Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas)

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

Bottle. Amber colour with a huge creamy fully lasting head. Rich aroma of malts, fruits and spices. alocohoic finish.

Bottle. BB nov. 2006. Creamy lightbrown excellent mostly lasting head. Dark amber colour. Week malty aroma. Nice spicey flavor but way too alcoholic. Average finish and oily palate.

Dark brown colour, nice smooth beige head. Caramel, toffee, raisins, spices in the malty aroma. Outspoken spicy initial flavour, malty. Malty finish but with some light hoppy notes. Some cherry. Medium to heavy bodied.

Poured a caramel-brown color with a nice respectable smooth head that thinned but maintained coverage. Lacing was weak. The aroma was of caramel and spices. Some sort of bourbon or whiskey in there. I was ready for a flavor that was underdeveloped, but this one actually was quite smooth, as the alcohol and spices didn’t overwhelm. Caramel was for sure the feature flavor, almost like caramel candy. The mouthfeel was moderate for the style.

Bright garnet color with active carbonation. Big thick off-white head. Aroma of cherries and spice. Sweet and thick mouthfeel with flavors of cherries, prunes, maple, chocolate, and some alcohol. Aftertaste is roasted malt, alcohol warmth, and some yeasty notes. I’m enjoying this in June since it was part of a 1/2 off sale on winter seasonals. Glad I waited, it’s delicious even in warm weather!

Courtesy of MrWalker. 2005 Bottle <!-- P --> Rich sweet malt and dark fruits flood the nose. There is a musky perfumey flourish as well. Body is a murky brown and holds two fingers of mocha thickness in the creamy, but bubbly, head. Fore is somewhat toasty with malts and there are mild sweet fruit flavors. Alcohol is fairly hot and assertive through the middle and the finish is midly bitter and almost tart and acidic. Some very mild spiciness as well. Overall a good beer, but doesn’t tie things together nearly as well as the Carolus Classic.

Nice opening pop from the corked bottle. Pours dark amber wtiha small off-white head that end up in little patches. Aroma has caramel malt, earthy yeast, toffee, dark fruits (raisins, prunes) and bits of alcohol. Medium to full bodied with soft frothy carbonation. Taste has earthiness and caramel first, then comes anise, spiciness and peppery flavors. Spiciness and sourness linger around on the finish. However, the sourness mellows down further down the glass. Also as it warms dark fruits and earthiness join in on the finish. There is beautiful lacing on this beer. At the end some sharp citrus seems to sneak in. Overall a very nice winter beer that is also enjoyable in spring.

Bottle-Shared with a friend, poured a deep, deep brown with a small brown head that didn’t stick around. The aroma was nutmeg and cinnamon with an undercoating of berries. The taste followed along with the aroma. A nice little kick of hops finished off the drink.