Kasteelbier Donker

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

Truly outstanding! This ale might be a wee bit sweet for some tastes, but it suits me very well. Superb complexity to accompany the malts, and very smooth and drinkable. A definite Karmaliet.

No doubt it is the best beer i have tasted in this trip around Europe. I really like both the appearence and the flavor. Balanced bittter-sweet sinphony in a bottle.

Bottle @ Delirium Cafe 27/05/06. Dark brown body with hardly lasting light tan head, a little bit thicker than the Oeral, sweet but not heavy. Slight dark fruit, caramel and vinous aroma, mouthfeel full thick and heavy, too sweet to drink to many.

Creamy off-white excellent fully lasting head. Amberbrown colour. ;oderate malty and hoppy aroma, week but nice. Powerfull flavor, but a little too alcoholic. Long finish. Fantastic palate, almost syruply.

Brown head with few bubbles. It doesn’t last much and leaves almost no lace. Brown reddish very nice colour. Nose of chocolate, cherries and plums, apricots. A hint of vanilla. Sugar cane, alcohol, sherry aged wine. Heavy sweet flavor, I think that I notice it more in the 75 cl. bottle than in the 33 cl one. Don’t know why, lately I find the sweetness a bit artificial. Mouth of chocolate, brandy, cherries, plums, apricot, sherry aged wine again, sugar cane, aniseed. A beer of the gods. One of them. Too complex to find all the characters in one taste.

Bottle, labelled Kasteel 11º Bruin from an off-license in Brussels, Belgium.
I tasted this a few months ago during the World Cup and reading back through my notes it is one of the few that I can’t remember trying. So I’ll just repeat what I wrote. Here goes:- Brown, hazy, smallish tan head, little lace. Deep, rounded chocolate malt nose, sticky toffee, sweetish, light alcohol prickle. Pleasant. Sweet, very sweet palate. Toffee, soft sticky date pudding note, caramel, biscuity malts, savoury fruits add little. Bready, doughy, thick mouthfeel. Sherryish note in back, dries out lightly, alcohol evident. Long cocoa, chocolate, warming swallow. Touch of malt bitterness in swallow. Too sweet, sticky, alcoholic. Average. (33cL, BBE 01/2011)

Bottle. Dark brown body with low carbonation and a thin beige foamy head. Enjoyable malty aroma with fruity (grape, cherry) notes. Perfectly balanced malty taste that hides the alcohol very well. It also carries fruity and flowery notes. Nice warming, bittersweet finish. Nice!

11.2 oz bottle. Pours to a curious depleted brown, with a caramelly tan head. The aroma brings to mind almond and brown sugar. Immediately apparent is the unmistakeable flavor of Chardonnay - buttery, dry, and sweet, followed by cashew, more brown sugar, and maple syrup. Delicious and surprising, to say the least. This could be the beer-lover’s wedding champagne.