Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor - Brouwerij Het Anker

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A European hop smell, a great mouthfeel of white foam on light yellow that cushions the mouth and makes this Belgian IPA quite palatable. Dangerously drinkable. The aroma is somewhat musty and strange from a North American perspective because of the hops used:Golding, Spalt, Hallertau and Saaz.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2008 01:21:13 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.63/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Radiant sunshine gold with a light yeasty blurriness. Multiple streams of fine bubbles can be seen traveling the short distance from the bottom of the glass to the underside of a massive cap of ivory colored foam that is quintessentially Belgian. The head is ridiculously rocky as it melts and is starting to grace the glass with delicate patterns of sudsy lace.

If you like hops in general, and European hops in particular, then you'll love the aroma. The Four Hopsmen of the Apocalypse include Goldings, Spalt, Hallertau and Saaz. They give the beer a wonderful musky-herbal-spiciness that is perfect in combination with the incredibly estery yeast strain.

Too bad I didn't have the opportunity to buy the 750 ml bottle because this is amazing beer! 330 ml isn't going to be anywhere near enough. Like all good to great Belgian IPAs, Hopsinjoor tastes like a lupulinirific tripel or BSPA, which is pretty much what it is. The label is great. It reads 'flavour: hoppy'. Yeah, that pretty much covers it.

Each eager mouthful is a symphony of perfectly matched flavors. Lightly sugared orchard fruit (ripe pears and apples) lays down the bass line, while the hops and yeast intertwine to create a beautiful melody on the top end. The contrast between pale malt (and candi sugar) sweetness, hop bitterness and yeasty spiciness is astouding. White pepper and clove are especially explosive.

The final pour turns blurry into murky and jacks up flavor intensity even higher. There's no longer any question about the appearance score. Amazingly, alcohol is only noted when ones goes looking for it. As with all great beer, it adds a power and presence that would be missed if it was completely buried.

The mouthfeel is the best of both worlds. It's light enough to allow rapid consumption (sips simply aren't an option with beer this good), yet it has an underlying viscosity that is just right. Not to mention energetic carbonation that is perfectly dialed in. How many times have I used the word 'perfect' in this review?

Even though I prefer the tropical fruitiness of American hops, European hops can be equally great in the right hands. Brouwerij Het Anker definitely has the right hands. They aren't my favorite Belgian brewery for nothing. Everything that I've had from BHA has been excellent to spectacular. Hopsinjoor is the latter, without question. Two thumbs waaaay up.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2009 16:07:12 | More by BuckeyeNation

Thorpe429

Illinois

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

On tap at BRABO in Alexandria. Served in a goblet.

Pours a slightly-hazy golden-yellow color with a good white head and quite a bit of ringy lacing on the way down. The nose brings some light floral character and peppers plus a bit of brad. Hops are in the front, though there's definitely some yeast and malt. The flavor brings a nice, light white pepper character plus some faint earth and some floral. hops. A bit bready as well. Medium body with a good bitterness in the finish and average carbonation. A really solid brew.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2011 02:52:42 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Served a straight-up opaque, dark orange-yellow body capped with a chunky, off-white head.

Smell: Largely hoppy nose smelling of dried herbal blends, spice, and citrus peelings from the European variety of hops used. Melange of fine fruit notes. Lesser, lighter hints of malt and spicy phenols in the background.

Taste: Crackery-minded pale maltiness with sweet hints of honey and light toffee. Vibrant medley of fruity tastes, including everything from white peaches, to apricots, Pinot Gris grapes, and lemons. Spicy, herbaceous, slight citric hops with a fine crackle of bitterness are given a bump by the clove-like spice and white pepper flavors from the yeast. There's a cumulative bitterness, though some sweetish malty hints try to reemerge. Splash of alcohol and a pinch of acidity precedes the fruity, spicy, semi-dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Fairly enjoyable. A quality, nicely complex Belgian brew with a dialed up hop character and bitterness.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2010 21:26:02 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

3.98/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a murky orange-brown with a foamy tan head small cap on top of the beer. Small patches of foam form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, fruits, and some hop aromas. Taste is much the same with a malty finish. There is a mild hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 04:54:32 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

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

Bottle: Poured a bright pale yellow color ale with a super huge foamy head with perfect retention and perfect lacing. Aroma of dry European hops with typical Belgian malt base. Taste is a nice mix between some typical Belgian malt with great notes of European dry hops with some subtle floral notes. Easily drinkable with a full body and perfect carbonation with no hints of alcohol. Very well done and a bit more hops would have been even better. Quality brew from a quality brewer.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2009 03:40:59 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.22/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A fantastic beer that's truely worthy of the designation as a Belgian IPA.

