Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keizer Blauw/Blue

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

2009 vintage. Thanks to my buddy for this one. Dark brown pour with ruby highlights in the body. Minimal to no head. Sweet acidic smell, dried fruits, raisins, plums, and a little dough. Taste is dark friuts, figs, and a bit of yeast. Thick and syrupy. A bit too sweet for my liking. Didn’t realize the 11% until the next morning.

V.2006. Dark brown with persistent white head. Clove, banana, pineapple, caramel, brown sugar, fantastic, a cross between a quad and a weizen bock. Full bodied and a lush finish. Awesome beer.

Smells of caramel and sweetness. Has a nice appearance dark with a tan head. This is the sweetest beer I have ever drank. Not bitter at all. I’m not sure that is a good thing although this brew is very drinkable. It is full bodied with an average carbonation. Overall, I thought I was gonna like this because of the sweetness. I now see that too much is too much. This is tasty and if you ever wanted to catch a buzz from a class of soda then try this beer.

Appearance: 3/5 Dark hazy amber liquid with a small dirty white foam. Smell: 8/10 Dried fruit, raisin, plums. Taste: 8/10 Dried fruit, yeast, plums and wine. Mouthfeel: 4/5 Medium smooth and medium carbonation. Puckering mouthfeel. Comment: A fruity and nice belgian ale. Lots of flavour and none of them bad. Despite the high alcohol this was fairly easy to drink and it didn’t feel very boozy. This beer is probably best on it’s own but probably works great with some cheeses.

75cl bottle vintage 2001. Dark red to brown color with some tiny sediment and a beautiful beige head that leaves some nice lacing even after 9 years in the bottle! Aroma is full of fruit with especially apples and a nice touch of porto with some alcohol. Beatifull aged aroma! Taste is sweet with a nice apple and porto taste. The aftertaste is sweet with again some nice apples. The body is full, mouthfeel is soft and the drinkabilty is superb! I’ve also tasted the 2007 version and this is more malty in aroma and taste and has a nice light bitter taste. The aged porto taste is not present in the 2007 version. Both old and young versions are superb and this is a magnificent aging beer. A true Champion!

750ml bottle from IPB
Appearance : Coca cola colored with tiny head. Short retention. Some lacing
Aroma : Sweet fruity belgian yeast with some alcohol.
Taste : Very sweet and fruity. Yeasty. A bit nutty. Brown sugars. Some alcohol
Finish : Warm and nutty
Overall : Very sweet and rich. Thin but lively carbonation. Truly a classic.

Ok yeah this beer pretty much kicks ass. So thanks to BierBauch for this one. There are alot of qualities of this beer that are reminiscent of St. Bernardus Abt12 but also a ton of uniqueness in here as well. Aroma is similar to Bernardus with the heavy hit of yeast and bread dough but also sweeter as it has a more robust dark fruit characteristic. The aroma filled the room as soon as I started to pour it.

Flavor is unique while at the same time keeping some of the great qualities of other favorite Belgians. There’s definitely more chocolate in the mix, along with large supply of dark fruits such as plums and figs. There are some hops as well that add a nice balanced bitterness. The palate is twice as heavy as I was expecting. Quite thick and syrupy but still remains soft and just plain fun to drink. A real treat. I’m going to acquire some more of these to throw in the cellar.

Bottle, pours dark brown with thin tan head. Aroma is sweet with dark fruits, caramel and malts. Great appearance and aroma. Big flavor of dark fruits, caramel, chocolate, coffee, and dark malts. Really impressive beer with full body and warm finish.