Kasteelbier Donker

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

Bottle at Brick Store Decatur GA. Pours medium to dark brown with good tan head. Lots of caramel malt and dark fruits in the aroma. Flavor is much the same. Let this one warm up, otherwise the alcohol is a little overpowering. The flavors all blend so well. Very nice.

The cork says 01-2004, so I’m assuming this is from January 04, but you never know with the metric system. Opens with a pop and glugs out of the bottle uninterestingly, leaving a dark russet beer with almost no head, which is odd for a Belgian. Very sweet, fruity aroma of fig, plum, and dates with a fairly hefty alcohol backing. Light yeasty and candi-sugary notes. The flavor falls short of the great aroma with overpowering sweetness up front and some alcohol on the dry finish. The middle is fruity and slightly phenolic. The alcohol is forgivable, with this one weighing in at 11%, but you’d think with all the sweetness they could hide it a little bit better. Decent thick mouthfeel. Somewhat over-carbonated; it hurts the tongue after a while.

Bottle. Aroma is OK malty, though not very powerful. Almost black colour, very small head. Very malty flavour, and very peppery. Not excactly thick mouthfeel, but it does give the impression. Caramelly aftertaste.

Bottle at The Bishops Arms on Västra Hamngatan in Gothenburg, Sweden. Dark non-see-through color and a brown head. acid and a bit alcoholic scent, fruity taste

When I opened this bottle the cork was dated 11/2003 so this one had some age on it. Almost no head on initial pour but some light carbonation and lacing was visible. Very strong beer with very high level of residual sugars. sweet port like quality. extremely complex flavors with current, apple cider, spice and tasting like it had been aged in oak. Also hints of acidity maybe from the long age. Definitely a sipping beer to be enjoyed like a fine port

Bottled 01/2004. Clear dark brown/amber. Small, frothy, off white head. Aroma- caramel, malt, past ripe fruit, brown sugar, yeast, spices. Complex, but not overwhelming. Same flavors tied together by an underlying alcoholic mustiness that escaped the aroma. 25 proof caramel in the finish. 25 proof caramel dessert bread for an aftertaste. Full, smooth body. Great brew.

On-tap at the Blue Nile: A browned, dark cherrywood color with a firm capping of off-white foam that lasts a short while. Once the foam has drifted off it keeps a web thin collar and a slight whisp of topical foam residue. Lacing is slick and glaring with some soft spots and stringy patches sticking to the Kasteel chalice in which it was served. Sweetly scented aroma with a good load of toffee and caramel intertwined with some fig and raisin fruityness. A tone of unique Belgian lambic-like sourness and spicy yeast adds a queer funkyness over the top of its sweetness adding a bit of strangely acceptable earthy, nose hair grabbing, spunk. Taste is wonderfully sweet and mellow. Very well rounded toffee flavors and caramel stickyness is allowed to settle right in on the palate. It sinks off from there merging into a dark fruity melange of raisiny, plummy, dark cherry syrup and/or jam. Little tropical nuances of apricot and pineapple seep in as it really warms up with a port-like, alcoholic laced, big malt back splash of the toffee and caramel stickyness. Wow, what a ride of sweet candyness. Very nice! Feel is super silky smooth and fairly full with the malts. Slighty sticky, yet, soft and quite warming on the back end staying smooth and candy soaked with just a nudge of some yeasty spice peppering the edges. A sweet, sweet treat. Very sensitive and smooth. A carefully crafted sipper that’ll keep you planted in one place for a while as it takes hold of your senses. A very nice brew and highly recommended.

330 ml bottle, purchased at some unknown and unremembered midwestern location in December 2005, BBD 03/2010. Cellar temperature, Duvel glass. Very, very dark purple-black pour, lasting gobbet of creamy tan head....prunes and raisins dominant in the sugary nose, touches of caramel and vanilla, and more than a hint of alcohol....very, very sweet flavor, must be one of the sweetest Belgians in existence, like essence of raisin with dollops of pure caramel in an alcoholic rum bath..... thick, syrupy mouthfeel with peppery stinging alcohol and light dry herbs quite noticeable late.... there is no doubt that this is luscious and as well-made as any cream caramel masquerading as beer could be, but even this sweet beer lover has his limits. An interesting failure.