Kasteelbier Donker

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Ingelmunster, Belgium

Another Belgian offering, looking hale and flavorful even before I pop it open. Inside the bottle it is inscrutable, but outside in a glass this is an intense Belgian treat. The half centimeter light brown head gives way to a liver red body, which looks like pure cherry juice as it is poured into the glass. The aroma slithers its way into the nose, effecting it like an intoxicating candy. A general blanket of creamy sweetness envelopes your skull, and then pronounces its details: azuki beans and dark chocolate. It’s like a Japanese red velvet cake. The flavor is similarly sweet with redolent cherries, and includes the aroma’s distinguishing azuki bean thickness. Oh, and a generous dose of booze (but not too much.) I find it just right. Its intensely sweet, but stops short of popping your eyes out of their sockets with its dark cherry and azuki bean sugar prods. Really, it’s a diabetic romance. And to top it off, a sip of the Kasteelbier Donker leaves behind a truly beautiful thin clay-like film all over the glass. Maybe it’s dried sugar, but otherwise it looks like a nice beer glaze. In a way, I can see how the powerful flavors could be misconstrued as a botched effort that made a cough medicine beer, but for me, it leans over that fine line into brazen deliciousness.

bottle, 33cl, as kastel bruin. flavor dark fruits, very sweet, but very well balanced.

Bomber. Pours a very dark reddish-brown with a minuscule off-white head. Aroma is highly caramel malt with detectable chocolate and dark fruit (plum) notes. Taste is largely the same, though the beer is almost overwhelmingly sweet. Detectable alcohol burn on the finish. It’s not a bad beer by any stretch, but it’s a bit out of balance and the beer was almost impossible to finish.

Very dark maroon brown color. Shockingly small head and no carbonation. Either extremely high gravity or a stale beer. Chocolate and caramel smells. Malty sweet aroma and a smidge of hops to keep the sweetness from going too far. Sweet flavor goes too far as a taste though Plum sweet that dominates your tongue, way too much sugarness to enhoy much of this beer for an extended time. Palate is understandably thick. Yeah, its alcohol warm, but all the sugar and malt are too much. I will defer to much better balanced belguims.

Bottle. Brownish amber pour with a nice tan head. Aroma of brown sugar and maple syrup. Taste of plum, yeast and brown sugar with alcohol present. Very sticky and thick, with a lingering finish.

Might be the best example of this style I’ve come across. Pours a deep brown with a good head. Has wonderful raisin and plum notes, very boozy tasting (in a good way). The mouthfeel is rich and thick without ever being sticky. Some wine-like flavors come through late. Highly recommended.

No 389
Rated: 03.05.2008
Bottle brown, 330 ml, 24.1P
Appearance: Pours deep rubby body colour, very intensive and practically black with only slight rubby reflaxes body. Body under the light seems medium to high carbonated, rather clear in body texture. Head is off - white, cappuccino like, frothy, when poured into ’Chimay’ glass initially medium slowly decreasing to small and than lasting for a long time, there is also quite nice lacing.
Aroma: Gently alcoholic warmth, good quality alcoholic drink, cognac, cherry liquor, mild aromatic herbal hops are present too in such a high alcoholic Belgian Ale, roasted grains are slightly felt too, , notes of dark chockolate, cappuccino like, slightly nutty accent, especially wallnut essence, a hint of blackcurrant, prune. Aroma is refreshing, nice and complex what makes it very pleasant and not disturbing due to high alcoholic content at all, mild chill in aroma is very present and a bit winy, especially red wine.
Flavour: Front is sweet and even sticky, than alcoholic warmth on palate being verypleasant and without any harshness, body is full with complex aromas being present during drinking, woody - nutty touch , some distinctive notes of burned barley grains, caramel malt, toffe, butterscoth, reminding a bit ’Strong Suffolk’, red wine, some accidity from mild carbonation on palate, very focused, essential, thick in its body, kind of flat, not dull though, in the aftertaste there is pleasant grainy, burned - roasty, dark bready touch than strenghtens itselfs when the beer get warmer on your palate, coffee liquor, reminding some Quadrupels or Abbey Dubbles (a bit strong). Finish duration is long.
Palate: Body is full, texture is sticky, thick, carbonation on palate is rather soft, finish feel is mildly alcoholic what makes it a great masterkraft anyway such a high alcohol content beer and slightly bitter.

33cl, from De Hopduvel Gent, very strong beer, complex, but too heavy, clear, good head, good brew, yet too sweet