Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keizer Blauw/Blue

Corked and caged 2660 bottle marked 10%ABV. Large tan fizzy head that mostly diminished with a minimal amount of lacing, transparent, fast-rising carbonation, and a ruby hue. Nose was malty, dark fruits and a hint of licorice. Flavor was malty, dark fruits, vinuous, some harshness and dry. Tingly, dry mouthfeel. Medium body. Probably should have let this one age for a while to see if some of the harsh taste would have mellowed somewhat. A good brew nonetheless and one I would like to get again and age it. Worthy of a try IMO.

Bottle, in Brazil. Dark reddish coloration, with a creamy, dense and persistent beige head. Complex. Burnt aroma and palate, with notes of coffee, floral, liquor and red fruits. It goes down dense, made velvety, creamy, remembering Westvleteren. Average and wonderful carbonation. Alcohol very well inserted. Fantastic beer!

Tasted 2007-06-17. 2002 version. Dark brown/red colour with off-white head. Aroma of raisins, plums, port and yeast. Flavour: Port, yeast, malt, roasted malt. Very complex, very rounded. Almost no fizzle, but still one of the best beer I’ve had so far.

On tap. Caramel sweet nose with yeast and spices. Flavor of apple or pear, yeast, caramel. finished with light alcohol burn, pepper, some sweet. 11%? Very balanced.

Poured with decent foamy head. Toffee, alcohol, coffee raisins and figs all made themselves apparent, as well as dried fruit, pear, cherry, and caramel graduating into pleasing warming finish. Pretty tasty, and disguises the alcohol fairly well.

Finally entering all my "Better Know a Style: Belgian Strong Ale" tasting 07 results, the last one, phew. This was quite the bad end to an otherwise great tasting. Aroma yeasty and alc. Dark red with no head to speak of. Flavor was pure banana with some alc notes. Very syrupy body and burned.

This 2006 corked and caged bottled brew from a bottle shop marked lot 6668334 poured a large sized head of foamy finely sized light brown colored bubbles that were mostly diminishing and left behind a transparent strongly carbonated dark brown colored body and a good lacing. The aroma was floral dark malt anise and mild vinous. The mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish with a strong vinous aftertaste. The flavor contained notes of vinous brown malt mild caramel and mild licorice. Delicious and one I would certainly buy again.

8/4/07. Poured out of 750 mL bottle, purchased at Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA 1/5/05. 2004 Vintage. Deep copper-bronze color with a dense, creamy, tightly-formed, medium-sized sandy-tan head. Lacing is sticky, slow, and falls in blotchy, thick ribbons, with swift but respectable sub-surfacing reverse-lacing. The head retains very well for the style in a thin wafer. Aroma is very strongly reminiscent of bananas foster, with caramel sauce and lots of rotten banana fermentation character, slight hints of black pepper, some warming alcohol (even in the nose), and other assorted dark fruits (dates, mostly, but some raisins too), all outlined by a slight toasty presence. But this is like toast that is very slowly browned (not burnt at all), then saturated with a fresh, deep brown honey to serve. Delicious. Flavor follows to fit that same mold-- caramel/rotten banana, some spice hints, a touch of cherry-like acidity (though no cherry fruitiness), and an earthy leather. Finish adds a very light bitterness which, when paired with the leather, makes for a nicely drying and gently massaging combo. There’s even a vague lime note to the acidity that helps with the balance. Body is medium-full, with just enough creamy carbonation to offset the sugary sweetness and soften the alcohol point. I do get a slight solventy note with the alcohol, humming in the retronasal like a super-smooth whiskey. Not an offensive alcohol presence in the slightest (but it’s worth noting that, despite the Commercial Description here on RateBeer, my ’04 bottle said "Alc. 10% Vol."-- whatever). Slight baked pear flavor in the finish. The beer is extremely sweet, for sure, but I’ve never shied away from that; the balance is fantastic with hints of dry leather and a quick lick of alcohol to scrub the syrup from off your tongue. The toast and dark honey/banana flavors linger forever. Probably the best $9.39 I ever spent and left sitting in the beer fridge for 18 months. When I open my own dreampub, I’ll be sure to have cases of this "on reserve" all the time-- only to be offered after they’re at least two years in the cellar. Here’s to aspidites for the jazz recommendation-- Chick Corea was a perfect pairing.