Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas)

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.

[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.

(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

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.

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!

# 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.

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.)

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.