Gouden Carolus Easter Ale (2010+)

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Tallahassee, Fl - New Leaf Market - 750 ml caged corked bottle - consumed on Easter Sunday. Dark brown pour with a sticky khaki colored head that leaves plenty of sticky lacing. Fragrant aroma with some licorice, brown sugar, cotton candy and apricots. Flavor is full bodied and delicious with some bubble gum, chocolate, brown sugar, dates and raisins and just a hint of vanilla. Very delicious. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy. Excellent - best Belgian I have had in a long time.

Corked and wired 0.5 L bottle ordered from Vinmonopolet Nettbutikk (10.5% abv). Tall and foamy, lightly tanned head. Body is dark brown with a ruby glow. A sweet scent of dark dried fruits. Raisines, dates and prunes comes to mind. Sweet-flavored as well. More dark dried fruits, with burnt caramel and molasses in addition. Gently hopped. Big body. A light alcohol warmth in the ending. Went well with the easter lamb. [30.03.13]

Pours a dark ruby with small, fizzy, large-bubbled head - sweet aroma, with some notes of raisin, prune, brown sugar, some cinnamon and nutmeg - feels like soda in the mouth - the high sweetness amplifies this "soda-like" character - some vanilla and black cherry - spices, dates, raisins - warming alcohol and spiciness - sweet finish with notes of corn syrup and dark fruits - there are a few interesting things happening here, but it is scary how much this beer tastes like soda (cherry cola, to be more specific) - this is a huge disappointment from this brewery.

75 cl bottle. BBE 23.01.2015.
Pours clear dark ruby red color with medium sized head that collapses quickly. Aroma of sweet caramel, anise, belgian yeast, malts, spices and ripe fruits. Flavor of anise, caramel, mild toffee notes, yeast, malts, ripe and sour fruits, mils spicy notes and some vanilla on the aftertaste. Strong carbonation, complex, sweet palate with a sourish finish. A bit strong on the anise, but still a very nice easter beer.
5336

The aroma has mixed spices, toffee, root beer, toasted bread, and fruit. The appearance is medium brown with a foamy head. The taste is complex like the aroma being both sweet and a little spicy. The palate is smooth. Overall an interesting beer but not that impressive.

750 ml bottle.
Pours a deep copper brown colour with a white thick head. Aroma of strong anise, licorice and sweet ripe fruits. Flavour of strong anise, sweet plums, raisins, licorice, spices and herbs. Sour notes too. Full bodied, thick and somewhat sticky mouthfeel. Pleasant smooth finish of sweet malts, caramel and anise. Almost like a liquefied candy pastille.

From the 4/2012 3R6P tasting. +++ Sampled from a 750 ml corked brown bottle this beer poured a darkish nut brown color with a medium sized tan head that lingered and left a bit of lacing. The aroma was vague spices, bread, sugar and faint dark fruits - interestingly complex though muddled and vague. The flavor was plum, pear, raisin, bread, nutmeg, clove and pepper. The finish was long dark fruits and spices. Fairly full bodied. Nice.
Earlier Rating: 5/14/2011 Total Score: 3.5
Sampled from a 750 ml corked brown bottle this beer poured a red-orange-brown color with some small floaters and a large foamy beige head that lingered and left good lacing. The aroma was musty cloves, cherries and had noticable alcohol. The flavor was richly fruity with notes of cherries and elderberries and undertones of bread, clove, nut and cinnamon. The finish was long, yeasty and a bit spicy. The alcohol came out a bit in the finish as well. Fairly full bodied. Interesting but a bit too flawed.

UPDATED: MAR 20, 2013
75 cl bottle (10,5%), BBE 23.01.2015
Aroma has lots of sweetish licorice, some anise and dark fruits. Flavour has really much anise, some licorice and hints of dark fruits. Also some stinging and warming alcohol in the finish. Rich and good, but the alcohol disturbs a bit here. Aging could do the trick.

At about 15°C this is a bit too sticky and stuffy. Adding the yeast (there was just very small amount at the bottom) makes this slightly more round and smooth.
Earlier Rating: 2/13/2012 Total Score: 3.9

75 cl bottle vintage 2010 (9%) @ Gastropub Tuulensuu, BBE 07.01.2012. Rated on 18.03.2011
Lots and lots of anise, some licorice and hints of spices too. Flavour has also lots of anise, some licorice and spices. Rather spicy, tasty and nice stuff in small amounts, but drinking the whole bottle would be a challenge.

750ml from Sam’s, Durham, on sale for like 5 bucks a while back. Brimming dark brown pour, with a righteous carbonation and a heady, fruity, malty nose. Playful, light body belies what is an intense flavorful beer. While not exactly der Kaiser, it’s pretty quad-ish for a springtime beer. Yeast, fruits, heavy toffee malts, and a bitter root thing in the finish. Some bright and fruity flavors do emerge, but this is mostly just a typically fine GC dark ale.

Thanks to the Tampa Crew for the share. Pours brown-red with a white head. Nose is malt, booze, candy sugar, sugar, molasses, spice, and toffee. Flavor delivers all manner of sweetness and sugar with a medium body. Finish lingers with candy sugar and begs for insulin after all the sugary goodness.