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

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

UPDATED: OCT 27, 2007 Rating the 2005. Pulled the cork slowly and carefully, like from a bottle of vintage champagne ... without eruption. Somehow this seems better than a mere 4.5 ... I guess this beer is more than just the sum of its parts. Beautiful reddish brown, with a small tan head that slowly vanishes, leaving lacing behind. Great nose of chocolate and toffee. Taste is sweet — a big full mouth of chocolate and toffee and maple sugar, with fresh figs and earthy fruitiness, with a little bitterness to offset the sweetness, and a tad too much unhidden alcohol, like a barelywine, for perfection. Mouth is just a litte too cloying to be perfect ... not enough carbonation to offset the thick sweetness. OK, I’ve told you why it’s not perfect. But it sure is great! // Great, yes. But after retasting I need to recalibrate slightly.

Draft. Beernutz. Hazy brown color. Big creamy head. Medium sweetness, at least. Flavors were raisin, fig, candy, brown sugar. Big time complexity. Really enjoyed this one.

brown, clear, tan foam, soy sauce, cereal, bread, full body, oily feel, average carbonation, long finish, heavy cloying sweetness, medium bitterness,

750 ml bottle courtesy of Jonas (non-RB). 2010 vintage. Pours tiny hazy dark reddish brown with a rather small creamy pale brownish beige head that is rather quick to dissipate while leaving some lacing on the glass. Smell is sweet, malty and spicy with dark sweet bread, rose pepper, prunes, dark sweet cherries, burnt caramel, orange zest, black pepper, wood, alcohol, dark grapes and hints of lemon juice and vanilla. Taste is sweet and malty with dark bread, wood, prunes, orange zest, plums, alcohol, liquorice root, black pepper, dark grapes and hints of toffee, pears and apples. Mouthfeel is sticky sweet, tiny boozy, very tiny tart and medium to full bodied. Finish is sweet an tiny tart with dark bread, apples, pears, toffee and orange zest.

tulip. brown unclear body fluffy head maybe two finger tall. aromas are caramel, ripe pear, piloncillo, berries, and it has alcohol and a sense of char stake. Flavors are strong in sweet and fruits.

Bottle. Cloudy copper pour with off white head. Caramel, raisin, dark berries, cinnamon, brown sugar, flower spice. Better as it opens up. A bit sweet for me but a nice beer

Bottle for Sunday night Game of Thrones viewing. Pours deep amber with finger head of beige fluffy fun. Great nose of candy and soda. Tastes of root beer, caramel, malt, molasses, licorice, and yeast. Really delicious.

Catching up on old reviews - Deep mahogany brown pour with tan head. A sweet aroma of dark fruit, bananas, caramel, cherries. The taste was extremely sweet and even overpowering at first. The warm and farther into the beer I got, the better I could pick out the tastes...malt, brown sugar, various fruits, cinnamon, cloves, molasses, candy. There also was a nice presence of earthy and bready yeast. Fairly moderate body and carbonation. Interesting complex beer, that I enjoyed in a small dose, but I don’t think I could handle the sweetness in more than that.

pours light root beer brown, minimal head compared to the blond, ringed retention, lots of slow-moving CO2 streams. Strong thick and heavy malts on the nose. Drinks with 8/10-level sweetness up front, alcoholic presence is apparent from the start, tastes of heavy malt, brown sugar (demerara/turbinado), figs, scotch, caramel, mild-medium bitter finish. Med-high complexity, med-high depth, good transitions, great carry, okay drinkability (less as the temperature raises). A potent dark beer with lots of flavour but also heavy and hits harder than the blond.

Draft. Pours murky amber-brown with a med-large tan head. Buoquet of dark fruit. Raisin, plum, prune, fig... you name, its in there. Very sweet aroma that matches the nose. Yeast and alcohol as well. Full body, sticky texture, and a very lengthy finish. A little too sweet for my taste, but still a great beer.

Bottle, 2011 vintage. Colour is amber brown with a beige head. Fruity aroma. Taste is fruity with some sourness.