The pour brings a strong Tripel appearance. Seems a bit viscous and malty at first sight. The strong straw color has quite the haze, likely from bottle conditioning and dry-hopping. A fantastic head forms above the glass and endures the session. A lot of lacing falls on the glass.

Aromas of sharp, earthy, noble hops jump out immediately, well ahead of the lighter pilsner malts. A huge pungent boquet of grassy, piney, and citric hops offer a lot of variety, complexity, enticement. The beer is quite malty to taste, but attenuated well enough to keep the malts supporting the hops and not competing with them. Fruity, spicy, and acidic flavors spring from the yeast in the shapes of peaches, pears, apples, appricots; and then there's the white pepper, orange zest, lemon zest, corriander, and even cumin. I love the complexity of this beer.

The body is perhaps a bit heavier than I expect, but the sharpness and bitterness of the beer helps to clean up the malts and dry out in the finish. Aggressive bitterness with those Euro-hops give a nice less-bitey variety compared to American IPA's.

Again, the Belgian IPA's are up and comming. This beer is a great exemplification of the trend. There's a lot going on with this one; some might say too much. Even despite a soapy phenol and a fusal alcohol note here and there, the beer rounds out beautifully.

Thanks to Marikka's Bierstube for carrying the beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2009 17:23:24 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A style Iam just now starting to go to,there are some things I like,and dont like of the style.Poured into a large tulip glass a light hazed blond color with a huge blooming white head,to much so I think.A mix of leafy-lemony hop,slight funk,and yeasty spice in the nose.A lighter but creamy feel in the mouth,very nice,almost airy in a good way.Flavors are medicinal and herbal from the onset,some phenols come in as well.Well its not the American hopped Raging Bitch,but I respect the beer,just not enough of the hop oomph I look for.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2010 23:09:48 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Gouden Carolus chalice.

So...this beer is named for a hoppy puppet? Whatever. It pours a hazy pale straw topped by a finger of white micro-foam. The nose comprises clove, pepper, rye bread, banana, light mandarin oranges, grapefruit, and a healthy load o' hoppy florals. The taste holds notes of ruby red grapefruit, sharp pine, hardcore flowers, cloves, and yeasty goodness. Are they sure there are hops in this? The body is a heavy light, with an active carbonation and a crisp, semi-dry finish. Overall, a nice, hoppy Belgian, though it's questionable whether or not I can rock very many of these in one sitting.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2010 17:29:05 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Gouden Carolus "hopsinjoor", Brewery Het Anker, Mechelen, Belgium

4 hops: Saaz, Spalt, Tradition, & Golding. Also, named after a 200+ year old puppet. Huh.
Hugely hazed, bright golden color, big head, long-lasting, lace-leaving. Poured into a small Gouden Carolus gold-rimmed glass.

Aroma: bright, beautiful hops, more citrus, lemon, with just a side-oder of cat pee. Creamy, floral, yummy.

It blasts hops on the palate right from the start. Blisteringly bitter, long sizzle on the the tongue. Full-bodied, lush malt. A bright beer, with intense hop flavor. I thought a mere 50 IBUs would result in less hop bitterness than this. I'm happily reassured. Swims brilliantly in the mouth, spreading hoppiness and joy. Snappy. Bold. Refreshing and delicious. Big citric slap.

nice one, Golden Charlie!

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2008 23:06:28 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.22/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a hazy pale gold color with a towering white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a light pale malt scent along with a dry and earthy yeast aroma. It's mildly bitter, but the yeast character hides most of it. The taste is good as well. It has an interesting flavor that boasts of pale malts and Belgian yeast. These too elements created about 80% of the taste, with the hops finishing it off. It goes down bone dry with considerable bitterness up front and in the finish. It does have much in the way of "hop" taste, but the bitterness is undeniable. The yeast character is incredible. It seems to work well with hops to create a unique experience. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium/full bodied beer with good carbonation. I like this beer, but it wasn't what I was looking for. I was hoping for an American IPA with a Belgian twist. This is the total opposite; just a hopped up Belgian ale. Still good.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 01:30:19 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer poured from a corked caged bottle into a tulip. Beer is yellow and hazy, forms a thick aggressive white head that slowly falls away leaving a lot of lacing on the glass.

