Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keizer Blauw/Blue

From LIC, Aarhus, DK. Bottled, 110908. Brown with nice head. Aroma is complex of berries and malt. Flavor is very sweet of brown sugar with caramel, fruit and alcohol presence.

75 cl bottle from Systembolaget, thanks to Fredrik. One of the absolut best belgian beers I’ve tried. Deep red/brown color with a good head. Complex, vinous aroma of berries and nuts. Lots of bitter berries in the flavour, some liquorice, caramel, brown sugar, fruit... a very balanced sweetness and the alcohol is a bit warming in the stomach. Very fullbodied, filling and smooth in the palate. Great beer! 9/5/10/5/18=4,7

Rerate: 75 cl bottle. Aged for one year and two months at home. Pours a dark brown color with hints of red, nice beige head, some lacing on the glass. Aroma is vinous, with lots of dried fruits, plums, port wine, red currants, spices and caramel. Flavour is very, very sweet (too sweet) and vinous with portwine, dried fruits, raisins, light spices, red currants and leaf. Notes of syrup and toffee. Not much stuff to balance the sweetness. Full bodied; medium strong carbonation. A dissapointment, and weird that I think it’s sweeter now than last year. Maybe needs to age for a thousand years or so... But it smells good.

Bottle (EBF2008)
Raspberry jam aroma - huge! Port, woody, fruity, raisins, some yeastiness. Concentrated malt loaf. Oh yes!

2002 bottle drank in 2008. Pours a dark muddy brown, decent head. Quite viscous. Flavour is malty, sweet and chocolatey, a fair bit of warming alcohol for an 8% beer. Pretty good.

Pours dark brown with un-yielding head. Aroma is dark fruit, brown sugar, caramel, raisin and molasses. Flavor is incredibly well balanced and powerful. Tons of sweetness, balanced nicely with some citrus and spice. Palate is oily, bubbly, and caressing.

pours a dark red brown with an absolutely massive frothy head- gorgeous pour. Aroma is smooth and tasty, with notes of caramel, raisin, and yeast. Head is still rising with carbonation 2 minutes after initial pour. Flavor is excellent- definite sweet notes with plum, cinnamon, and molasses. Alcohol is definitely evident, giving a nice aggressive sidebar to the sweet flavors. Smooth palate, really nicely crafted brew.

Had already a lot of them on bottle. Next year i will do a vertical tasting of this splendid beer. Have already 5 different years of this bottle. Did a vertical tasting of all cuvée van de keizers. Had a very amazing experience. First 2008 still missing some body. The 2007 version was a little sour. And then came 2006. We had frm every year 12 bottles in a box. They stayed together in same conditions and then we could taste it. My bottle was very nice and good ballanced. Then asking an other table and asking them what they think of the beer and they told me it tasted as cardboard. I tasted also from that bottle and I agreeded. Then I asked a 3rd table. And their beer had a more sour taste. And I agreed. Then we went down to 2004 till we had a food break. After that break we went further down till the first 1999 brew. But yes tasting 10 different years of the same strong beer is very hard to do. But it was worth while. Tasted 10 dark Cuvées and the blond one.

Clear, dark carmel color with a fast disappearing head. A lot of carmel in the nose, and mouth for that matter. Only the darkest, most shriveled fruits in this beer, with some earth spices. The alcohol is ever present and warms the throat as well as any night time cold medicine, with with a taste that doesn’t make you grimace.