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

counselor

Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours a dark brown and unasuming. Smells deep, dark and malty. Aromas of caramel, tobacco and leather. The taste is deep malt, spicey, sweet, but not sugary. Caramel flavors dominate with very little alcohol, despite the 10% abv. Wow, drink slowly and enjoy, this is a dark, enjoyable beer. I highly recommend it

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2004 02:40:20 | More by counselor

tomthumbsblues

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

This beer poured a dark brown-orange color. The head was slight and looked tan and slightly green. Head left a nice ring about the glass and left some lacing. Smell was a melange of fruit, chocolate, and roasted malt. Taste was overall very sweet and was composed of chocolate and fruit with a hint of spice. Mouthfeel was smooth and rich. This was a wonderful beer, but, in the end, the sweetness proved to be overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2004 02:40:54 | More by tomthumbsblues

Goldorak

Quebec (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark brown with a bit of red around the edges. Small sticky head.

Smell: Big caramel malt.

Taste: Big and round, great body, nice maltiness and strong alcohol finish. A terrific Beer to warm up to on a cold winter night.

Many thanks to StevieW for the sample!

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2004 16:35:54 | More by Goldorak

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

pour of non stop creamy foam and bubbles. OK once its in the glass. Fresh 2004. Corriander clove overdose and almost sugary malts but drinkable with meal. Auburn raisin brown.Bannana in yeast aroma. Alcohol knocked us out. Upped rating based on another tasting 5 months later.
Two and a half years later, tried a 2002 and it was a mellow yeasty treat with an orangey lace colour and taste.
Had a 2002 8 years later and it really mellow and gave forth dark fruit. Smooth.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2004 05:32:42 | More by northyorksammy

WesWes

New York

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

The beer pours a very dark brown color with a 1/4" tan head that fades to lacing. The aroma is great. It has a warm and spicey scent that boasts of a complex crystal malt arrangement and fruity Belgian yeast. The taste is great as well. It has a very smooth and sweet crystal malt flavor that goes down easy and warms a little on the finish. It is sweet with malts and a fruity on the aftertaste; very mellow and flavorful. The mouthfeel is good. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a damn fine brew and an excellent drinker. It has everything that I look for in a beer: good aroma, complexity, and mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2004 23:33:54 | More by WesWes

SheepNutz

Kentucky

4.08/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750mL bottle poured into a snifter. It pours a murky brown color with two fingers of head. The smell is sweet and has a touch of tart cherry to it. The taste is very malty, slightly sweet with more overripe cherry and other dark fruit coming through. A little bit of spice on the finish. The mouthfeels is very nice, thick and heavy, yet smooth. The drinkability is good as well for an 8% brew. Nicely done.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2004 18:59:22 | More by SheepNutz

clvand0

Kentucky

3.88/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured a dark brown color with a large tan head that died off quickly and left very little lacing on the glass. The aroma was fruity, with orange being the most upfront and there was a yeasty spice as well. The flavor had a nice Belgian spice character and an orange citrus flavor. Caramel and other malts give it a nice body and flavor. Seems just a tad thin, but very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2004 15:07:47 | More by clvand0

kmpitz2

Tennessee

4/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2003 edition. This poured a dark brown/tea color wtih one finger of head that falls to a ring around the top of the beer. The nose is sweet cherries and sweet caramel, good malties. The taste reflects the smell, with some cherry and caramel notes. The feel is relatively thick and the drinkability is good, easy drinking on this beer. Overall a good find.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2004 21:35:29 | More by kmpitz2

beerceller99

Louisiana

4.93/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

75 cl. bottle from 2003. Has a ruby brown hue with an off white head. Massive fruity aroma of raisons, plums, pudding bread, and dark caramels. The flavor profile runs the spectrum, from malty caramel, vanilla extracts, to raisons, dates, and Hawaiian sweet bread. All this wrapped in a smooth, medium body. Finishes with a warming alcohol mellowness.

This brew is carbonated cognac; Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2004 17:10:12 | More by beerceller99

HappyHourHero

Indiana

4.58/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2004
Thick, light cocoa colored, head faded quickly to a film island. Opaque mahogany colored beer. Fairly strong aroma of dark candy sugar, alcohol, and plum. Lots of interesting flavor, some sweet caramel and vanilla, it's got that barrel aged creamy alcohol flavor even though it's probably never touched a barrel. Feel is kind of slick up front but dries out towards the end, definitely a good thing. A full bodied beer that leaves your stomach warm. Besides the dissapointing head (snicker) this beer is great, a big beer with a delicious flavor and inviting aroma.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2004 03:05:40 | More by HappyHourHero

shapudding

Pennsylvania

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

Dark rootbeery with lots of carbination seen coming to the top where it rested at as a nice creamy, khaki milkshakey head that covered nicely made a thick ring at the edges. Scent of sherry and sasafrass, cola, slightly vineous-more merlot-like....
Intensely smooth... Sweet and honeylike. Bing cherries, red delicious apples. Medium carbination in the taste which is surprising since you can see so much rising in the tulip glass...
The sweetness is not cloying, just nice. Alcohol makes it's presence know, but is not overpowering and does not keep this from being decently drinkable. This is damn good stuff!

