Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas)

sample at PP. On tap. Amber color. Sweet. Very malty. Lots of melanoidin caramelization. Delicious. This beer rocks. Alcohol barely noticable.

Bottle at Abbot on the Hill, Toronto. This beer is amber brown with a creamy tan head. There is plenty of licorice in the aroma with some other spices. The aroma kind of reminds me of black ju-jubes from the bulk food store, though that is no real complaint. The mouthfeel is a bit thin considering the rich, warm winter flavours. I taste plenty of spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, like Christmas cookies. There’s still lots of licorice; it’s really the dominant flavour. I also taste molasses, caramel, brown sugar, alcohol.

Dark amber with ruby highlights and a half-inch white head that fades quickly into a creamy film. Fruity malt aroma: apples, nutmeg, cinnamon. Flavor is spicy, lightly peppery. Fruity malt with a dash of yeast. Clean, crisp fruit finish. Very nice.

Pours ruddy brown with a thin tan head despite a hard pour, alcohol, raisins, anise in the aroma. Taste is big licorice, malty fruitiness, some seasonal spices, maybe nutmeg, cocoa and caramels. No apparently alcohol.

33cl Bottle. Pours dark reddish brown with a small beige head. Aroma is malt, raisin, caramel, liquorice and spices. Flavor is malt, caramel, liquorice and spices with a gentle touch of alcohol. Very complex and very good. Unfortunately I think the palate is a little watery but its definitely the best Christmas beer in the world! However there is a big difference between the tap version, the 75cl bottle and the 33cl bottle. The 33cl bottle version is usually better carbonated, which makes the beer more smooth and harmonized. If I can choose ill always take the small bottle, rather than the big bottle, and the big bottle, rather than the one on tap.

Bottle from Liquor World, Fayetteville AR. Very deep copper, small layer of white head, nice contrast. Rum, buttery chocolate, a nice old woody funk. An aroma of bakeries and well-built old horse barns. Viney rich raw sugar flavor, very soft and sweet up front, but nothing sticky in the finish. Delicate pepper and cinnamon, mahogany. A nice little resiny cocoa pinch in the finish. A very beautifully poised beer, subtle but full of interest.

Draft, at Cooper’s (Scranton, PA) on 12/26/09. Pours reddish brown, topped with a small tan head. Aroma of dark fruit, spice, brandy and alcohol. Flavor of fruitcake, toffee, brown sugar, caramel, and alcohol. Long finish, with dark fruit and spice.

Reviewed at the 2007 Strong Ale festival A- Murky amber hue, thin layer of white frothy head, spotty lacing S- Licorice and spice, dark fruits (raisins and plums), floral hops and spice T- Initial taste dominated by licorice/anise and raisins, touch of chalk and smoke, dark plums and figs, slight berries and brown sugar, warming alcohol M- Medium-bodied, watery texture, mild carbonation D- Smooth and fruity beer full of winter spices, alcohol presence is stiff and limits drinkability