Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas)

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

750ml bottle. Pours dark copper color with brown head. Aroma is sweet, caramel and spicey. Taste of caramel and malt with clean finsih.

Garrafa, 330 ml, em 2007 e em agosto de 2008. Coloração avermelhada, escura, creme bege denso e persistente, deixando uma fina camada perene. Excelente aroma: malte torrado, frutas vermelhas e fermento. Final levemente amargo e torrado. Consistência aveludada, densa. Cerveja complexa, encorpada e harmoniosa. Carbonatação média-baixa, muito boa. Álcool muito bem inserido no conjunto: presente, mas equilibrado.

Name: Gouden Carolus Noel
Date: December 31, 2003
Mode: Bottle Conditioned
Source: Whole Foods Market, DC
Vintage: 2003
Appearance: muddy brown, easily excitable thin tan head
Aroma: big complex malt aroma with lots of candy sweetness, licorice, ripe fruit, and a hint of spices showing up in a mild alcohol fume
Flavor: 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

Name: Gouden Carolus Noel
Date: May 15, 2007
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar stock
Vintage: 2003
Score: 5.0 to 4.8
Appearance: specks of drippy lace
Aroma: such wonder ripe fruit aroma and light spices like rum soaked fruit cake
Flavor: 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

Name: Gouden Carolus Noel
Date: December 25, 2008
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar stock
Vintage: 2003
Aroma: rich sweet fruity aroma, lots of ripe plum, brown sugar sweetness
Flavor: rich and fruity flavor, light spicyness, brown sugar sweetness, deep rich fruits
Overall: a few years of age does this beer proud

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

Name: Gouden Carolus Noel
Date: December 18, 2005
Vintage: 2005
Words: Christmas

One of the better Christmas ales that I have had in quite some time. Aroma of dark fruits and spice (plums, raisins, currants and nutmeg). A hint of sweet on the palate but not over powering. Thick rich and heavy, something to enjoy on a cold winters night.

Bouteille 750ml, courtoisie de Hogtownharry. De couleur brune rubis et voilée. Nez de levures fruitées (figues et moyen de raisins vineux, léger de prunes, notes d’agrumes et de cerises noires), épicé (anis, muscade, cannelle, coriandre, notes de clou de girofle), malté de caramel toffee sucré, de sucre brun et de sucre bonbon, léger d’alcool doux avec des notes de noix, de vanille et de chocolat noir. Ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture crémeuse et moyennement sirupeuse. Goût de levures fruitées (figues, raisins vineux, moyen de prunes, léger de zest d’agrumes, notes de bananes, traces de cerises noires) avec un goût épicé (anis, coriandre, léger de clou de girofle, notes de cannelle) et des notes de vanille et boisées lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute un goût malté de caramel toffee sucré légèrement rôti, de sucre brun (léger de sucre bonbon rappelant la gomme balloune) et avec des notes de chocolat noir et de mélasse parallèlement à un goût d’alcool moyen et assez réchauffant (légèrement vineux et aux notes liquoreuses rappelant le rhum) puis en finale l’on retrouve un goût asséchant de levures épicées (léger de muscade, notes de poivre, traces de gingembre). Post-goût long et un peu sec, moyennement amer d’alcool ainsi qu’un goût de levures fruitées (moût de raisins, figues, petites notes de zest d’agrumes et de pelures de bananes) et des notes boisées.

This corked and caged bottled brew from a bottle shop poured a very large sized head of foamy fine to large sized bubbles that were mostly lasting and left behind a transparent typically carbonated brown colored body and a good lacing. The aroma was malty and spicy. The mouth feel was weakly tingly at the start and strongly tingly at the finish. The flavor contained notes of malt hops spices and a mild alcohol backing. A decent one that I would consider buying again.

Delirium Cafe, Brussels. Liquor aroma. Wood, nuts, chocolate, coffee, alcohol a little extreme, toffee.......................................Delir Cafe, Brussels. aroma de licor. Madeira, nozes, chocolate, café, álccol um pouco excessivo, toffee.

Hard to go wrong with anything from this brewery. This Christmas ale is basically a modified version (i.e. more prominently spiced) of their exceptional Grand Cru. A dark, strong Belgian, the holiday taste comes courtesy of a quite subtle (and subtlety is too rare for these kinds of seasonals) incorporation of anise, clove, a hint of cinnamon and fig. Add that to the already gorgeous big malt profile of this brew and it’s a superlative drink.