Kasteel Cuvée Du Chateau - Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.

MasterSki

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from Jeffo. 2010 vintage, served in a Bell's tulip.

A - Dark tan foam settles to a thick collar, wisps, and splotchy lace. Dark brown body with some reddish highlights to it.

S - A nice mix of candi sugar, bread, spicy Belgian yeast, raisins and rum-soaked dark fruits, a touch of caramel, and a mild aged quality. Perhaps a hint of alcohol as this warms, but nothing excessive.

T - Taste is fairly similar, with honey-dipped bread, dark fruits, candi sugar, port, and spicy notes of clove and anise. Alcohol is a tad better concealed here.

M - Full-bodied, with lower carbonation and a creamy texture. Quite mellow and fairly easy to drink for the style.

D - Nice stuff, but not particularly mind-blowing or distinct from a number of other quads. I like the 'pre-aged' element of this beer as it cuts out some of the harsh alcohol and phenols I get from fresh quads - not sure how this is done, but it's a nifty idea. Easily the best thing I've had from Van Honsebrouck, but that's kind of faint praise.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 01:15:18 | More by MasterSki

ehsieh02

New York

3.45/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A quadrupel from Kasteel line, ABV up to 11%, quite overpowering!

The color shows deep dark brown, with beautiful and delicate foam.

Smell: burnt malt, dark cherry, roasted dark sugar smell.

Taste: medium plus mouthfeel, extremely smooth with strong burnt malt, dark cherry, chocolate, with licorice undernote. However, it is a very sweet beer overall, winey finish.

A: For me, this is overly sweet though complicated that I can hardly finish a bottle myself! It's more like personal preference I suppose...

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 06:05:49 | More by ehsieh02

ccrida

Oregon

4.85/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottled 7/14/2010. Poured into my St. Feuillien goblet, Cuvée Du Chateau is dark brown with a small tan head leaving light, foamy lace.

Smell is big esters, loads of grape, strawberry, bubblegum. Clean, spicy alcohol.

Taste is absolutely amazing. Wow. What a killer quad. Such a clan, pure fruitness, nice little spiciness and clean phenols to cut it, super smooth.

Mouthfeel is slippery and light, the epitome of digestible.

Drinkability is dangerously high. This is a fantastic beer. Absolutely world class; it may have equals, but is unsurpassable.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 06:23:50 | More by ccrida

avalon07

South Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a goblet. Had a dark brown color and a cloudy consistency. There was a small amount of foamy head that quickly dissipated. Not a whole lot of lacing.

S: A big aroma of dark fruit, chocolate, and malt.

T: Tasted of chocolate (just enough), some malt, a bit of yeast, and dark fruit (raisins, plums, etc.). Boozy, but in a good way. A powerful, complex, well done flavor.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a somewhat harsh finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is definitely not a beer wimps. It's big, strong and forceful. It's also well made and totally drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 11:49:39 | More by avalon07

sureshot08

Arizona

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 vintage

Appearance - pours a cola brown color with little head that quickly dissipates.

Smell: sweet, cotton candy, raisins, dark cherries

Taste: similar to smell, also some bready malt character. Not much alcohol character for an 11% beer

Mouthfeel: Mild carbonation, moderate thickness

Overall: A nice quad, easily drinkable. Not in my top 5 quads, but still very good.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 01:51:32 | More by sureshot08

chakadrum

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

No head to the beer and very little lacing throughout the drink.

A bit of sweet dark fruit on the nose. I would have liked a little more intensity, but definitely above average. A little bit of that aged funky basement sort of smell - an appealing amount.

The taste really did it for me. Remarkably balanced. Some sweetness coming through as I'd expect for such a high gravity beer but the right level of sweetness. The taste slowly fades and leaves a little bit of bitterness which is nice.

A little thin in the body. This might be expected given that the beer was bottled just under 2 years ago (July 14, 2010). I could see this beer maturing very nicely for a couple more years.

I think I paid $4.99 (Total Wine and More) for this beer and it was worth every penny. I could easily see this going for $8-10 on tap and I'd gladly pay it.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 04:16:24 | More by chakadrum

bskrtz

Illinois

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

Cold 11.2 ounce bottle served in glass beer challis

A) Hazy cherry cola. The light catches very slow rising carbonation, giving off a grey-white glow

S) Though a quad, smells like a classic Belgian double: sweet caramel, baked apple pie, sour dough

T) Sticky sweet molasses, dark cherries and burnt cooked fruit, mild bitter hops. Yum.

M) Thick and delicious. Effervescent fizz and smooth.

