Kasteelbier Donker

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

Pours a murky chocolate brown with a medium frothy beige head. Aroma of toffee and chocolate, dark fruits and a hint of grass. Very rich first taste, simple sugar, toffee and tootsie-roll. Dark fruits, earthy, roasted malt and some grass. The sweetness is very similar to a German doppelbock, however too much sugar, not enough flavor. Some alcohol in the finish, vinous. Slightly goopy syrupy body with larger but soft carbonation.

Re-rate 3/4/09: Bottle. Sweet, alcoholic, plenty or dark fruits and caramel. 7/3/7/4/14=3.5

Bottle sample as "Kasteel Brune" at a beer festival in Kibbutz Ma’abarot. Deep red color. Nose of malt, dark fruits, some yeast and notes of alcohol. Sweet malt flavor with dark fruits and a spicy finish. Medium to full-bodied. Mouthfeel is a bit syrupy. Nice. 7/4/7/4/15=3.7

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. Brown cola colored. Barely kicks up a decent head that quickly dies to a splat. Vinous with cantaloupe; Bananas Foster. Taste is sweet with cloves and ’nanners but smoothes out with mild hops before cloying. Medium light. Alcohol builds as it warms becoming a bit sharp.

Lucky find....a stash of 04/2000 750 ml bottles (says so on the cork), which translates to 4 year old beer. Pours a smooth murky brown with a nice tan head. Smells of raisin and prune. Tastes like a sweet raisin prune juice, that lingers on the palate. Thick like prune juice too. Slightly yeasty as well. Gotta love these well aged big Belgians!!!

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.

big dark malts, very sweet, nose, chestnut brown colour, spicy, caremel taste, raisins and brown sugar. nice winter beer

75cl bottle. Clear brown even after I thought I poured the yeast in, and a small head. The aroma is lightly alcoholic and vinous with raisin, almond and brown sugar. Sweet dried fruit and grape flavors, dark sugars and a light alcohol. Full bodied with low carbonation. Just a bit sweet and unbalanced, though the simple malt flavors are still appealing.