Kasteelbier Donker

Pours a deep brown color with a fluffy off white head. Aroma is kind of spicy with raisins. Flavor is very malty sweet with raisins some toffee. Finish is spicy.

On tap, Bad Habits pub, Leiden. Intensely sweet, strong beer. Butterscotch, some spices, varnish-like alcohol taste. Oily texture. Not bad.

The 11.2 ounce bottle poured a clear, deep garnet red beverage with a small off-white fizzy head that was mostly diminishing but left some lacing on the glass. The aroma had a nicely balanced fruity, malty and spicy character to it. There were contributions from plumbs, grape juice, caramel, coriander and orange peel that I detected. The body was medium-full with soft carbonation and a smooth slightly oily texture. The flavor starts out moderately sweet with the fruity contributions mentioned above. Then the sweetness builds toward the middle and then tails off toward the end of the long finish as the spices and a moderately intense alcohol warmth take over.

Thought this beer was a little sweet and it didn’t rock my world. Have heard this is better on tap. Page 256 of Michael Jackson’s Great Beer Guide only 354 out of his 500 Classic Brews to go.

Soft, sweet licorice, tons of brown sugar and a healthy pang of alcohol to keep things in check makes this the archetypical Belgian. Needs something more to rise above the competition, as far as I’m concerned. If I were after something like this with a sweet licorice profile, I’d take a swill of Italian Duc Ale.

Bottle: Distinctive reddish-amber coloured,... with a small foamy layer; strong herbal oaky nose with a touch of dried fruit, cocos and a vinous-alcoholic tinge, toasted malt also detectable; sweet flavour - full body; sweet-fruity finish with a touch of herbal bitterness. A bit too sweet to be really well balanced.........

Dark brown/red with a small head and very little carbonation. Sweet malty aroma of brown sugar, dark fruit (plum, raisin, cherry), toffee and alcohol. Very sweet taste, good complexity. Long, sweet malty finish. Almost like a heavy tawny port. Thick, syrupy mouthfeel. Very good if you are looking for a warming, thick, and sweet brew.

A very sweet and surprisingly, despite the high percentage, not alcoholictasting brew. Portnotes and like a barleywine in the belgian way. Enjoyment for more than a quarter. Cannot find another beer like thisone. Complex fruitnotes and a "strong" flavor. A true winterwarmer!