Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw (Blue) - Brouwerij Het Anker

oberon

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A beer that dont come around often,pours a deep brown with some reddish tints with to be expected a hug rocky head.Aroma is of spiced cherries and alcohol,taste is spices and of dried fruit(cherries) and ginger-like and the alcohol really comes thru as it warms.It would be tough to finish a bottle of this brew but it is very appetizing to say the least.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2004 03:03:17 | More by oberon

GnomeKing

Pennsylvania

2.35/5  rDev -45.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The predominant smell and taste is of alcohol. But what else does this beer offer? Not much. The taste was bland and lacked complexity. I couldn't make out much flavor, just the taste of alcohol. The aftertaste was stale. This one is only brewed once a year, on February 24. Why all the fuss? There's nothing special here. This one is unworthy of the great Belgian suds tradition.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2004 13:07:48 | More by GnomeKing

Billolick

New York

4.38/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2003 corked bottle. Cork explodes out. BE CAREFUL. This is a monster of a beer, not for the faint of heart. Currents, prunes and figs in the nose. sweet with very present alcohol. silky, oily mouthfeel. Tastes kind of bready. Lots of fruit. Makes you want to sip and try more to explore the complex flavors and layers of intrigue. would go well with hearty meats and dessert

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2004 11:53:06 | More by Billolick

Zorro

California

4.75/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a DEEP dark clear ruby brown.

Smells extremely complex, malt, banana, raisins, dates, brown sugar, basically it smells like grandmothers banana bread. Also reminds me of a good expensive sherry.

Tastes sweet, and bready. Lots of nut flavor and fruit and spices, tastes a lot like good banana bread. This has a nice warming effect that makes it PERFECT for a winter beer.


Mouthfeel is thinner than you would expect for such a flavor packed beer.

Definitely drinkable, this makes a superior holiday brew.

Screw eggnog; give me this at Christmas time!

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2004 06:28:20 | More by Zorro

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2003 bottling, Sampled January 2004:
The cork explodes from the bottle. A deep ruby color that is topped by a dark tan head. Aromas of plum, raisin, lots of dark malt aromas, and slight notes of alcohol emanate from my glass. The taste is rich and sweet with dark fruit (cherry, raisin, and fig) and alcohol in the finish. The mix of fruit and alcohol is evocative of brandy. Ends with a bit of acidity, which is a nice balancing note. The fruitiness is perhaps most reminiscent of dark cherries, though there are some subtle notes of peach as well.

This is quite good, very rich and a definite brew to savor. Could perhaps use something to balance the sweetness and fruitiness; maybe some Belgian yeast complexity or some off-setting spice notes. This beer is very smooth, with no harsh components despite the high alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2004 00:07:41 | More by Gueuzedude

Crosling

Colorado

4.47/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into the proper Gouden Carolus chalice.

Beautiful color! Dark mahogany with hints of ruby and magenta. Long lasting head stayed till the last sip but the slippery lace fell apart...damn.

The nose was full of discarded banana peel that had been baking in the sun for three days, brandy, clove, sugar, red licorice, sweet dark fruits and alcohol. Nice nose on this one!

This was one excellent tasting beer! Raisins, plums, figs, banana peel, clove, lots of sugar, brandy, red licorice and a hint of alcohol. As the ale warmed the alcohol became less pronounced which was really impressive. So many diverse and dynamic flavors while being so smooth and drinkable. Warming mouthfeel and very heavy in the mouth.

Unbelieveable!

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2004 04:55:56 | More by Crosling

BierReise

Florida

4.3/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750cl Corked bottle dated 2002. Label has a blue banner reading "Grand Cru of the Emperor". Poured a hazy firey reddish amber color with a thick head which reduced in size quickly. Aroma is a malty fruity one with notes of caramel and vanilla. Has a sugary brandy like quality as well in the nose. Mouthfeel is full and velvety smooth with a crisp finish that couldn't be better. Flavor is fruity and delicious with sweet candy sugar and yeast creating a complex and flavorful ale. The 2 years of aging has served this ale well. Alcohol is unnoticible and flavors are pronounced and soft. Nice Belgian!

