Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor - Brouwerij Het Anker

DrStiffington

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

OK, so I just happened to notice this variety 4 pack from Belgium that looked interesting. Trying the Belgian IPA first. Well, things didn't start out too well, what with about 90% of my tulip glass being filled up with foam. Once I worked it out, it looks pretty nice, with the more acceptable head on top of a light, VERY hazy body. I dig the smell. Kind of hard to describe, but it has a tangy, yeasty hops smell. Pretty strong aroma. I like the taste. Hops, but with that crisp, light taste that I associate with European brews. The mouthfeel is ok. Seems very carbonoted, whether it is or not. Looking forward to trying the other styles.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 01:39:02 | More by DrStiffington

MadScientist

New York

3.84/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: A golden beer with brilliant clarity. Pours with three fingers of thick sticky foam

S: A spicy and fruit aroma with medium-strong spicy and earthy hops blending with pepper, peach and apricot note from the yeast. Some Pilsner malt aroma with a light honey-like malt sweetness and a sweet, moderate alcohol note.

T: Medium pepper fermentation character and earthy hops dominate with a noticeable alcohol sweetness. There is a medium malt sweetness and strong hops bitterness giving a balance that is very bitter. The off-dry finish is followed by an aftertaste of hops bitterness and fruity.

M: A medium bodied beer with a strong level of carbonation and a light alcohol warmth.

O: A bitter beer with a fair amount of hops flavor and aroma, this bottle seems like it might be a bit older but far from flat, old hops character. Additionally this would probably still be an excellent beer even if it had been aged I'd just be approaching it more like a triple than an IPA style.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2013 00:28:50 | More by MadScientist

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle into a New Belgium goblet.

A: Pours a dark, hazy amber color with lots of carbonation. Typical of the style, the head is really nice - it's about three fingers high and barely off-white in color. The texture is rather foamy and retention is excellent. Plenty of lacing is left on the glass, as well.

S: Quite estery, with a lot of banana, apple, white grape, pear, and coriander notes. I do pick up some noble hops, but their mild presence is a little disappointing. Then again, there IS a reason I got this Gouden Carolus mixed 4-pack at clearance prices...

T: Opening hop bitterness makes itself well known right from the start. Hops slowly fade away to reveal plenty of biscuit, bread, apple, honey, and white grape notes on the back end. More subtle flavors of black pepper and coriander are also evident, along with budding hints of citrus as it sits in the glass some more. The solid depth is good, but it's real crowning feature is its easy drinking nature.

M: Dry, as expected. The hop profile does its job admirably here, and that is to cleanse the finish in order to invite further sips. I wouldn't call it particularly light in texture, though this hardly inhibits drinkability - it certainly doesn't betray the fact this is 8%.

O: Damn, this is good stuff. It's exactly what I expected it to be: a rock-solid BSPA with an extra helping of hops. This could have the potential to be amazing fresh.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 20:16:25 | More by ThisWangsChung

TheBeeraholic

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

06-16-2013 17:14:21 | More by TheBeeraholic

dwren89

Virginia

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: hazy, cloudy, strong foamy, puffy white head, straw yellow around edges with orangey tint in the middle

Aroma: spicy banana and clove phenols, slight citrus hop aroma, pale malt aroma

Taste: banana and clove flavors with spicy hop additions, slight citrusy twang to it, pale malt supports the main yeast and hop flavors

Mouthfeel: medium body, smooth, medium carbonation,

Overall Impression: A very quaffable Belgian IPA whose body and flavor belie its 8.0% ABV. Playful hop and yeast character contribute to make an overall great ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2013 22:13:34 | More by dwren89

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%

06-08-2013 15:22:56 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

amstokesdb9

Virginia

4/5  rDev -1%

06-02-2013 03:41:11 | More by amstokesdb9

pkalix

California

4.09/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

i poured this one softly as i saw it rising after popping the cap. the carbonation is beautiful while still in the bottle, rising excitedly, hitting the neck and then wanting to erupt.... nice golden honey color. hazy.
the "candied lemon aroma" is right on target. it kind of reminds me of the petrus sample pack i tried several months ago which i swore had gone bad, but i'll keep an open mind....
i dont get the hop flavor. i get a honey flavor similar to the aforementioned petrus sample pack. super creamy head on top coats the glass as it's tilted. and 'creamy' is an understatement. the layer sitting on top is beautiful.
overall, i'm confused. i want to like this a whole lot, but there is a slight funkiness that stunningly reminds me of that bad experience i had with the petrus sampler. this tatse is almost identical and i dont know if it's a unique style or if there is some gone wrong with it. it tastes good, but i dont know if it's supposed to taste like this? like i said, i'm not getting any hop out of this, just a strong, thick honey flavor. kind of like a mead?
that said, it looks awesome after pour, smells very nice, tastes pretty good (even when considering my uncertain feelings) and is worth having again. i'd like to try the rest of their line up....

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2013 22:24:00 | More by pkalix

ckollias

Maryland

4.41/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a Beligan Tulip glass.

