Kasteelbier Donker

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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The aroma is OK - nice, but not overpowering Its appearance is good, but the white head dissipated quickly from this bottle. The flavor and lacing both in the glass and in my mouth make up for the aroma and appearance. I taste fruity, milk chocolately caramel, with a strong smooth aftertaste, that begs me to drink more. I really like the smooth complex taste. I have had this beer before, never rated it, but my good friend has had this in Belgium, and I envy him for enjoying it in Brugge. This beer is highly recommended and I concur.....this is the money shot of a belgian strong!

UPDATED: OCT 5, 2004 From bottle at room temperature. A brown long head that stays a good minute in the glass. Dark brown reddish colour, aroma like ripe red fruits, tones of citrus at the beginning. Carbonation is limited and dissappears fast. The taste gets sweeter with time, and aftertaste is sweet. quite filling, this brew would be an first-class dessert beer, or a disgestive to enjoy for a long Winter evening. The alcohol (11%) isn’t obvious when you drink it, but beware when you rise from the table <grin>. First-class all around !

750 ml 2003 bottle. Poured medium cloudy brown with a nice huge head that left amazing lacing throughout the glass. Aromas were very sweet. Caramel and dark fruit. Raisin and wood. Flavors were similar with a lot of added alcohol warming. I thought it was pretty good.

Bottle. Syrupy colour, not much head. Syrupy in taste too, very sweet, but it works. Very smooth, almost no alcohol detectable. Not something you’d want to drink too often, but very good occasionally.

I had to buy a case of this gem... Very sweet subtile aromas, Caramel / toffee... Exploding sweet complexe flavors hard to pinpoint exactly ... There’s the obvious taste of alcohol in this 11% brown beauty but it doesn’t over power... Fanstaticly well balanced beer!

Pours a dark mahogany with very little head. Nose is of yeast, bread and malt. Very smooth and creamy on the palate. Taste is full of flavor - mostly sweet caramel, roasted malt, maple syrup and spice. At 11% ABV, this is a great desert beer to be sipped in a snifter glass. Well done!

I tried this beer poured from the bottle into a trappist glass while in Brussels. It poured a syrupy dark color, with a slight ruby-red tint. It had a small, peripherary, off-white, bubbly head that had only slight retention and a small build. There was a dense fruit aroma featuring raisins, apricots, and a touch of orange or citrus hops; also a slight caramel malt scent. The taste was great, a blend of sour and light bitter characters with a dense sweetness and some raisin flavor too. It had a very soft, smooth mouthfeel, even somewhat velvety, with a mild carbonation and without any burn. A great beer, that was served on the warmer side, but still very drinkable and full of character.

22 oz bomber... Whoever said this brew was retched is obviously living on Bud... Deep dark amber with a nice clingy head, this high volume beer has very subtle flavors and no alcohol burn that I could feel even through the whole bottle. I like Belgian brews a lot, and I like this one a lot. Full bodied, flavorful, with a nice kick.

Great beer, here in my hometown (Hengelo, Netherlands) we have it on the beer faucet at the moment!:D (Monday half price great stuff or what!)! Me and my friends always drink one every monday because of its wonderful dark taste. The looks are also great and mysterious. Nice scent aswell! But be careful, it gets you hammered pretty quickly with its 11% ! ;) Never drink this stuff when you go out, you have no idea where you’ll end up, probably some gutter;) Recommended!

On tap at Eulogy during Philly Beer Week. Special 10-yr vintage. Poured a medium brown with a creamy tan head. Aromas of brown sugar, caramel, and dark fruits. Strong malty flavor and nicely sweet. Flavors come together very nicely when aged. Palate was rich, creamy, soft, and smooth.