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2004 20:22:52 | More by BierReise

mickeymac

California

4.38/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Serious looking bottle: 750 ml brownie with a black and gold label and "Grand Cru of the Emperor" on a blue band running diagonally across the label. The cork was a bit tough to pull out (fortunately my teeth are in good shape). Pours a deep cherry that looks nice when held up to the light. The smell is a mouth-watering mix of dates, raisins, plum, toffee, and just a hint of hops. At 10%, the smell of alcohol also comes through but it just balances everything else nicely. The taste is amazingly complex. I'm probably drinking this stuff too soon, but I really don't care. It's a real knock-out. Every time it seems to be on the verge of cloyingly caking up the mouth, something new jumps in to keep things working: a bit of sour apple, hops, and just a bit of the good old barnyard funk. The mouthfeel is nice and chunky. I'm going back for more.

I just tried this again six months later and am upping my review. It has opened up a bit more. It still has an amazing array of ripe fruit, but it's not quite as overwhelming as it was at the beginning of the year. This may be one of my top 5 beers by '05.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2004 06:55:36 | More by mickeymac

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.43/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2003 Offering

Presentation: A very majestic looking bottle, tall dark and handsome I just had to pick this one up, its appearance just had too much class and quality for me to leave it on the shelf. $8.99 got me the usual brown glass 750ml. The half in - half out Cork is covered in an all black steel wire & flat cap cage, the black flat cap has the Het Anker Coat of Arms in gold, the wire cage is all black also. A small black paper neck label chokes the bulbous bottle top and just has '2003' in gold. The main black & gold label covers 270° of the circumference of the bottle. The main difference from the usual Gouden Carolus Carolus D’Or is a diagonal dark blue sash that says “Grand Cru of the Emperor” in gold, this is the English label; the homeland version has the words “Cuvée Van De Keizer”. Excellent presentation.

Appearance: I poured this into a pint Glass, heresy of heresies, but I knew that this one would not be hanging around and I just did not want to keep topping up a smaller chalice. Lovely deep brown body, clear at first with thousands of streamers (look carefully), has a cherry red look when backlit. The head is solid is first, a medium tan brown, it slowly forms & then slowly rescinds with an audible fizz, but there is always a covering & some light lacing to accompany it.

Nose: Liquorice was instantly detected before the beer even touched my lips. Alcoholic malts are set in a collection of several fruits, giving a beautifully enticing aroma. Smells good.

Taste: Sweet malts in the start, then I get an explosion of tastes, liquorice again, dark fruits, malts, raisins, figs, dates and a little more chocolate-alcohol at the back end with some warming dark malts. Liquorice again in the dry finish. It warms the pot-belly well and truly this one!

Mouthfeel: Nice smooth feel, like a thick shag-pile carpet the beer sinks onto the tongue and is so thick it envelops it. Good carbonation lends a spritzy mouthfeel; a spicy aniseed twang is left on the tongue after the beer is swallowed.

Drinkability: The Pint Glass was a good choice for Drinkability, as I expected, I was soon shaking the empty 750ml somehow magically hoping there would be more beer in there. Maybe at 10% its best there wasn’t.

Overall: Excellent, a very accomplished Grand Cru and a smooth brew that will probably get better in the next 12 months, so I’m cellaring at least one of these.

This one does improve with age – so get two if you haven’t tried it, and thank me later for that advice. I’ll be back to this one in a year’s time.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2003 05:35:28 | More by TheLongBeachBum

beerluvr

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 2002. Pours with a creamy, just off-white head sitting atop hazy amber/red liquid. The nose is of liquorice, some maltiness and subtle hints of dark fruit. Taste is rich in yeasty Belgian "Horse Blanket" esters and dark fruits, such as fig and prunes backed by a short shot of malty sugar followed by note of powdery yet creamy mouthfeel, and then a wave of alcoholic warmth spreads across the throat and chest as I swallow this elixir. Finishes complex and potent as Hell...nice malt sweetness bows down to alcohol notes, with a hoppy ending. A great sipper to be enjoyed on an East coast storms' aftermath!

Thanks to Pabobcat!

