Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor

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

The Tubes said it best. "what a beauty". This one pours with a skyscraper creamy head that lasts. The color is hazed creamy yellow. Aromas are strong with meaty banana cream and other tropicals. Full nectar with superb carbonation. This brew is balanced with a crazy delicious tropical malt backbone and a citrus pulp aspirin hop that cuts through the blubber. The finish lingers long and steady. It’s so rich yet balanced I could drink it all night long. As I sip and it warms the Hopsinjoor never diminishes. A solid classic. Trump!

Perfect appearance. A light orange colored beer with a massive head that could only come from Belgium. Frothy, fully developed, huge head that forms great shapes, laces and lasts very well. Nose is alarmingly vibrant and full of hop (spice, peach, lemon) and nice yeast derived smells (farmhouse, leather.) Flavor is devastatingly complex and utterly amazing. Was expecting something good after reading Ernest’s and Jeff’s reviews, but this is beyond good. Starts off dry, peppery, spicy and all hop accented, then settles into an amazingly well extracted vinous-like range of flavors, which leads into the finish that lasts for at least 10 seconds. Wasn’t expecting to be blown away by a beer tonight, but was.

Pours amber with a nice lingering white head. Smells of dry malt, spice, pepper, pine, some citrus, hints of sugar. Tastes grassy and earthy with some peppery splashes and a dry malty finish. One of their best beers.

330 ml bottle from a KW group private order. this is orval without the brett. pils malt, lotsa hops. super dry, very complex. orval without brett, almost perfect.

Bottle. Will have to buy a lot more of this. I was a bit twatted when I drank it, and I loved it. Cloudy gold with a lovely fluffy white head. Perfect for me, right amount of citrus, hops, sugar and alcohol. I rate beer to find my perfect beer, I’ve just found it. I may have to cancel my life while I drink more to make sure. Absolutely loved it.

750 ml split in Westmalle glass. Hazy pale straw color with lasting thick white head and lace. Hoppy lemon grass yeasty spice aroma. Mild melon sweet fruitiness with spicy fresh hoppiness mild funk and lingering tingling bitterness. Medium body and carbo. Nice soft mouthfeel. I like this style. And I love this beer. Incredible.

Golden straw. Rocky stark-white head cakes the glass with thick lace. Heavenly aromatic medley of lemongrass, pepper-dusted honeydew, pear, aniseed, baked apples, banana cream pie, and haylike Pils malt. Lightly phenolic with a hint of bubblegum. Tight, weightless carbonation graces the palate. Soft, flavorsome hops inundate the palate with a lustrous and uplifting array of flowers, honeysuckle and herbs. Elegant interplay between the malt and hops, as the deftly extracted Pils malt pillars the succulent hoppiness as it crackles with vibrant tones of hay, crackers, and fresh bread. Beautifully defined spicy-hop bitterness teases the palate amid an awe-inspiring assortment of yeast-derived nuances and persistently juicy hops. Peppery phenols match the feisty qualities of the hops. Lemony fruitiness generates a lemon meringue pie effect as it teams up with the refined malt. Highly quaffable as a tonic- and honeydew-twinge of tartness adds lift while stimulating the palate. Alcohol is well concealed, though a late dusting of clove and coriander accentuates it slightly. Finishes fluffy with yeast and daintily soft with malt, and sealed with a well-defined lime-peel bitterness and herbal hop snap. Aside from the higher ABV here, this is easily in the same league with world-class Belgian blondes like Zinnebir, Taras Boulba, XX Bitter, La Rulles Estivale, and Russian River Redemption. An absolutely beautiful beer!

After the first pour into my Michelob Celebrate glass I capped the bottle and reached for the Duvel glass. Huge, fluffy, long lasting, white head. Hazed to cloudy golden colored liquid. LIght fruit and mildly grassy hops in the aromas. Ok, first pour into the Duvel glass produces a head even more foreboding than the in the prior. Some yeasty notes come out as I allow the brew to settle (actually there is more liquid in the glass, but the head is still at the top of the tulip with just a few ripples to give a slightly rocky appearance). Yeast is rather simple with a light dough and hint of dry granary. Simple malt and heavy hops in the flavors. Some pine and grapefruit juice demand inclusion in the middle and work their way to the finish and linger. LIght tartness seeps in and keeps this one clean and fresh. If anything, a bit to bitter in the linger. I’m with Ernest on this one. I’d pose to him that this one has a lot of the qualities and characteristics that Duvel once had, albeit this one is a touch more bitter in the finish. Hell yes! I’m getting more of this!!