Kasteelbier Donker

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

brown, minimal head, heavy cloying sweetness, medium body, lively, chocolate, caramel,

UPDATED: JAN 30, 2012 33 cl bottle, pours dark brown with a minor head, aroma of yeast, malt and dark fruits with a slight alcohol presense, taste is mainly sweet being mostly dark fruit and malt, an enjoyable and beer, but not quite as complex as the very best belgian of the same style.

Wooo.... this brew is damn smooth for an 11% ABV. It pours a dark brown colour with a tanned head and red wine highlights. Lacing is descent. Aromas are of raisins, malt and bread. Quite sweet, like caramel. The taste is mostly plum, but not strong "in your face" like so many other beers. I actually don’t mind it. The hop comes in at the finish with a long aftertaste. Best before June 2009 (originally reviewed March 2005)... will buy a few more for the cellar.

Had this at the Pittsburgh Great European Beer Festival at the Sharp Edge Beer Emporium 6/2010. On tap. Slight sweet aroma. Nice looking brown and clear. Good foamy head. Rather rude first taste, alky complexities. Virtually flat. And a very volatile alky impression on the finish.

Pours dark with a tan head. Red edges in the light.
Aroma reminds me of a barley wine, but with lots of bubblegum.. Some nice esters there, with a hint of autolysis. Nice bready yeast.
In the flavours there is a lot of hot alcohol (understandably), with some aniseed. Nice chocolatey/toasty notes.
There are aggregates of something in the beer, probably gums or mucilages that have clumped together during it’s long life in the bottle. Once you get over this, the body is full and smooth, with little of it’s large alcohol detected.
Sweet and warming, nice.

Bottle, London. Dense dark brown body, thick offwhite head leaves lace. Aroma is a tad muted; dark fruits, rich malt and alcohol. Big rich chewy body, creamy texture, reasonably low carbonation. Dark fruit flavours on the body, dried fortified-like fruits too, touch of roasted malt, flavours intensify as it warms. Smooth warming alcohol embrace on finish. Nice and big!

Bottle from supermarket. Deep black, slight red glow, medium light brown head which quickly dissipates. Aroma of raisin, chocolate, yeast, fruit, molasses and caramel. Flavour is very sweet of caramel, malt and sugar with some spices and alcohol. Way too sweet, yuck.

Dark amber/brown color; Medium slightly creamy body; Aroma of sweet toasted malt, dark fruit, & caramel; Flavor of rich sweet malt, yeast, caramel, dark fruit (notably plums), raisons, and spice; Some alcohol at the finish; Nicely balanced; Overall, a bit too sweet for me.