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2004 16:02:19 | More by shapudding

crookedhalo

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a deep ruby highlighted brown with a very minimal beige head in an authentic little Gouden Carolus "Cuvee of the Emperor" 5.5 oz. chalice. Pruney like fruit smells; medicinal and dark roasted malt and candi sugar aromas, too. The taste is equally pruney and medicinal, how I'd like my Geritol to be when and if I get to that stage in life :). Light chocolate reminiscence as it warms. Slight sweet/sour finish. Lower carbonation level is perfect for a "nightcap" type of beer that this is. Mouthfeel is nice, slick on the tongue. I'm glad this beer was only served 5.5 oz. at a time, because 12 oz. would have taken me too long to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2004 04:06:16 | More by crookedhalo

drewbage

California

4/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark chocolate brown with low fluffy tan head.

Aroma is figs and dark jellied fruits and a large fruited wines

Molasses and caramelized brown sugars with a spicy ginger and pepper like gingerbread rides through to the finish.

Overall an interesting spin on a Belgian dark, leaning towards a holiday brew with its intense spiciness, even though the nose is more like the complexity of a port.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2004 07:41:46 | More by drewbage

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.74/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pop! Goes the cork...pours a dark, plummy, raisinish color, with a small-to-nonexistent head, poof!, she's gone....

Aroma is a heady blend of dark fruits, the aforementioned and more, cherries, etc., and a rich, sweet, molasses-like component that soon blends together to provide a brandyish feel. Dark and mysterious, urging me to finally put lips to cup.

Huge mouthfeel, lush and delicious, and...hooo! It's happening, that uncommon feel from an ale that washes a sort of wonderfulness all throughout the senses, lays waste to the skeptical mindset, the analytical eye, and provides nothing but pleasure...whoa...sweetness resides in every sip, but never cloys, malt is large, and the texture is so rich and warm, the ABV appearing in full force, that the flavor never leaves the mouth.

Oh, wow, this is good. goodness upon goodness, tasty to the max...I haven't said yum yet, but it'll come in handy here!

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2004 06:51:49 | More by feloniousmonk

dougnboston

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I've been following this beer for a few years. It's very consistant year-to-year and just wonderful.

They brew it just once a year, on February 24th and invite the public to help ... just show up at 8 AM with a cup of coffee and they'll put you to work! Very cool.

If you enjoy a stong, flavorful, dark beer ... this will take you all the way there.

Enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2004 02:47:24 | More by dougnboston

Vipsanius

Texas

4.9/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2003 750ml bottle

Poured a dark reddish brown into a chalice with a slight light tan head. Doesn't have great lacing but that's about the only downfall to this great beer.

The smell and taste are very complex. Each time you bring the glass to your lips you can pick up on something new. I could pick up on hints of molasses, figs, plums, and fresh baked banana bread (others were spot on picking up on that). It's a 10% ABV beer and you can pick up on it but there are so many other flavors that it usually gets pushed to the wayside. Overall, a very, very drinkable beer.

Whenever I cook a good steak, this is the first beer I want to grab out of my cellar. I try to keep this stocked at all times.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2004 00:19:50 | More by Vipsanius

rdrummer

New Jersey

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

I enjoyed this Carolus greatly. It poured a ruby color with a tannish head and lots of lacing. The aroma was heavenly with lots of sweet malt and some fruitiness. The taste was an amalgam of sweet malt, spices, and fruit with just a hint of hops and alcohol at the end. The spices appeared to be some sage and perhaps basil with some citrus fruitiness. The beer is a nice thick bodied beer with a lingering sweetness that is very pleasant, but drunk in too much quantity could become cloying. The alcohol also contributes to feeling done with the one bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2004 23:44:20 | More by rdrummer

