La Caracole Nostradamus

Brewed by La Caracole
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Falmignoul, Belgium

Nutty caramel aroma from a muddy brown pour. A half in of head laced nicely. Nutty caramel flavor with some brown sugar and a hint of smoky malt. Well carbonated gave it a lively mouth feel and a nice warm burn on the way down.

Bottle. Pours a dark brune body with a tan head. Malty with dark fruit esters, plum, raisins, and cane sugars. Caramel and some spicy yeast notes pepper like carbonation and a mild to moderate warming. Nice brew.

Carmal nose, Nutty mild brown sugar flavor. Feels good in mouth. Alcohol not noticeable. Quick dry finish.

Bottle 鼮 mL) purchased August 2008; cellared until drinking date: January 2009. This is a special beer. Appearance: It pours (into my Caracole goblet!) a lovely burnt sienna with a creamy-white head. It’s slightly cloudy, and yet retains a coppery shimmer nonetheless. Aroma: Uh-oh. My first thought is, "Oh, no. Run-of-the-mill generic bruin spin-off." Caramel sugar predominates, then leads into a polite hop balance and the ever-so-slightest funky-sour note. Ah, but wait. Let it linger in the glass, and in turn in the nose. It has much more to reveal... Taste: Oh, this wins me over. MUCH more complex, creatively original, and satisfying than that first whiff would have led me to believe. White pepper, madeira, toffee, spring grass, walnut, and woodsy-hop with a tropical-citrus exit. And...what is that? Sulphur? (not in a bad way, but in a Burton-upon-Trent way). As it warms in the glass it continues to get even better and more complex. Palate: Almost wine-like in its feel. Is there a high mineral content in the source water for this brew? Artesian well? This is exquisite. Overall: Great, if ever-so-slightly sweet. Very vinous. This stuff is perfect with Chicken Marsala, and even better with spicy Senegalese peanut soup!!

I love this beer. Hazy amber-reddish color, nice white-beige head. Sweet aroma of yeast,malt,caramel, cherry, wine. Taste is complicated: roasted malts,yeast, fruits, nuts,chocolate. Nice finish with hints of alcohol.

Bottle. Brown pour. Tons of yeast and lots of fruit, dates, raisins, figs on the nsoe. Flavor is sweet and full of dark dried fruit. Some good caramel notes and a woody note too. Nice.

11.2 ounce bottle - $3.99 at Total Wine & More in Atlanta, Georgia. Served up in a Caracole snifter. Appearance: Pours out a brown-amber body with a finely textured, medium-sized, off-white head. Smell: Sweet, sugary maltiness of toasty caramel and brown sugar covered with a heady scent of ripe fruits soaked in peppery alcohol and some smaller notes of spice and dehydrated herbs. Taste: Malty tastes of toasted dark caramel, light cocoa, nutty nougat, and dark brown sugar transitions to a particularly strong, fruity mix of figs, tart pears, and even red currants. Heavy, generous layering of both sugar and ground spices. Slight earthy herbal aspects. Finishes semi-sweet, though there is a lot of drying, warming alcohol at the end of it. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-high carbonation. Drinkability: Both flavorful and nicely complex, though the alcohol and warming nature of the brew slows my progress to small, thoughtful sips. Thankfully though, the airy carbonation does a fine job in aiding the overall drinkability of this brew.

Draft at Ebenezer’s. Pours a dark red Brown, nose is chocolatey, some esters from the yeast, cloves. Pretty light nose. On taste, very brown, a touch of sweetness, maybe some vanilla and definitely buttery/diacetyl, though not overbearingly so. Okay.