Gouden Carolus Noël / Christmas - Brouwerij Het Anker

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BA SCORE
89
very good
-
573 Ratings

rAvg: 3.98
pDev: 14.82%
Reviews: 427
Hads: 146

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
Brouwerij Het Anker

Belgium

Style | ABV
Belgian Strong Dark Ale | 10.00% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (355), on-tap (70), growler (1), cask (1).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

View: Beers (17) | Reviews (9) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by Jwale73:

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.41/5 rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

11.2oz. bottle served in my Gouden Carolus chalice. Lot number 12071 indicated on the back label. Pours a dull mahogany hue with a consistent, 1.5 inch, light tan head the sizzles and pops as it slowly recedes into a clumpy quarter inch cap. Nose suggests dark fruit, anise and orange Aspergum. Tastes pretty much like it smells - no real surprises here. There's also a slightly oxidized quality that comes out towards the finish. Mouthfeel is light-medium (but closer to light) with an even carbonation that falls just shy of being lively. There's also just a kiss of residual heat that lingers between quaffs as well as a slight acidity. Overall, not a bad example of the style, but not my favorite from this brewer. Not sure what a little age might do to this, but it might be worth laying down a bottle for a year or two.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 00:55:29 | More by Jwale73

More User Reviews:

Janeinma

Massachusetts

4/5 rDev +0.5%

06-14-2013 16:14:25 | More by Janeinma

DeutschesBier

Maryland

3.75/5 rDev -5.8%

06-07-2013 15:18:39 | More by DeutschesBier

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

4/5 rDev +0.5%

05-27-2013 20:07:22 | More by Kmat10

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5 rDev +0.5%

05-27-2013 16:47:25 | More by InspectorBob

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.5/5 rDev -12.1%

05-16-2013 22:13:59 | More by Slatetank

Stugotzo

Florida

4/5 rDev +0.5%

05-12-2013 16:22:05 | More by Stugotzo

WillCarrera

Illinois

3.21/5 rDev -19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

750 ml bottle, bottled on 09/08/11, poured into a tulip glass.

A- Pours a slightly weird shade of murky, dark brown, topped with a nice, thick off-white head that leaves good lacing.

S- Interesting aroma, lots of sweet dark malts, fruit, and a lot of christmas-ey spices (clove, nutmeg, allspice).

T- Lots of sweet dark malts, fruit, and some light spiciness, but from the middle through to the finish the flavor is dominated by a huge combination of vinous, anise and boozy flavors. It's simultaneously too sweet and too vinous. Weird. Bad.

M- Medium-bodied, smooth feel, the booziness isn't quite as noticeable here and is only a bit warm.

O- This was pretty bad. The anise, sweetness and vinous flavors are all in the wrong proportions, and produce a beer that doesn't fit together and isn't fun to drink. Pass.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 05:26:47 | More by WillCarrera

Sparky44

Illinois

4/5 rDev +0.5%

04-26-2013 03:57:27 | More by Sparky44

KTCamm

New Jersey

4.13/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from champagne bottle into perfect pint glass.

Pours very dark brown, some maroon hints and a layer of foam. Chocolate cherry nose, and other assorted fruits. Cola too. Sweet belgian candi sugar taste but balanced well. Earthy hop close - not in a bitter sense, but in a flavored one. A bit boozy. Rich.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 12:24:24 | More by KTCamm

Sunnanek

Sweden

4/5 rDev +0.5%

04-19-2013 17:53:47 | More by Sunnanek

Murrhey

Montana

3.7/5 rDev -7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 330-ml bottle into a tulip glass in high elevation Libby, Mont. Reviewed live. Expectations are relatively high. Either bottled date or best-by date is Jan. 8, 2012. I really hope it is the former and not the latter. Although with the high ABV, I imagine it wouldn't be ruined by a year anyway. I could be wrong.

A- Three-finger thick, attractive light brown color. Amazingly long retention for the ABV. Thick fluffy core with fairly large bubbles. Lasts about three minutes. Clingy spotty lacing. Murky walnut colored brew with very little clarity.

S- Deep alcohol notes and spicy. Very fragrant and boozy. Nice notes.

T- Boozy and nice even-handled flavors. Spices and yeasts are very present here.

M- Vinous and wet. Sticky remainder on the feel.

O- Booze-bomb and it tastes like it.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 02:50:16 | More by Murrhey

beerthirtysa

Texas

4.44/5 rDev +11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

a: nice ruby-red color, but almost brunette unless held directly in the light. weak, off-white head with decent, but not thick, lacing.

s: alcohol predominates along with malt overtones. some gentle hops and plenty of dark cheery and blueberry.

t: smooth as silk. sweet, chewy malt with hints of molasses. alcohol noticeable. slightly hoppy finish.

m: a bit oily in consistency but very inoffensive. lusciously rich texture. carbonation effervesces only slightly on the way to the back of the throat.

o: a very pleasant ale that, though high in alcohol content, is extremely drinkable brew. one to enjoy with friends on a cold winter evening.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 18:55:48 | More by beerthirtysa

Bromine

Florida

2.75/5 rDev -30.9%

04-11-2013 11:31:54 | More by Bromine

newton99

Belgium

4.55/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Pouring a very dark brown, black almost, with reddish brown highlights, this beer is capped with a dense, light brown head with excellent retention and very nice lacing. The nose is a spice bomb. A blend of mace, nutmeg and anise, with some eucalyptus, cola, mildly burnt sugar, this is a little too spiced for my liking. The cola notes here bring to mind discount sodas. Alcohol is reasonably well hidden. In addition, there's quite a bit of dark fruit present, with prunes and figs.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 09:45:55 | More by newton99