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2003 05:54:46 | More by beerluvr

ElGuapo

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

As the cork shoots across the room, I am hit with a massive nose of alcohol. Thankfully as I watch a murky dark brown brew fill my glass, the alcohol disappears into the air. This brew is at first topped in a healthy topping of tannish foam, but it dies to almost nothing in no time at all. Lots of sweet fruits and spicy cloves in the aroma. There is also a lot of alcohol, too much. A big whiff of molasses tunes down the alcohol a bit to make it a bit nicer on the old whiffer.

Pretty rich in body, I would say full, but not really full, just full. You are started off with a nice rich helping of fruits (cherries for the most part). Molasses comes in a bit to keep the sweetness in check. It is then joined by a very nice portion of spices. Alcohol comes in very big at times, but it stays hidden for a few swigs here and there. The aftertaste lets the alcohol slip away, and you are left with a delicious mouthful of dark grains with a very nice roasty flavor. The complexity of this beer is certainly top shelf. The drinkability is pretty good. It is very smooth with light carbonation, and the finish is very rich and creamy. This one has a nice warming character as well.

This is an excellent beer on those gulps where the alcohol is kept in check. The flavor, aroma, and drinkability would be better if it were hidden more. I found that once it sit in my glass a bit, the alcohol spice died down a bit. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2003 23:54:33 | More by ElGuapo

RoyalT

Ohio

4.97/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance - Dark, reddish-brown in color with a gorgeous head. This one looks serious.

Smell - This is grand cru heaven. The malt base is covered in sweet toffee, caramel, and orange flavors that are big as Mt. Rainier. The brown sugar sweetness is almost palatable on the nose.

Taste - This is perfection. The deep, sweet flavors of brown sugar, orange, liquid toffee, and caramel meld together in an incredible blend. The slightly toasted malt flavors are there as well, but this is all about that sticky, sweet taste of sugary perfections that is the Belgian Grand Cru. There's also just a hint of alcohol notes to warn of the typically high 10.0 ABV.

The chewy nature of this flavor is complimented by hearty plums, some tobacco, thick, rich apricots, and maybe even some apples. This is sugar at its best.

Mouthfeel - The slight carbonation, in accordance with the style, is complimented by the amazing buttery smoothness of the sugary ingredients.

Drinkability - If you have a sweet tooth and love fine Belgian ales, this is the one for you. God forbid you should be a Grand Cru fan - you HAVE to try this ale.

Comments - The label reads, "Gouden Carolus," over the top and, "Carolus D'or," on the bottom. There's a blue banner with gold writing that looks to be labeled diagonally across the bottle, although it is clearly part of the manufactured label, that reads, "Grand Cru of the Emperor." This is indeed fit for royalty.

Update - I popped a vintage 2000 in 2004. The aroma is even deeper than when it was fresh, but the flavors were washed out a bit. The musty, dirty, cellared flavors though were a delight. Four years is probably too old for this guy; maybe two or three max. It has been my experience that Grand Crus are usually good fresh and almost always peak at a year or two in the cellar.

Update - I had a 2005 at the end of the 2005 year. I'm convinced that this brew should not be cellared.

Fresh this is absolutely incredible! It's really one of the best beers that I've ever had. It represents exactly to me what I think of when hearing the term "grand cru". It's thick yet super sweet. It is incredibly complex. It melts in your mouth. It makes you feel like a king.

Update - I had a 2010 in 2010 just to test my theory that Grand Crus are really just cellared BSDAs and I think I proved my point. This is smooth, well-aged, with even some musty characters, and is incredibly drinkable after just a few months in the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2003 02:56:19 | More by RoyalT

euskera

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 ML bottle..

Pours out a dark ruby red with a nice head that lingers just a bit. Sweet malt with brown sugar overtones a just a faintest spicy hint underneath that malty exterior.

Dangerously tasty. My first Grand Cru and something I'd drink again without much thought...