Aroma is estery and yeasty without a significant hop presence unfortunately. I wish I knew when this was bottled.

Lots of carbonation in the mouth. Almost a tripel feel to this beer with a spicy biting alcoholic note to it. The overall feel of the beer is medium bodied, drinkability is fine. Bitterness grows as you drink. I'm not sure I'd classify it as an IPA but its a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2010 03:10:43 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

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

The beer pours a hazy gold color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the perfume, with some orange citrus and bread malt notes thrown in. The flavor is similar, with the floral notes really standing out initially. There is also some bread and grass, as well as some Belgian yeast and a low amount of bitterness. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 19:02:37 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

4.2/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out a hazy, golden-yellow color with a bubbly, white, two-finger head that left some lace.

S - It smelled of grasses, citrus and floral notes. Some spiced aromas and some caramel malt in the nose, too.

T - It tasted of sweet caramel with a citrusy, floral, bitter hop bite. Some nice yeasty flavors some through along with a good deal of zesty spice.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium-bodied beer.

D - This is a very nice Belgian IPA. Love the floral and citrusy qualitites.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2008 15:45:29 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

4.08/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is hazy yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a two finger high bright white head that has good retention properties and consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are moderate aromas of floral hops and spices in the nose.
T: A moderate amount of bitterness is present in the overall taste, which has flavors of spices and notes of apples and yeast.
M: It feels medium-bodied and dry on the palate with a moderate to high amount of carbonation.
D: The beer is quite quaffable considering the alcohol content (which is well masked) and strong amount of bitterness (the hop flavors are well balanced by the underlying malts).

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2011 03:21:12 | More by metter98

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.28/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Fantastically explosive, I pulled off the cage and away the cork went, I lost all but about 25cl of my 750ml bottle (luckily most of it into my sink). The head ends up 6 fingers in height in my tulip glass with a pale, off-white color. The beer is deeply hazy with lots of stirred up sediment and is a gold color. The aroma has a bright, herbal, grassy hoppiness to it that has a backdrop of lemon zest, aromatic tangerine and a tropical fruit / kumquat note that gets more prominent the more I dig. The hop aromatics are clearly dominant here, but there is just a hint of cracker like malt to the finish. This smells quite nice to this hophead and I am quite sad I lost so much of this beer.

Lightly sweet with a fruitiness up front. This quickly picks up a green, herbal edge to it through the middle and the finish is a mix of hot alcohol and astringent bitterness. This is very light and thus very quaffable, for a beer of this strength. The hops provide fruit flavors of tangerine, kumquat, lychee, but definitely have an herbal & amply grassy edge to them that is accentuated by the higher alcohols. This can get slightly astringent and the herbal / alcohol notes in the finish provide more of a balance to the up front fruitiness than any light bitterness that is here.

Despite being a bit harsh in the finish, this remains just incredibly easy to drink. I could have easily finished a 750ml bottle by myself and will definitely have to try and get another bottle of this to enjoy.

Purchased: Liquor Max; Loveland CO

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2008 04:35:11 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap 6/13/09 at Track 84 in Warwick, RI, served in a goblet glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a short white head that fades quickly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of hops Belgian yeast and light malts.

T: The taste is very well-balanced but starts with a good hops burst and sweet flavors of citrus and spice. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and there's a nice Belgian yeast backbone. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Very tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, nice representation of style, this is a very good beer with some complexity and is worth drinking for a long time.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2009 02:03:29 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.45/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a very effervescent chill-haze caramel with 4 fingers of pearl colored head. Great lacing & good head retention

s: Apple skins & some bready notes

T: Apple Skins, grapefruit, & earthy hops, booze & estery fruit, plus some booze up front. Green apples, & grapefruit as this warms, along with juicy fruit & pineapple. Finishes slightlty tart with more grapefruit

MF: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation & okay balance

Drinks average, this just seemed so disjointed

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2008 05:25:37 | More by russpowell

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This IPA pours out as a cloudy yellowish gold color. The smell has a little bit of farmhouse funk and some earthy hop aromas on the nose. The taste has a hoppy start with a light Medicinal flavor in the background. The mouthfeel is a little heavy with some very minimal carbonation. The overall that I get from this beer is that I wasn't too impressed by it. It was average to me. I don't think I'd have to try it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 20:20:38 | More by Knapp85

Halcyondays

California

4.4/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours a hazy golden yellow with a small white head with good retention, leaving loads of sticky white lacing all down the glass.

