Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas)

An awesome 750 ml bottle thanks to my 2009 Summer Secret Santa. Pours an amazing picture of deep mahogany hues, almost completely opaque with a beige head of medium thickness. The aroma is great; full nutty and sweet notes; lots of sugary candies, but more rich fruity malts and caramel. The flavor is great as well; a rich creamy mouthfeel, caramel, light spices, rich fruity malts, strawberries and other fruit, light hops as well. Like a great Christmas cake. Nice. I’m feeling merry for sure. Rich and fruity like I enjoy in Belgian Ales.

Nice crystal clear ruby red beer with a mid sized shiny light brown cap, good effervecence, some early ropy lacing and decent retention. Awesome aroma! Licorice and orange are the first think I noticed, good spice, very well balanced, minor amount of yeast which comes out more when warmer, a little bit of pepper, some sweet dark red candy, touch of caramel, really appealing There isn’t much of a step down when it comes to the flavour: dark cherry, alcohol, mild anise, mild yeast taste, stiff spice but sweet too, caramel and raisin. Quite smooth, nice alcohol burn, heated medium spice aftertaste, good bitterness as well, but it is secondary. Excellent beer. I still have one more sitting in my cellar from 2 years ago.

Semi-transparent mahogany, light beige head. Lots of bread and yeast in the nose, minor spice and a little fig. Lots of creamy nut in the flavor, some caramel, also some yeast and an undercurrent of toffee syrup. Very soft palate. Overall, quite pleasant. The alcohol is controlled and the flavor mellow, yet complex and malty enough to draw one back.

11.2 oz bottle. Pours a slightly cloudy dark amber body with a one finger creamy beige head. The nose is very rich and deep, lots of fruity and fig notes. Banana, brown and candi sugars, light alcohol, and a bit of yeast. Rather smooth and soft flavor up front, heavy malt, yeast, notes of licorice, banana, caramelized sugar. Finishes with a bit of an alcohol kick with caramel and toffee malt, fairly yeasty. Mouthfeel is full and soft with light fizzy prickly carbonation. Rather good, maybe a little bit hot, but I think that this might be a good cellarable beer.

Body has a brown haziness about it, very minimal cap was produced during pour and after only a few seconds just a small ring remains around edge of glass. Lots of bubs are floating to the top of the brew that looks really think, all these bubbles are causing a churning effect on the surface of the beer and is pushing around small islands of foam in all directions. Very standard aroma for the style, sweet, touch of alcohol, spices, cherries, slight wood, and there is a aroma hiding in the back ground that reminds me of cigarette ash. Wow this stuff feels thick and the first sip warms the stomach. Taste is also very standard for the style but does stick out more in my mind than some. Sweet cherries just a touch of alcohol blends nicely with cinnamon and nutmeg, dark malts dominate this flavor and I’m even detecting apples. Tasty brew, this would be a great sipper on a cold winter evening and not the summer heat wave I drank it in. I liked it but there are better in the style I would most diffentatly drink again but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it ."

Thanks to whomever gave me this. Tons of spices in the aroma and flavor, nutmeg, cinnamon, spruce and everything else.

Bottle: deep ruby-amber coloured, firm bigger beige head; liquorice, cinnamon, roasted malt and mulled wine in the sweet nose; medium to full bodied, robust sweet-bitter flavour; lingering sweet-bitter, cough-syrup like finish. A liquid X-mas cake, very nourishing.........

Dark brown in color with a thick foamy tan head. Head is creamy looking and lasts forver.Smell is full of dark malts, orance peel, spices, and vanilla.The taste has the sxpected spice flavors with a little hint of pepper. The alcohol mixes nicely with carmel malt and toffee. A little bitter on the finish.