Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas)

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

Pours dark brown w/ medium head. Full nectar w/ a sweet cherry smack on the nose. It’s a cherry bomb and it tastes like sweet cherry caughdrops. Leaves no room for anything else. Drink it cold as a dessert. Alcohol is well hidden. Jeeeez, I can still taste it. I keep hearing Warrant singing their famous song, "she’s my cherry pie....sweet cherry pie.."

On Tap at the Borough Arms, Crewe 20/05/2005 Mid to dark brown with spice and liquorice aromas. Some dryness and bitterness in a warming malt finish.

"Poured a nice brown color with okay head. Aroma was of carmel and spices, brown sugar. Flavor was spices dark fruits and carmel, not near as sweet as the aroma, still a little too sweet for me. Overall good beer"

On tap at the White Horse, Parsons Green. Tried this alongside Abbaye des Rocs Noel and was rather surprised to find I preferred the Gouden Carolus. Reddish copper colour. Packed with jammy fruit on the nose. Lots of berry fruit on the palate and plenty of rich, deep malt. Sweetish, but there’s an acidity that balances that. Very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Rather fuller and more voluptuous than the AdR to my palate, but it avoids being too rich. Very impressed.

It’s been way too long (relatively?) since I’ve had a beer I’ve really enjoyed. I decided to pull out the highest rated one I hadn’t rated from the cellar... and this was the one. Lets see... dark amber body with a large head. Nose has the Carolus house character, a wide range of fruits, and sugar. Still, it didn’t come in a very impressive way. Luckily, the flavor was much more interesting. This was rich! Not very big on the spices though.. whatever. Alcohol at 10% was hidden perfectly. On top of that there was a lingering aftertaste which made this better yet. Possibly my favorite Xmas beer.

Bottle. Has a mahagony color and pours with a foamy tan head. The aroma is bubblegum with caramel malt. Sweet and creamy caramel and roasted malt that makes a smooth and creamy beer. Llightly spice with a maple or brown sugar.

1 pint, 9.4 fl oz. Pours mahagony with a frothy tan medium-sized head and lined lacing, good head retention. Yeast (dough, bubblegum) and medium roasted malt (caramel, nutty) with faint perfumey hops and alcohol notes. Warm, spicy medium sweetness and medium acidity, medium to light bitterness, sugary, caramel, maple, bubblegum, port and alcohol. Full, warm bodied, medium fizzy, medium dry palate.

(Bottled) Mahogany/dark amber in colour. Huge foamy head. Big, potent nose with caramel, dried fruit, liquorice and herbs (sweet cicely, rosemary, thyme?). Full, fiery flavor, with dried fruit (prunes), more herbs (caraway, aniseed?) and a well balanced hint of yeast. Sweet but not sticky. Complex stuff and a magnificent beer.