Vintage 2003, matured on keg for one year.

The colour is clear brown with a small hint of red. The firm beige foam is two-finger thick and made of medium sized bubbles.

The smell is very complex and intense: Among the flavours I noticed marzipan, dark rum, cinnamon, caraway, preserved cherries, milk chocolate and a full apple pie. Wow!

The carbonation is robust and grand with small bubbles.

The taste starts with some sweet lactose-notes that slowly change into a full-bodied taste of apple pie, complete with cinnamon and butter. There is a slight flavour of alcohol, but it isn’t dominating at all. The long and multifaceted aftertaste includes such flavours as sweet Madeira wine, candid apples, clotted cream and, for that special contrast, a hint of bitter hops.

This is indeed a world-class yuletide beer. Yummy!

I talked to the publican at The Rover (in Gothenburg, Sweden) about this beer. He had stored it for a year in his cellar, just for fun. At that point, he wasn’t even sure that the beer had “survived” the maturing! We agreed that the keg probably needed to settle for a few days to reduce the carbonation a little.

Poured beautiful mahogany/ruby. Looks like rosewood! Head is only one finger but very dense and long-lasting. On the nose are aromas of herbs, spices, anise, clove, fruit esters, alcohol, bready yeast and malt. The flavor is most complex -- against an earthy backdround, there’s a malt smokiness blended with a berry sweetmess and a malty caramel, some treacle/brown sugar, the blend of 6 herbs and spices (I taste cardamon, ginger star anise, sweet woodruff, and caraway), and a warm complex 3-hop finish. The alcohol is not that evident. Mouthfeel is delisciously thick and chewy, slow to release carbonation, and leaves a pleasant aftertaste. This ale has it all earthy malt, fruity sweetness and tartness, some herbs and spice, and a nice hop finish.

Shared at Coastal Wine Connection’s monthly tasting. Whiskey-colored. Big sugary aroma that almost scared me off. And while that explosive alcoholy-ness floats onto the palate before you actually drink, the actual flavors are surprisingly smooth and evenly malty. Outstanding.

Name: Gouden Carolus Noel
Date: 12/31/2003
Mode: Bottle Conditioned
Source: Whole Foods Market, DC

muddy brown, easily excitable thin tan head, big complex malt aroma with lots of candy sweetness, licorice, ripe fruit, and a hint of spices showing up in a mild alcohol fume, rich malt flavor with lots of complex character including chocolate, plums, and raisons, no bitterness but well balanced to keep it from being too sweet, a fine way to end the year
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Name: Gouden Carolus Noel
Date: 12/18/2005
Words: Christmas label

dark with ruby edges, big everlasting tan head with renewable lace, strong rich spicy fig aroma with a bit of sweetness like a Christmas figgy pudding, traces of hot pepper and cinamon in the aroma, nice carbonation fizz with a creamy body, lots of rich spicy fruity flavor, wonderful dark brown sugar candy sweetness, rich ripe fruit, chocolate and carmel,
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Name: Gouden Carolus Noel
Date: 12/08/2006
Mode: draft
Source: brick store

rich ripe fruit aroma shows up at the very beginning, touch of nice cherry,
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Name: Gouden Carolus Noel
Date: 12/16/2007
Mode: draft
Source: brick store

rich and fruity rum pudding
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Name: Gouden Carolus Noel
Date: 12/25/2007
Mode: draft
Source: brick store
Score: 4.8 to 4.7

lots of licorice in the aroma and flavor, brown sugar sweetness, lots of ripe fruit, light bitterness detracts from the ripe fruit rather than balances it,

Aroma: 9/10; Appearance: 9/10; Flavor: 9/10; Palate: 9/10; Overall: 19/20
Rating: 4.7/5.0
Drinkability: 10/10
Score: ****/4
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Name: Gouden Carolus Noel
Date: 05/15/2007
Mode: bottle
Vintage: 2003
Score: 5.0 to 4.8
Words: cellar stock

specks of drippy lace, such wonder ripe fruit aroma and light spices like rum soaked fruit cake, rich flavor with caramel, chocolate, and lots of ripe fruit, tons of complex flavor, light balancing bitterness, sweetness has dried a bit but still incredably big and rich, the yeast shot adds a bready character and enrichens the chocolate but detracts from the fruit,

Presentation: 75 cl corked bottle. Poured into a Leffe chalice. Dark reddish-brown, nice beige/tan head w/ good retention. Enormous, warm, spicy, in-your-face aroma full of the best Christmas has to offer. And then some. Gorgeously balanced taste; the powerful, richly warming, and complex spiciness is kept beautifully in check by a nice, bitter finish. Mouthfeel and drinkability are through the roof; I had to pace myself in order not to finish this one too quickly. Wow. This is one of the best beers I've tasted, and certainly the best winter seasonal, easily surpassing even the magnificent Brøckhouse Julebryg 2003. I cannot wait to see how this one ages; I'm afraid I'll have to ask my girlfriend to hide the key to the cellar, lest I prematurely break open one or more of the eight bottles of Gouden Carolus Christmas I've stashed there...