Kasteelbier Donker

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

From 11.2 oz. stubby brown bottle with a coded bottled/freshness date on the lower right side of label, served in a chalice, sampled at cellar temperature. Made a good appearance, poured a hazy red hued brown with a foamy beige head that settled into a thin lacing, medium carbonation. Had a nose of raisins, apples, brown sugar and caramelized malts with whiffs of alcohol at the fringes. A crisp and smooth medium bodied mouth feel, good sipping drinkability. Raisin fruity and caramelized sugary, a crisp maltiness, a spicy alcohol warmth that endures though out the taste and lingers in the aftertaste, finish with a sweet raisin fruitiness. A nice quadrupel ale, tasty and dangerously quaffable.

Draught at Kulminator as Kasteel Bruin. Dark brown with a large creamy light brown head, mostly diminishing, good lacings. Aroma heavy malty (brown fruit), light hoppy. Flavor heavy sweet, light bitter, in a good balance. Medium body, soft carbonated. The alcohol is felt.

Bottle via trade with radiomgb - Thanks Jeff! - Pours a dark brown with a creamy tan head that settles back to a film and laces in layers from there. Aroma is big of candi sugar, raisin, some corriander, and maple syrup. Flavor is very sweet, raisins, candi sugar, syrup, plums, molasses. This and syrupy on the palate. A sweet lovers delight. A little over the top sweet for me though. Not much alcohol found til the warmth on the finish though.

Pours a very dark red with a medium off-white head. Aroma is very complex with a whole lot of fruits and spices, so much that I couldn’t isolate any of them. In mouth it feels like a very strong cherry cough-syrup. Doesn’t sound very appealing said like that but it wasn’t bad at all. Very sweet (too sweet) and syrupy with a mix-bag of fruits thrown in. Alcohol is present but not as much as one would expect from an 11%, it is actually appropriate to support the intense taste. With all its sugar it could be quite popular with young college student and at 11% abv it could helped maintain a 4.0 average … in blood-alcohol level.

Botttle. Brown in color with small head that vanishes quickly. Smells of plums and mollasses. sweet taste with smooth alcohol bite finish. Very good beer.

On tap at Hard Times Cafe in Woodbridge, VA. Served in a trappist glass. Color was brown with a thin beige head. Good lacing around the glass. Aroma was a complex mixture of brown sugar/caramel, raisins, plums/figs, and orange with a bit of alcohol. Flavor was just as complex and sweet with a very good alcohol warming as it went down.

Bottled 01/2004. Best by 05/2009. Yeah, indeed this is one to quench a sweet tooth, but still a unique, well crafted Belgian Ale. Pours a fairly clear maroonish-brown hue displaying a thin, patchy head with spotty lacing. Complex, but somewhat reserved aromas of brandy-soaked plums, figs, black cherries and orange slices with some caramel and malt lingering in the background. A quite intense sweetness is the initial impression on the first sip; almost reminiscent of Myer’s Dark Rum. Body is full and chewy. Dark, ripe fruit flavors nicely mimic the aromas, but much more rich and muscular. The 11% alcohol is definitely a necessity here to cut through the sugary sweetness and it comes real close to doing its job and rendering some respectable balance here. This baby would certainly make an excellent dessert after a hearty dinner.

Bottle. Pours brown with a thin beige head. Aroma of citrus, belgian spices, sugar, fruit, and caramel. Flavor is sweet, fruit, citrus, spices, carbonated moderately, alcohol is present (but not overwhelming, pretty well masked for 11%) Good body, good brew.