La Caracole Cuvée

Formerly brewed at La Caracole
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Falmignoul, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Wonderful beer. The right amount of flavor and alcohol

Cuvée de l’An Neuf, bottled 05-2001, 3 years old
Dark amber color; creamy head. Very strong aroma, sweet, malty, spicy; caramel; mature. Good malty body, strong caramel, sweet. Long final, well bitter and with a good caramel touch and roasted nuts.

2000 Vintage: Pours a dark, reddish brown color with a small, off-white head that does not linger. It has a strong aroma of dates, molasses, brown sugar, malts, and alcohol. Full bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel is thick and the flavor is richly malty and fruity with a touch of spices. The finish is sweet and malty with a hint of alcohol. Very nice.

Aged bottle, 1999 vintage Small, disappearing cream-coloured head over ruby-mahogany beer. Rich portwine, madeira, cigar leaf & wine-soaked dried nuts, perfect plum-cake in a glass. Sweet, very sweet even, but with added complexity, flavours as from (milk) chocolate, red portwine, dried figs & plums; rum flavouring retronasal. Oily, very viscous, alcoholburn and -warming; rich & luxurious. Just a tad too sweet, otherwise age has made this beer a topper.

Bottle @ Kulminator. Beautiful rich ruby, thin head disappears quickly. Nose is that of a well-aged barleywine - brown sugar, port, honey, slight sherry, dark fruits. Flavor is caramel first & foremost then hints of sherry & brown sugar. Plenty of plum and other dark fruits, cocoa, rich toffee. Avoids being too sweet. Wonderful.

1999 - Deep clear chestnut body, little very small off white head; Very fine deep cocoa bean, fresh chestnut aromas, very little age to it; very, very nice super deeep complex balanced body; Huge aromas in great, great long finish, very elegant fine fruits and fresh cocoa bean. Amazing beer that has aged remarkably well.

Served in lambic basket and probably for good reason as there was a big layer of yeast along the bottom. Looks like 2000 marked on the bottle. Pours dark amber color. Small amount of head dissipates almost instantly. Smells a little sweet like chocolate, caramel and a hint of plum. Tastes quite sweet overall but with complexity, caramel, some chocolate, plums, brown sugar. Sweetness turns to a little bit of alcohol taste and a little light and dry at the end with lingering flavor for minutes. While quite sweet to begin with, it balances out towards the end to make a very enjoyable beer, probably better with age.

(Bottled, 0.75l, 1999 vintage@Kulminator) Opaque dark brown color with a small head. Very grainy-malty, perfumy, barley-wineous, sweet-toffeeish aroma. Sweetish-syrupy, grainy-malty, slightly alcoholic but nice flavor. Slightly alcoholic and rough-feeling palate with low carbonation. A excellent strong ale - although the alcohol and maltiness are slightly rough. Both the aroma and flavor get more earthy and smooth with yeast.

head: none colour : clear orange/brown smell: vintage, candy sirup , orange peel , alcohol , sugar taste: alcohol , candy sirup , caramel , cream ,sour background ,anis maybe even a bit of peach , great beer !

UPDATED: AUG 8, 2008 33cl capped bottle from Holemans Drankenhandel in Aarschot. Beautiful amber beer with lively carbonation. Sweet complex flavor that is not overpowering. Just a tremendous beer and a great BSA.