S: Strong grassy hops, yeast, pepper.

T: Taste gives more of what the smell introduced, more intensity. Starts with a light bready malt, a bit of coriander, then some great floral, cut grass hops come in, not strongly bitter and out of sorts, very well balanced. Ends with some pink grapefruit.

M: Juicy, resiny, yeasty, light-bodied for its alcohol content, very drinkable.

D: One of the best beers I've had in a while, definitely the best of August '08 so far, definitely this and Houblon Chouffe are 1 and 1a in this new style for me so far.

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2008 22:26:32 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: clear pale yellow in color with a fluffy 1" white head that lingers around a while.

Smell: floral hops and some fruitiness rise easily from the glass.

Taste: nice fruit flavors as pears and golden apples are very noticeable and they are nicely balanced with a big floral bitterness. Alcohol is well hidden.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Crisp from start to finish. Aftertaste is long as the fruits and bitterness stick around the mouth for a while.

Drinkability: this is a nice version of a Belgian IPA that is easy to drink over a period of time.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2009 17:23:37 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml cage corked bottle, poured into tulip glass.

Pours a hazy golden with a large foamy, turning rocky, white pillowy head. As it descends it leaves plenty of lacing.

The smell is spicy - herbal, leafy, grassy, with orange and lemon. It has a beautiful (Continental-type) hop aroma.

The taste is spicy as well - very hoppy. Grass, lemon, orange, melon with herbal notes. The hop taste is very complex. Hoppy and bitter, yet rounded by a touch of honey sweetness. A touch of alcohol adds rather than detracts.

It has classic "Belgian-esque" effervescence.

This isn't just about dumping hops in, the hop complexities are wonderful, with just the right touch of malt to round it out. A wonderful, strong, Belgian IPA. Another winner from this great brewery!

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2009 14:32:46 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

330ml bottle, a single liberated from the confines of a Gouden Carolus sample pack.

This beer pours a cloudy pale golden hue, with a fistful of fingers' worth of silky, puffy, foamy white head, which leaves a small crusty, layered array of lace around the glass as it lazily recedes.

It smells of perfumed citrus hops, sweet orchard fruit, some subtle white pepper, a bit of zesty yeast, and bready, crackery pale malt. The taste is semi-sweet tropical fruit, simple pale malt, some spicy, peppery yeast, and soft floral, grassy hops. Very little, if any, sign of the big ABV.

The bubbles are fairly mild, the body an even medium weight, and pretty earnestly smooth. Nicely blended hoppy, yeasty, and sweet grainy finish.

A splendid example of a prototypical Belgian IPA, nice to run into so shortly after exposure to a local-ish New World emulator.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 01:08:22 | More by biboergosum

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A corked and caged 750 mL bottle from State Line.

A: The bottle opened with a pop and, like seemingly all Belgian IPAs, had a huge, fluffy head. The foam clings to the glass and will require multiple pours just to fill the glass. The ale itself if a cloudy goldenrod color, more yellow than not with enough orange to take on a darker hue.

S: The nose is yeasty, fruity sweet with alcohol that lies just below the surface. Lots of hops are here, herbal and earthy aromas abound.

T: The swirl of conflicting flavors makes a Belgian IPA work and this is no exception. Tripel flavors, Belgian yeast and coriander with candi sugar, dominate the front of each sip. The hop profile, not content to play second fiddle, continually pushes its way to the forefront. The hops are fresh and intensely concentrated. Grassy herbal hops contribute an earthy, dirty hop flavor that is a nice European version of an IPA/DIPA. Hops leave a wonderful finish long after each sip is gone.

M: The complexity is astounding. The interaction of heady tripel and Euro DIPA is mind-blowing. My tastebuds are still reeling from the assault of two distinct, strong flavor profiles.

D: At 8%, this is a slow-going ale. The flavors are so dominant though that tastebud fatigue can easily set in.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2008 01:38:51 | More by akorsak

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got a small bottle for $7 at Tap and Table in Emmaus, PA. Poured into a large snifter, the beer is a bit of a foamer and really needs to warm up before it comes to life. Even then the hops aren't that big, though flowery hops dominate the taste. There's a light bready flavor in the background and behind the more citrusy hops in the aroma. Of course, as a good Belgian, the boy is drinkable, relatively light for its strength, and complimented by typical, sweet Belgian spice.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2009 23:28:48 | More by tempest