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2003 02:17:34 | More by euskera

Dogbrick

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sampled at From The Vine monthly beer tasting Oct 13th, 2003: 2003 Bottle: Dark ruby/amber with a medium beige head and nice lacing. Aroma of plum, malt, caramel and banana. Fairly rich and complex with a nice vinous blend of fruit (apple mostly), malt, chocolate and a little alcohol. The finish is sweet and lingering. Definitely worth getting again.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2003 15:27:32 | More by Dogbrick

granger10

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This one is stated Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emperor (pretty high accomplishment if you ask me). But this didn't quite live up to its self proclaimed greatness. Pours a muddy reddish brown color with basically no head and little lacing. Lots of floating yeast sediment in the beer. But the nose on it is terrific. Lots of sweet maltiness. The initial taste backs up the nose. Plums and raisins combined with a hit of sharp carbonation. But this follows with a buttery diacetyl taste that starts out nice but eventually becomes too sharp and ends up tasting like scotch. Finish is dry and yeasty with some more raisiny sweetness and it lingered for a long, long time. Good, but I couldn't drink too many of these. I would definitely age this one if I get it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2003 01:43:06 | More by granger10

jackndan

Illinois

2.68/5  rDev -37.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emperor: Kind of a fancy pants name for a beer that I did not think was all that good. Big bomber bottle marked 2000 around the neck ring. Corked bottle. When pouring, I quickly noted substantial chunks of sediment, and this beer poured into somewhat of an unappetizing murky reddish brown color, with not much head. It did taste better than it looked, with predominant tastes of dried fruits, raisons prunes, etc. I did sense a tiny taste of sourness that was not all that unpleasant. All in all, I’d pass.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2003 15:36:43 | More by jackndan

marc77

California

3.43/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 2002. Murky chestnut brown hue. Creamy beige head with homogenously sized bubbles. Intricate webs of lace remain. Vinous waft of sherryish fruit upfront in aroma tapers, allowing sugary dark caramel and clove to emerge. Hint of must and butter. Mellow banana esters surface as the beer breathes. Functional, but not overly enticing aromawise. Mild honey like sweetness hits the palate initially, then yields to a bitterish melange of bread crust and powdered baker's chocolate. Sweetness then resumes, this time of a clean, molasses tinged dark caramel nature. Herbal, clove phenol appears late, and detracts from the malt character, which had almost developed into a rich, carob undertone. Lightly bodied and well attenuated, but the paltry hop bitterness leaves overall balance well skewed towards malt sweetness. Finishes with a snap of clove laced sweetness, but otherwise dry and clean. It's certainly a flavorful brew, but residual and caramel malt derived sweetness clashed somewhat with the phenols, thus preventing greatness. This bottle was quite young. Definitely a beer worthy of cellaring.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2003 17:34:18 | More by marc77

cokes

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2000.
Hazed chocolate cranberry color. Yeast pours adds chunks of globular sediment. Looks like the contents of a broken lava lamp. Thin, wispy tan head.
Overpowering nose of raisins, shoe polish and rubbing alcohol. Some of the more subtle fruit and spice notes get trampled underfoot, but are noticed in the periphery.
Taste falls along the same line. Raisins are noted first, and continue to linger throughout. Large amounts of toffee/butterscotch. Fairly resembles scotch in some of the alcohol tones. More in taste than perceived strength. Some subdued pear juiciness is recognized. There is a plastic flavor that stays steady for the duration, serving as a major distraction and seems to eat up all the spices. Powdery chocolate hues enter towards the finish. Yeast pours turns this softer and breadier. Rides out with residual prunes notes.
Decent, yet nothing remarkable in the mouth. Yeast helps bolster a slightly thin texture.
ABV% is well hidden, as it should be.
While this is decent, and somewhat interesting, a few critical flaws keep this from being anything special.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2003 22:45:09 | More by cokes

Gusler

Arizona

4.1/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a bemused cherry red color, the head prodigious, creamy in its texture, the lace fine sheets to cling to the glass. Nose is malt, ripe cherry sweet, hints of fusel alcohol, also present to this old nose. Front is sweetly malt; the top is middling in feel. Finish is potently acidic with the hops being apropos to the style, quite dry aftertaste. The high ABV, warms the tummy, and adds that just right character to the beer. I could not wait to sample this beer, but I have two more to age away as recommended. It will certainly improve with age, as I think it needs to mellow a bit, which what a year or two in the cellar will do.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2002 15:34:40 | More by Gusler