Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keizer Blauw/Blue

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

Bottle (2008) caged and cork. Nice "pop" off the cork. Poured into a snifter. Dark red in color almost brown. Good two finger sized head. Malty aroma with spices and some fruits. Taste is malty, spices, little yeasty and sweet but not sugary sweet. Very smooth, lots of tiny bubbles in the carbonation level bounce off your tounge... Easy drinking, more like dangerous drinking considering it is 11 percent and you wouldnt guess it to be over 6 percent. Overall a delicious belgian strong ale

750ml. bottle from Trinity Liquors in Spring Hill, FL. Aroma of alcohol, citrus, and some floral notes. Pours dark brown with a bit of light coming through, maple syrup color. Thin head. Fantastic flavor! Citus, malt, licorice..ends in a bit of roasty coffee...Nice warming feel on the palate....very nice. I love it...great mixture of some malt and a good amount of yeast...GREAT belgian strong....

On tap at Novare Res in Portland. Pour is a tan-brown color with a tan head. Aroma of figs, molasses, and a little wine-like. Flavor is sweet at first, but finishes with a very nice boozy aftertaste. The flavor profile is particularly complex, with a sweet vanilla molasses caramel flavor in the beginning. I really like this! So glad I got to try this on tap.

Bottle. 2008 vintage. Sweet fruity and caramel aroma. Deep reddish brown body, dense light brown head. Flavor is moderately sweet, not cloying. Tons of fruit, malt, yeast, caramel. Finish is sweet and a little brief. Impressive, enjoyable, excellent beer. Among the best in this style.

Huh, I’m actually a little surprised to see this beer rated so highly on this site. I thought it to be good, but not exceptional. Part of that opinion is no doubt due to my flavor prejudices where I value hoppiness, sourness, and roastiness; predilections no doubt shared by many members of this site (an opinion backed by the majority of beers in the top-100). This beer doesn’t really have those flavors, yet here it is. Appearance is brown, cloudy, and a little on the flat side (little head). Aroma is very malty: my schnoz detected caramel, spice, wine-like notes, and a certain booziness. There was also a sugary sweetness in the smell. Flavor was also caramel-y and spicey (and boozy), but that sugary sweetness in the nose became a butterscotch taste in the mouth. I also got some floral tastes. Well, I’ll give it this - it is complex (there’s a lot in there to enjoy). Mouthfeel wasn’t flat (as I remember it). I would recommend this beer. SurlySober brought this over to my house for a tasting with Flyer. We had Beatification, Allagash Black, Westvleteren 8 and Westvleteren 12 before this beer, so maybe it was just upstaged and I might have thought it exceptional on any other night.

2008 version. You definitely can’t have this one in any moment. Is like having a good botle of wine in some special moment. Nicely creamy and maybe a little excess of alcohol. I have 3 bottles left and i will keep 2 to have them LATER!

750ml bottle. Pours a dark brown with an off-white head. Nose is of dark fruit, some bubblegum and furniture polish. Taste is of dark fruit and spice. Very nice. Mouthfeel is medium with carbonation and some alcohol warmth. This was very complex and very tasty. Shared it only with myself and enjoyed every drop.

750 mL bottlte from 2008. Pours hazy brown with an enormous beige head. The aroma is raisin, plum, light caramel, light traces of vanilla, oak, and berries, hints of anise, and a little bit of carob as it warms. The flavor is sweet berryish malt mostly, with prune and vanilla standing out the most. There is a soft woody quality that reminds me of French oak. There is a bit of bitter chocolate toward the finish, with a hint of spiciness as well. A sweet maltiness lingers for a while, and the alcohol becomes noticeable in the aftertaste. This is quite a good brew.