear dark amber color with a small, fizzy, fair lacing, fully diminishing, off-white to white head. Aroma is heavy malty, bread, roasted, caramel, oxidide, vintage malt. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20090226]

Bottle @ Kulminator, Antwerp.
[vintage 1998]
Pours entirely clear and deep red with almost no head. Aroma has toffee, strawberries, caramel and just a hint of oxidation. Soft carbonation, fat mouthfeel, extremely velvety. Flavour is pure, fat caramel and toffee, light yeast, some alcohol. Very sweet, but balanced with some tart notes. Very nice.

Served in lambic basket and probably for good reason as there was a big layer of yeast along the bottom. Looks like 2000 marked on the bottle. Pours dark amber color. Small amount of head dissipates almost instantly. Smells a little sweet like chocolate, caramel and a hint of plum. Tastes quite sweet overall but with complexity, caramel, some chocolate, plums, brown sugar. Sweetness turns to a little bit of alcohol taste and a little light and dry at the end with lingering flavor for minutes. While quite sweet to begin with, it balances out towards the end to make a very enjoyable beer, probably better with age.

1999 - Deep clear chestnut body, little very small off white head; Very fine deep cocoa bean, fresh chestnut aromas, very little age to it; very, very nice super deeep complex balanced body; Huge aromas in great, great long finish, very elegant fine fruits and fresh cocoa bean. Amazing beer that has aged remarkably well.

Cork says 02/2000 , Bottle served in a lambic basket. It pours a clear dark amber/dark copper color. There is absolutely zero head, just a small halo lacing. Aroma has a good amount of cardboard and a good amount of the positive chocolate-cardboard. Sweet and aged with present oxidation. Taste is more like iced-tea syrup with light notes of chocolate-cardboard. Pretty easy to drink and rather light. Reduced carbonation with a slight kick of bittered, stale raisin bread at the end. It was fine, past its peak though.
750mL in Caracole glass @ Kulminator.

Aged bottle, 1999 vintage Small, disappearing cream-coloured head over ruby-mahogany beer. Rich portwine, madeira, cigar leaf & wine-soaked dried nuts, perfect plum-cake in a glass. Sweet, very sweet even, but with added complexity, flavours as from (milk) chocolate, red portwine, dried figs & plums; rum flavouring retronasal. Oily, very viscous, alcoholburn and -warming; rich & luxurious. Just a tad too sweet, otherwise age has made this beer a topper.

33cl capped bottle from Holemans Drankenhandel in Aarschot. Beautiful amber beer with lively carbonation. Sweet complex flavor that is not overpowering. Just a tremendous beer and a great BSA.

Bottle @ Kulminator. Beautiful rich ruby, thin head disappears quickly. Nose is that of a well-aged barleywine - brown sugar, port, honey, slight sherry, dark fruits. Flavor is caramel first & foremost then hints of sherry & brown sugar. Plenty of plum and other dark fruits, cocoa, rich toffee. Avoids being too sweet. Wonderful.