O) Not port like, similar to most quads, but an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 02:02:50 | More by bskrtz

einar85

Norway

3.43/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Dark brown color with light brown foam - low head retention.
S: Raisins, dried plums, and caramel. An intense and "dark" smell, but still quite fruity. Pleasant.
T: The alcohol is highly recognizable with a sweet burnt malt flavor. The licorice in the aftertaste is a little overpowering.
M: Nice carbonation. A medium plus body.
O: Pleasant aromas, but it could be better balanced.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 17:42:02 | More by einar85

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

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

Bottle at Volo, served way too cold ininitally. So much better as it warmed with grapey aroma and winey rich, dark coloured body A good barleywine, and a real wine substitute. That kasteel flavour. Alcohol well hidden. Almost no retained head.Above average mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 01:34:02 | More by northyorksammy

DARIVA

Netherlands

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: This is a very dark beer with a small head.

S: The scents of almonds and a little bit of caramel.

T: Slightly sour and also sweet with a bitter aftertaste.

M: Decent carbonation and a nice mouthfeel.

O: Heavy not easily drinkable beer, but tasteful and fairly complex.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 18:22:48 | More by DARIVA

metter98

New York

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

A: The beer is extremely cloudy (nearly opaque) brown in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin yet very dense beige colored head. The head consistently left a large patch of bubbles in the center of the glass and a thick ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass and a coating down the sides.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of dark fruits in the nose along with some hints of rum.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of dark fruits—cherries and plums stand out in particular—and becomes more complex as the beer warms up. No sweetness is present.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a relatively smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: Considering the strength of this beer, the alcohol is very well hidden, but the taste is complex enough to make it a nice beer to sip.

Note: 2010 vintage

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 02:23:09 | More by metter98

albertjr21

New York

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Vintage 2010 bottle served in a globe wine glass.

Pours a murky caramel brown color under a sparse head. Complex aroma blend of dark fruit, perhaps fig or prune, cherry, oak and dare I say, somewhat similar to that of a robust port wine. Intensely rich dark roasted bready caramel sweet mouthfeel dominates with flavors foretold in the aroma. As brew warms, flavors become more pronounced and buddy-buddy with my palate. Very nice brew...

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 02:09:48 | More by albertjr21

phisig137

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A- 2010 vintage poured into my Samichlaus tulip. Deep, dark, and brooding, with a 1.5 inch head and excellent retention and lacing.

S- Heaps and piles of rotting stone fruits, berries, and sugar. Also, an odd petrol like phenolic quality, not unlike certain sweet german white wines. Nice.

T- Not anywhere near as sweet as the nose would lead you to believe. There is certainly residual sugar, but nothing like their Donker or other quads out there. Some fruitiness, excellent mocha character, perhaps a touch of cinnamon, and delicious yeasty esters. On the finish, it also exhibits some nice dry sherry and woody notes. Tastes far older than it is. Pretty damn solid.

M- Thick, heavy, and coating.

O- Better than the sum of its parts. While this certainly isn't an everyday beer, it is excellent on a cold dark night. While I think it's pretty solid right now, a few years would do this beer wonders. I anticipate in another 4-6 years this will be flat out phenomenal. If you're a fan of the style, it's certainly worth trying. Especially at the excellent price of $9 for a 750 mL.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 00:09:33 | More by phisig137

Everydayoff

Thailand

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 vintage came in 750ml bottle poured into a tulip.

A:
Gloomy dark brown color with a slight garnet tinge, the pour produces rich tan frothy cap with medium retention then yields plenty of sticky laces clinging on an inner wall. Once it settled, there is thin bubble film covering the partial of a surface.

S:
Exploding a well mellow fruitiness and sweet derive from plums, prunes, grapes, molasses, treacle, barley malt, balancing by subtle phenolic note, slight creamy chocolate, some roasted trait also dough and bread.

T:
The sweetness and fruitiness overwhelm reminiscent of dark fruits, ripe grapes, sugar, molasses, treacle and caramelized malt. Alcohol reveals itself in the middle of a taste yielding process reinforcing a sweetness portion which is a bit fusel-like, some burnt smokiness and roasted malt bitterness weight in the complex end that wrap up all sweetish, fruity and bready hints.

M:
Thick yet a bit chewy body, rather low carbonation but well carry out in entertaining the palate, finish is rather dry.

O:
Well done in all dimensions, not a brew for daily drink but perfect for special occasion and time.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 08:38:17 | More by Everydayoff

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2010 vintage.
Very light fizzy head fades fairly quickly to pretty much nothing, over super dark brown colored beer with hints of ruby maroon light coming through the thinner bottom part.

Nose is interesting, mostly dark malts, a madeira like sauce as well that adds a hint of Worcestershire sauce or BBQ with vinegar or something. Dark fruit, like fig, prune juice, again a vinegary like base that reminds me of BBQ sauce or Ketchup or something similar. A bit of candi sugar and brown sugar, molasses, etc.

Taste is more typical for a quad, dark malts, candi, fruits, booze. Dark fruits come though with fig, prune, date, etc, and hint of brandy soaked raisin. Dark malts, but more like Belgian special B or dark syrupy malts, with a light buttered coconut like taste as well which is kinda weird. Syrups bring candi sugar, brown sugar, molasses, and syrup in general. Booze brings light esters, and not quite as boozy as I expected, but there is some tingly warming booze. The juicy fruits and malts fade to a drier finish with a bit of lingering booze, fruits, and syrups. Later on the finish light phenols come out from the booze and Belgian yeast.