BrewMan82

Washington

4.2/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 oz. bottle
Pours muddy, dark amber/brown. Saw some red at the end of the glass as well. Volumous white head boils down to a small cap. Malt aroma is like a dark and wet forest - woodsy. Alcohol scent present, with some noticeable yeasty sweet aromas. The taste is initially fruity yeast that is very light on the tongue due to the incredible carbonation. Alcohol is present thoughout, with a woodsy flavor appearing. No bitterness - hops hardly discernable. The aftertase is smooth, light and malty. Mouthfeel is strongly malt and especially yeast emphasized - a chewy intricate brew! Enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2004 06:41:12 | More by BrewMan82

bditty187

Nebraska

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

2003

Murky, chestnut red in hue with strong brown influences, the color has great depth and is very attractive. A smallish beige head reached a sad half finger in height, the head retention was poor and it quickly dissipated to a sparse, bubbly cap. The subsequent lacing was almost zilch. This aspect of the beer is disappointing. The nose is awesome, great potency, alcoholic black licorices upfront, supple warm maltiness follows, lots of plums and soft grape notes, figs, raisins, a bit of raw rubbing alcohol too but it is largely rounded and blended perfectly with a yeasty spice. I’m in love with the nose, there is so much going on yet every aroma has a voice and I like what it is saying. It is time to drink-up! Upfront the palate is momentarily empty, I could sense the flavor sensation ready to explode but for a brief moment there was anticipation, a pause, it was like Christmas morning as a kid. Man, I knew this was going to be good! And then it happened, I swallowed this nectar and I finally tasted it! At first it was very peppery, clovey, green grape skins, citrus zest, rubbing alcohol, a bit of spiced rum, juicy maltiness, and caddied sugar. This beer is just a puppy, it has bite and it could use some maturing but I really like it “as is.” I do think the mouthfeel is a little too empty; it is a little over-carbonated yet I can’t downgrade it that much. Maybe I am nitpicking. This is a lovely beer, very drinkable and very wantable; I bought a 750ml corked-and-caged bottle in Lincoln a few months ago. Sadly, the last time I checked there was no more. Damn. If you see it, buy it, and then enjoy it. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2004 18:35:27 | More by bditty187

frank4sail

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark ruby color light biege outer ring of a head. Sweet candi sugar and malt sweetness in the nose. Taste of sweet port, raisens, plum, and corriander, and a finish that has a dry touch of white pepper. Lively mouth upfront mellows to a coating thinner but smooth mouth. A nice sippin beer and one to drink with a good steak.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2004 00:58:57 | More by frank4sail

lou91

California

4.05/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2000 Vintage in 2004. After 4 years this beer was very alive with a nice fizz and a great nose of ripe bananas and malt. The color was a radiant red with a brown blended in. The taste was like a light abbey ale - light in the body but still good in the taste. The taste was good but fleeting. As it warmed the flavors of raisins and honey malt come through much better. For the vintage dating this was a bit disappointing as age did not really improve it.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2004 05:56:53 | More by lou91

Wildman

Ohio

4/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer came in a beautiful bottle, so it must be their major holiday promotion. This beer poured a reddish amber color and formed a small light tan bubbly head that coated the glass with lace as it subsided. A medium amount of carbonation is present. An aroma of malt, cherries, vanilla and a hint of chocolate. The flavor was of malt, chocolate with a warming aspect of the alcohol present. The finish was sweet yet slightly sprite. The body was not as heavy as others of this style. Aging would probably help this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2004 02:36:27 | More by Wildman

ark57

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2002 Vintage - I has cellared this particular beer for a little over a year and it has made a huge difference in it. Its cloudy, dark-ruby color is not much to look at, but that is the worst part of it. The aroma has vanilla, oak, and maple in the nose. The taste has more of the same plus other complexities. It is very smooth and finishes mellow. I wish there were more of these in my cellar.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2004 13:59:38 | More by ark57

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3

Chimay chalice, close to room temp From a ruby brown body mounted with a fully diminishing big light brown head emanes a powerful sweet aroma. Ultra-sweet in fact, full of red licorice flavours, almost too much for its own good, but decadent nevertheless. Quite spicy as well as you'd expect from a belgian grand cru (herbal thyme and sage), lots of fruits (orange, lemon peel). Just a big malty nose altogether with restrained dusty yeastiness. As it warms, it acquires a powdery chocolate feel as well. In mouth, it's still very sweet, with more alcohol than I expected, vious candi sugar. Lots of malty flavours to decorticate: mint, grapes, orange with floral qualities... Aftertaste is long and made me think of a banana split with touches of alcohol and licorice. A complex beer, definitely a sipper with this big medium-thick body and a low carbonation level. A dessert by itself.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2004 21:26:29 | More by Rastacouere

TripelJ

Florida

4/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Now Quaffing: Gouden Carolus D'or 750 ML

Pours a ruddy reddish-brown with a dense tan head that recedes after a few minutes. Aroma is simply sweet, with a hint of spicy alcohol. Taste is much more mellow than I remember, although I have only previously had this beer in the smaller, 12 oz. bottle. Mostly sweet apple and light caramel with just a hint of acidic bitterness. A small piece of "Red Delicious" Apple with the peel, dipped in caramel... Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and drinkability is very good, when considering the 8% abv.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2004 02:22:07 | More by TripelJ