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Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas)

Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas) - Belgian Strong Ale

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 Percentile 
98
overall
Brewed by Brouwerij Het Anker
Style: Belgian Strong Ale

Mechelen, Belgium

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
6793.87/5.03.86/5.0Winter10.5%95.4Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler
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Commercial Description:
For the Christmas and New Year festivities the Gouden Carolus range is now extended to include this seriously heavy strong brown ale. Het Anker are thus rekindling a long lost tradition from the days of yore when they marketed Cardinal Christmas and Anker Christmas.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 TheEpeeist (1429), Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/516/20
Dec 25, 2006  
25.4 oz bottle marked 04-05. Hazy copper brown with a slightly tan head and coating lace. Nose of caramel, raisin and alcohol notes that remind me of rubber cement; maybe this is the yeast. Roasty chocolate and raisin with some subtle spicing. A little thin body-wise with light carb. I expected more richness but still a nice holiday brew.


 BitchesBrew (710), Berkeley, California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/517/20
Dec 25, 2006  
[bottle] Deep, dark brown color, with a coarse, tan head that quickly diminishes. Aroma is alcoholic, sweet and fruity. Flavors are very malty and sweet, with dark fruits and caramel. A hit of licorice and plenty of booze finish things off. Very dense, syrupy mouthfeel, with moderate carbonation. Really seems to warm you up quite nicely. Overall a really tasty, complex beer.


 Papsoe (14642), Frederiksberg, Denmark
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/517/20
Dec 25, 2006  
(Bottle 75 cl) Vintage 2003. Pours a hazy orangey brown with a tall, dense beige head leaving laces. Extremely complex aroma - roasted malt, prunes, raisins in rum. Full, rich and sweet body with roasted malt, again raisins in rum and soft accents of port. Some licorice and other chrismasy spices as well. A well balanced and beautifully complex beer. 241206


 yespr (11645), Copenhagen O, Denmark
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/56/103/514/20
Dec 25, 2006  
75 cL bottle. Pours deeply amber with creamy light brown head. Smell is dry and liquorice with spice elements. Taste is very dry with dominating liquorice notes, hops, malts, a bit of yeast and some caramel but with complete absence of sweetness. Alcohol is hidden deeply beneath. I miss the sweetness to give a perfect balance.


 SDbruboy (1832), San Diego, California, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/515/20
Dec 24, 2006  
On draft at O’Briens. Arrived a deep, mostly clear reddish brown with a creamy off-white head. Aroma is sweet, yeasty and spicy. Flavor is also sweet with dark fruits, hints of molasses, interesting spice notes and floral hops help to hide the apparent, but not over-powering alcohol character. Medium body and tingly carbonation. Yummy!


 BeerBiker (1384), Odense, Denmark
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Dec 22, 2006    Updated: Apr 7, 2007
# 200
[Tasted at Carlsens.] My rating no. 200 exclusively to this christmasbeer. An alcoholic brew which you truely can taste, but it’s not too much. Notes of licorice especially danish PIRATOS. But also caramel, hoppiness and more complex maltnotes. I’ll look forward to taste some in a year or two, which I’ve cellared in my secret room.


 larsga (2937), Oslo, Norway
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Dec 22, 2006  
Biggish offwhite head over dark red body. Deep, sharpish banana aroma with notes of licorice and spice, and, very faintly, traces of alcohol. Taste is again a deep, sharpish, harmonic mix of banana and licorice with bread, yeast, and peppery spice notes. Very complex. Smooth mouthfeel. Dry, peppery licorice aftertaste with yeast notes. Quite a bit of alcohol heat. (0.33l bottle.)


Boletus (52), Poland
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/514/20
Dec 22, 2006  
There are many Belgian beers I liked more. This one is too alcoholic and perfumy, slightly too sweet and somewhat unbalanced. Aroma and flavor are dominated by pear brandy.



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