Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas)

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

Quarter inch haed tha’s gone in a minute. Very bark brown. Could smell this bad boy from 2 feet away. Light yeast, light bread, and light maltiness. Strong cherry, with maybe a hint of allspice and vanilla. Moderate alcohol taste. Good, but not outstanding as a "Christmas" beer.

2006 bottle shared with tpkenned.
Translucent and chestnut copper in color with a foamy, dark tan head being fed from below. Black pepper over prunes and plums marinating in a pool of brandy, licorice and caramel sauce lead the nose. Nutmeg dances with burnt anise for a charming, spicy black dimension. Grape currant gets boiled down into a plum paste. Daisies twine into a broiled concord bed being charged with charred cocoa beans stuffed with raisins. Nutmeg gets tossed into a pruney, dark ginger and rye bread compound. Fluffy mouthfeel and supportive effervescence to the flavorful stream. Plum sauce coats spicy, spiced pumpernickel on its way out, along with a hint of caramelized cardamom cola to sweetly sing into the night.

Dark copper appearance with a large beige head and light lacing. Yeasty, rich malt aroma with layers of licorice, ripe dark fruit and some spicyness. Sweet, caramel malt taste blends with flavors of plums, cherries, licorice and molassas. Smooth, full bodied, modestly carbonated mouthfeel with a warming, lingering, dessert wine-like finish.

Full aroma of sweet malt and belgian yeast thats completely decked out with spices. Appears as a bold dark brownish red and creamy head. The drink is perfectly balanced and still allows a strong domination of malt, sugars, and light dashes of spice. This ale gives off a warm presence of alcohol but also hides it beneath all of the flavors and full body creamness. Merry Christmas is very true if you have this during the holidays.

Shared w/ Ben during 8th annual New Year’s chill fest. Golden/copper amber color with moderate carbonation. Floral and berry aroma; with a touch of alcohol fizzle for good measure. With global warming taking its effect on our KC winter, we needed a beer that resembled a chilly night. The label helped. Tasted of berries: Blue, Straw, and Black. I swear there was some maple syrup in there too. This was tasty. Not Ben’s favorite but what does he know? (Acquired from John’s; IA CTY)

Bottle, 2005 Edition. Pours with a dark color and a nice head. There is a subtle spiciness in the aroma as well as in the finish. Otherwise, toffee aroam and a hint of sweet fruit. Flavor is a combination of many subtle components, Belgian yeast of course, as well as strawberriy, caramel and the mentioned spicy finish. When it warms up the alcohol becomes a bit more pronounced. Good stuff.

Bottle. Pours a golden brown with a yellowish/light brown head. Sweet candy aroma – wine gums maybe. Sweet licorice. Spicy. Interesting but cloying. Flavour is sweet and candy-like like the aroma. Notes of plums. Slightly bitter finish. Again, interesting, but cloying. Overall this was an experience, but it’s – like I said – just too damn cloying. Couldn’t even finish it. So I’ll have to go against the grain on this one. 29-12-06.

Nice aroma of ripe fruit, spicy yeast and candy. Pours a deep copper, thin head. Fruit sweetness up front, candy makes an appearance again. Hops also show up, along with warming alcohol. An enjoyable beer