Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keizer Blauw/Blue

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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UPDATED: DEC 7, 2008 Rating reflects aged sample. Re-rate: Bottled, 2001 version sampled in 2008, i.e. 7 years old. Still a fair head after all these years, beautiful. Aroma and flavour have aged extremely well, at every sniff i discovered new notes including roasted malts, chocolate, peat, raisins, wood, unbelievable. Everlasting finish in which new flavour arise as well. This beer is truly outstanding in every aspect. It’s already very good when fresh, but absolutely outstanding after 7 years of aging, and will probably improve even further when older. Forget about all these imperial stouts, there is nothing like an aged Belgian Strong Ale like this! Original rating: On tap. Brown coloured, beautiful head. Complex malty, fruity nose and flavour. This combination of bittersweet malty flavours with complex fruiteness is exactly what i’m looking for in a beer. Very good! Rating 4.5

UPDATED: NOV 20, 2008 Just got a case of the 2006 version. What a terrific brew. All manner of yummy flavors, Chocolate and cherries being dominant. Nice head and lacing. This is one of my favorites of all time. Ammended to add. This one of the very best beers in the world. It ages nicely too. I saw another case and I’m half tempted to get one. The complexity is beyong compare.

THOUGHTS: This was the first perfect beer I ever tasted. The first time I had it was a little over a year ago. This time it was a younger bottle than before, but I still think it’s perfect. When it’s aged for about two years it’s just off the chart. There are dark fruit aromas and flavors, along with chocolate vanilla and caramel. It just keeps getting better the warmer it gets. I love this beer, especially around the holidays. It goes down easy for such a high ABV and such rich flavors. TECHNICAL: 2006 bottle. Poured a clear, dark red or black cherry color with an average, off-white head that mostly diminished, but left excellent lacing. The aroma was moderate caramel and chocolate malt. With gratpe, raisin, plum, prune, date, apple, cherry, vanilla and light alcohol. The initial flavor was moderate sweentness, while the finish was heavy sweetness and sour fruit with a short duration along with the flavors of the aroma and a short duration. The body was medium to full with fizzy carbonation and a light alcoholic finish

(2008 bottle) Pours like a cola with a slight red tint; very minimal carbonation. Has a spicy taste that flows off the palate. The only beer that remotely resembles this one is the Delirium Noel for is spiciness.This has a fantastic lingering finish.

caramel, coffee, chocolate, herbs, basement aromas, leaves, butterscotch, cooked vegetables, skunky, smoke, rotten eggs, black, cloudy, brown foam, light sweetness, very bitter, heavily sour, umami, full body, thick feel, flat, long finish,

Charles V was one of the great monsters in history. He presided over several wars in Europe, imprisoned the Pope, and profited from the destruction of the Aztec empire and it’s people. This beer is every bit the monster that it’s namesake was. Even though the American craft/boutique brewers are able to match the flavor of this style with chemistry and biology, they have never been able to match the texture and body that the closely guarded techniques of the Belgian master brewers at Gouden Carolus had mastered 500 years ago. The perfect beer.

Bottle. A - Very dark plum color with some dark ruby hues on the edge. Fairly large, creamy, sticky, toasted marshmallow colored head. Decent retention and a beautiful layer of creamy, sticky lace. S - Plenty of dark fruit consisting of plum, raisin, and date. Nice sweetness as well with molasses, dark candi sugar, licorice/anise, and a touch of bubblegum. Well spiced with clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of coriander. Hints of rum/brandy soaked fruit as well. Some dark malt and a touch of breadiness make the base. Pretty complex aroma. T – Good mix of dark fruit, spice, and sweet bread flavors throughout the sip. Similar to the nose. Starts with a strong dark, spiced fruit at first. Mid sip has a strong licorice and bubble gum flavor come out. The dark fruit then comes on strong at the end with a bit more of a rum/brandy flavor to it. The sweet bready flavor is a nice persistent undertone throughout the sip. M - Medium, maybe slightly toward full, body. Has a lush, creamy, persistent kind of feel to it though. Good amount of carbonation. D - Well balanced and complex beer with a great mix of flavors that had me wanting to drink more. I could see it potentially being a little too sweet/cloying, but I like sweeter beers on occasion and I think it works for the style. Notes: Vintage 2009. Great beer that is very complex and has a lot of bold, big flavors. Inclusion of licorice and bubblegum flavor is interesting for the style. I really liked the beer, like I said before, some may think it is a bit too sweet, but it makes a great dessert or night caper (although I could see me drinking this other times too!).

UPDATED: JAN 18, 2012 Pours a medium, beige, frothy head with a cloudy, muddy-water coloured body. The nose is filled with figs, brown sugar and oak barrel. Taste is sweet malty, bready, liquorice flavor and bitterness. Full body, creamy texture.

2006 vintage, enjoyed August 2009. I have had this beer many times, and it definitely improves with age. Big pop when the cork comes out of the bottle.Very dark brown, and a thick, lacing head that never quite fades. Aroma has fruit and Belgian yeast. A very complex beer, with figs, sweet malt, very light anise, and some chocolate. The high abv is well hidden. One of the richest, heaviest palates found on any beer. It is without a doubt one of the finest beers in the world.

Wow!! nose of banana, cherries, anis, and vanilla in the bottle. pours clear with light head, some lingering lace. nose in the glass also yields yeast, caramel, other citrus - very aromatic! nice body, sweet but not overly. only cloying suggestions of the 11% juiice. hints of dark fruit. This is a 2006 bottle. Brought it back from Brussels with me