Gouden Carolus Easter Beer (2007-)

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

(Bottle) Pours dark hazy amber. The aroma is of fruits, spices - coriander and white pepper, toasty malt with notes of caramel, peppery grassy and light floral hops. Some orange peel. The flavour is spicy with coriander up front but also some fruits alongside toasty and bready malt. Hints of hops and orange peel. Silky and full mouthfeel. Medium to full bodied.

75cl bottle from Parti-Pak Liquors (Indianapolis, IN). Pours a hazy dark blond caramel color with thin white foamy head. Aroma is sweet and floral with notes of caramel, honey, candy sugar, hints of spice, brown sugar and nuts. Flavor is sweet and floral with notes of pepper, ripe fresh fruit, apple cider, caramel, toffee, honey, ripe apple, some funkiness toward finish. Generally medium body with a sweet and floral finish.

Big thanks to theisti. This is the first Gouden Carolus beer I have ever not been gaga over. It pours nice enough with a thick muted golden body and a medium but strong head, which leaves a sticky lacing on the sides of the glass. The aroma right away presents my main distraction with this beer, a strong alcohol aroma which comes off as paint thinner or isopropanol-like. The other aspects, which are very nice are herbal honey, some golden syrup, and cereal. Taste also starts and ends with alcohol and has elements of light yeasty dough and thick biscuit. Some heat felt on the throat. Its all good but the alcohol is there and gets in the way.
750mL cork&wire bottle, Rodenbach GC smaller tulip, thanks again Tim.

So a bit more than a year pass and this beer is still in effect. The alcohol has calmed down. But it is still just a honey rich, golden syrup malt driven beer. A bit of the Belgian esters pop off to make some light apricot in there but that could also be the effect of residual alcohol. Its still a good beer but I expect more from a Gouden Carolus.

At Three cellars tasting. Wheaty, Yeasty, Malty. I didn’t write down enough notes on this one, though I did remember liking it.

2009 Bottle. Pours yellow golden with white head. Sweet sugary aroma, quite herbal. Tastes like circus peanuts... way too sweet and one dimensional.

Draft @ redlight. Clear dark straw color, thin even white head. Candied light grain aroma with some sweet Belgian yeast characters. Sweet taste with some light peppery notes and a general herbal tone. Don’t get a lot of alcohol on the aroma or taste. Kinda your basic sweet Belgian golden.

draft @ redlight redlight, label on keg reads "Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Kaiser Rood". Some banana esters, floral with hints of alcohol in the nose. Pours golden blonde with a thick white head. Sweet malts, sugar, hints of caramel, candy sugar, with some spicy characters in the flavor. Very spicy finish, classic gouden carolus flavors. Great beer!

Bottle - 750ml. Nice hazy blond body with a thick, lasting white foamy head. Malty/hoppy aroma hides the alcohol pretty well and carries fruity, spicy and honeyish hints. Its complex taste ends with a decent bittersweet, warming finish. Good stuff.