A: Pours a hazy golden hue with the biggest frothy white head known to mad. Poured over my glass and all over the table. Leaves a great trail and ends in a enormous lace.

S: Sweet aroma that is fruity and spicy with whiffs of Belgian yeast.

T: Spicy fruity flavor that is more tart than sweet with a fine hop bitterness.

M: Medium body and heavy carbonation.

O: Excellent brew – Big Head – Great Flavors – and Excellent aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2013 18:54:32 | More by ckollias

Tacoboomerang

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

05-31-2013 22:40:21 | More by Tacoboomerang

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

05-30-2013 02:56:48 | More by Kmat10

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1%

05-23-2013 16:15:57 | More by InspectorBob

Ciocanelu

Romania

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

05-16-2013 20:55:57 | More by Ciocanelu

leftstagebrew

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

05-13-2013 17:01:09 | More by leftstagebrew

twenty5

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1%

05-10-2013 16:05:43 | More by twenty5

Liquoric3

Germany

4/5  rDev -1%

05-10-2013 15:16:21 | More by Liquoric3

GRUUMSH

Belgium

4/5  rDev -1%

05-10-2013 10:16:41 | More by GRUUMSH

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.31/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured a big head with a cloudy dirty straw colored body.
The aroma is like a candied lemon.
The flavor hits from the beginning with a sharp bitterness the relents to a mild sweetness in the latter part of the profile. The finish is fairly short mild bitterness.
The texture is a bit on the fizzy side with a medium body.
The fizziness with the strong bitter beginning make this an aggressive ale. Enjoyable but be ready for it.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 01:17:14 | More by Fatehunter

Flounder57

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle was poured into a tulip at Hops N Scotch in Brookline.

Appearance: This beer poured a crazy two finger billowy head that is for the most part still there. It is a hazy pale yellow with some clarity and bubbles coming up through the glass. Nice lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: resiny, grassy, and citrusy hops. Nice bready and pale malts.

Taste: Same as above. Nice tingly hop bitterness and alcohol is a little noticeable.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, tingling, medium bodied, light to medium carbonation, and good.

Overall: Pretty solid Belgian IPA and the alcohol is not even noticeable too. Nice completion of their whole lineup.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 18:55:50 | More by Flounder57

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.89/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into a chalice glass

Appearance – The beer pours a hazed yellow-orange color with a big and billowy white head. The head has a decent level of retention, fading over time to leave a nice level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma is sweeter with a fairly strong orange and lighter lemon smell. Notes of grapefruit citrus are also present mixed with some spice like aromas. Other non fruit/sweet aromas of a bready nature as well as a decent yeasty nature are present as well. All these aromas mix with a bit of a grassy and herbal smell creating a rather grassy Belgian triple like aroma.

Taste – The taste begins on the drier side with some malty and bready tastes as well as a decent amount of a citrus like sweetness with the citrus consisting of mainly orange, but also a bit of sour lemon. Upfront there are some hoppy notes of a more grapefruit nature. The hop begins lighter and grows in strength as the taste advances. Soon after the initial taste a stronger yeasty flavor comes to the tongue. With it comes a spice flavor of coriander and clove. Other hop flavor of a more grassy nature start to take over the lighter grapefruit hop flavors that were present upfront. The sweetness dries out more as the taste moves to the end. The taste ends with a very crisp and dry flavor leaving an almost citrus and yeasty champagne brut flavor with a light hop accent like taste to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is on the average side in its creaminess and thickness for a Belgian IPA of its strength with a carbonation level that is possibly a bit above average. Both are nice for drinkability and more citrus flavors of the brew but neither are anything too exceptional for the hoppy flavors of beer. Overall I think they did it right for the style however and overall it is pretty good.

Overall – A pretty decent Belgian IPA that is rather drinkable and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 01:36:37 | More by Darkmagus82

newton99

Belgium

3.14/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

not impressive!
hopppyyy hoppy hoppy hoppy hoppy hoppy hoppy in the nose and in the mouth. blond in colour, white head.
Not so drinkable. Hoppy Hoppyyy

Serving Type bottleee
appearance niceee
smell good hoppy
taste hoppy
mouthfeel hoppy medium body
overall if you like hops!

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 09:51:29 | More by newton99

bashiba

Iowa

3.18/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75

Poured a cloudy dull orange with a light ring of white head.

The smell is very sweet and a bit oxidized with a ton of belgian candy sugar.

The flavor is a bit more balanced than the nose. A big sweet belgian candy flavor starts out strong with a floral and slightly mint hop flavor quickly comes through evening it out nicely. Still has some stale oxidized quality coming through, in theory this should be a fresh bottle having just come from a new supplies, but it has an oldish taste to it.

The mouthfeel is light and a bit dry.

A pretty mediocre beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 20:32:51 | More by bashiba

BoRaeCho

California

3/5  rDev -25.7%

03-19-2013 10:44:00 | More by BoRaeCho

NandoPereira

Brazil

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

03-01-2013 03:03:09 | More by NandoPereira

KingSlayer

California

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%

02-28-2013 18:55:44 | More by KingSlayer