Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas)

Thanks to HogTownHarry. Appearance: Ruby red, huge thick off white head, probably my own fault. Aroma: Sweet mango, candy floss, perfume, fruit, cinnamon and yeast. Lovely. Flavour: Sweet, like a Christmas candy, ’chewy’, alcohol is certainly present, fruity, lots of malt, raisins, long sweet finish. Nice.

Dark and rich. Sweet belgian candy sugar and some roast. Stong and sweet. Complex sweetness of raisins and caramelized fruit too. Roast bitterness help to balance it slightly.

Very rich, sweet Belgian. Pours dark walnut brown with thick head. Excellent strong ale!

Bottle at Stone Brewing. Pours dark brown body with smaller brown head. Wonderful aroma of caramel mixed with lot of things like punch, vanilla, some fruits etc. Flavor isn’t any worser, very full, alcohol is not felt at all, a bit sweetish. Palate also without complaints. Low carbonation fits well on thins one. Nice long finish.

I enjoyed this quality beer on tap at Max’s Taphouse in Baltimore. The beer had a opaque dark brown color with a slight copper hue. Its head was a thin, creamy dark-white color with good cling but modest retention. The aroma was a sweet fig, raisin, and prune mix with some cherry notes and a slight earthy hops tone too. It had a sweet, dark fruit and raisin taste, which was quite good, mixed with a touch of sour and bitter notes. The beer was wet and had a full, somewhat creamy body, with lower carbonation levels. A very full mouthfeel and the high alcohol content was well contained. Definitely a high quality beer!

/From old notes. Poured dark brown with thick head. Strong aroma of fruit, malt and something else. Full chewy flavour, malt and fruit with some caramel. Finish I do not remember, I was singing Afrikaans christmas carols, but remember as being pleasant. Seek this one out.

Enjoyed via 12 oz bottle. Pours a dark brown with an ivory head. Aroma is of dark fruits and a small amount of malt sweetness. On the palate, the initial sense is one of slightly higher than normal carbonation, with notes of dark fruits and crystal malts. In the finish, there was some remaining sweetness, and just the slightest touch of alcohol. Overall, this was a wonderful winter warmer.

On tap at Microbar, Battersea, 13th Feb 2009, with chriso. Wow, what a find, nipping out from the Battersea beer festival as the beer ran low. A supremely flavoursome brew, this reminded me of Bassett’s Liquorice Allsorts with its combination of sweet sugary flavours & liquorice. There are woody notes too and a botanical bitterness that reminded me of Angostura bitters. Despite all the sweetness, it is wonderfully balanced and a joy to drink.