Kasteelbier Donker

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

750 ml Bottle, 2004 vintage. Poured a murky brown with some hints of red and very little head. The aroma was strong with malt, yeast, plum, and caramel. It was quite sweet in taste with flavors of light brown sugar, black plum, red grapes, port wine, molasses and a strong alcohol taste on the finish, almost rum like. Very smooth on the palate, with excellent complexity. Great beer to celebrate the New Year with.

Aroma: malt, dominant carbon and a little bit of prune. Appearance: dark brown with red highlights, clear. Large fluffy cappacino lasting head. Sheet lacing. Flavour: massively dark brown sugar sweetness with chocolate and rich stone fruits. Very spiritous. Palate: very thick and creamy with lingering sweetness.

750 ml bottle 2003 vintage poured a hazybrown with a small amber head. Aromas of dark fruit and molasses. Palate was medium bodied. Flavors of dark fruit, brown sugar, pepper and banana with a sweet, lingering finish.

Darkest Red Coloring with Tan Head. Rich Sweet Malt / Alcohol Aroma. Sweeter Then Hell and Rich Tasting. With the Alcohol, if I Were To Obtain Another Bottle, I would Attempt to Age it, as it Seemed a Bit Raw Right off The Bat.

a dark brown colored beer w/ almost no head. huge aroma of toffee and plum. fruity and sweet, the alcohol is apparent though it’s complex enough as to not be cloying. well balanced, this brew should improve greatly w/ age.

Beer no. 200
Also, beer no.8 from my trip to Slovenia, brought by my friend Boštjan from Belgium, so a huge thanks to him. I was wondering which beer I should drink for no.200. It was this, two more Belgians, and a bunch of pale lagers etc I’ve bought in Spar. This one looked fancy, so... 0.33l cute Belgian stubby bottle. As Kasteel Bruin 11°.

Strong and nice wine like aroma wafted through my room as I poured this in a glass. More detailed check revealed a deep malty nose that had hints of alcohol, orange peel and plum. Impressive. Deep brown colour with a big brown head that went away fast. The taste was.... alcohol, strong plums and raisins, some weak dust, lemon and grapeseed bitterness in what might’ve been an aftertaste and that’s it. Period. Disappointing. Tasted like a cruder Belgian Samichlaus.

2004 bottle: Pours a transparent dark mahogany with a frothy and clumpy-lacing light tan head. Has a sweet caramel sugary and earthy, bready Belgian yeasty aroma. Body starts with some dark caramel and candi sugar sweetness thinning some to reveal warming alcohol toward the finish. Has some mild dark fruit flavor and complexity, but doesn’t have the thick bready notes I look for in Belgian strong ales. Too much sugar and alcohol, needs more balance. Perhaps aging more would help.

Aroma:dark fruit,cherry.. Appearance:redish brown,light head... Appearance:Dark fruit,alcohol,sugar to mutch sugar....