Mouth is bigger bodied, some warming booze, decent but lighter carb.

Overall not bad, there are plenty better Belgian quads out there, but this is decent all things considered. Most other Kasteel beers I've had were also better.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 03:28:23 | More by jlindros

AZbelgian

Arizona

2.2/5  rDev -45.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A - Pours a dark cloudy brown with no real head to speak of.

S - Has a bitter somewhat phenolic aroma

T - Strong taste of alcohol up front, more mild taste of plums follows, a bit acidic. I got a flavor like brown bread but it might just be the other flavors mixing together. The flavors here really don't seem to work to complement each other.

M - Medium mouthfeel, a bit heavier than I expected

O - I had decently high hopes for this when I found it at my specialty liquor store. I was more than disappointed. I'm not impressed with it, especially because it's a quadrupel. The flavors don't seem to harmonize with each other. It's not awful, but I can't find a lot of redeeming qualities in it. Quads are one of my favorite styles and I was disappointed in it.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 03:40:57 | More by AZbelgian

Mar02x

Netherlands

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - A deep red/brown ale with, a hard to get, beige head. The retraction is quick.

S - The smell is a bit musty with a slight port like scent.

T - A nice port/wine like tones and a bit sweet. It is like drinking a watery port.

M - High carbonation which I didn't expect for a beer of this age. There was no bitterness anymore and the alcohol was hard to detect.

O - This is a real nice to drink evening warmer.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 15:22:57 | More by Mar02x

Ratman197

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Half Time poured a clear reddish brown with a small lasting tan head. Aromas of toffee, plum, dates and yeast. Mouthfeel was medsium to full bodied and smooth. Flavors of toffee, cola, dark fruit and yeast with a smooth lingering cola finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 00:09:56 | More by Ratman197

Pintofbrown

Iowa

2.7/5  rDev -33.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This 2010 vintage was had in a tulip glass.

Appearance- The body is an opaque coffee bean brown with rich mahogany highlights. The head is a little less impressive. The fiizzy storm only mustered a finger's width before becoming a very small, filmy, and bubbly lid, milk chocolate in color.

Smell- It is a little faint, but a dark licorice, leathery scent is most prominent. A combo of sweet and alcoholic flavors impart a blackberry-like scent as well. Incredibly whacky, but in a good way.

Taste- Whoa, man is the alcohol present in this one. The finish just keeps building with a caustic and powerful cognac / vodka flavor. Man that finish is really drawing away from the other flavors.

Before that finish sets in, there is the dark fruit flavor, and it is still blackberries and currants. There is a little bit of earthiness that was not as present on the nose. It even has a little bit of concentrated grape juice flavor.

Mouth feel- The feel is light to medium bodied and has a good creaminess factor. However, that caustic finish is really hurting this one.

Overall- I think there could have been a much better effort at concealing the alcohol in this beer. You can taste every bit of that eleven percent, and it is not appealing.

If this beer tasted more like it smelled, it would be a much better offering. Maybe a year or two of aging would really work wonders for this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 02:30:53 | More by Pintofbrown

soulfly1492

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aroma: Bitter fruit, sour apples, yeast, honey, sour white grapes, alcohol (lots).

Appearance: Deep amber, difficult to see through. Pours a thin brown head that quickly dissipates leaving some bubbles around the rim of the glass. Good lacing.

Flavor: Sour grapes and apples, then moves on to sweeter grape. Some alcohol, but hard to detect through the bold sweetness. Mild phenols.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Slightly syrupy, but porous and fluffy from the moderate carbonation. Warming from the high ABV. Overall on the oily side.

Overall: Nice and sweet for a quad. Also mildly bitter. Very easy drinking for the style. The grape flavor is unusual yet exceptional.

NOTE: Bottled on 7/14/2010

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 17:55:14 | More by soulfly1492

BeerLover99

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: brown sugar cloudy, shimmer, khaki finger head,
beautiful lacing

S: figs/dates, big malt, spices

T: plums/jam, big malt, mild spice/alcohol warmth

M: heavy/med body, smooth/chewy

O: Wonderful Belgian Quad,
nice ABV warmth. Highly recommend it.

DELICIOUS, MUST TRY!

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 16:41:22 | More by BeerLover99

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2010 vintage, bottled 5-27-2010.

Pours a very dark chestnut brown color with slight purplish hues and a half finger beige head that immediately fades into a thin ring. Not much in the way of lacing.

Spicy aroma with dark malts and estery dark fruit. Slight earthy and funky with some pepper and a slight medicinal presence. Nice roasted malt character with hints of cocoa and coffee countered by plum, raisin and fig.

Medium bodied with soft carbonation and a strong zesty spice presence up front that lingers over a chewy, roasted malt character and estery dark fruits into a slightly dry finish. There's a nice balance of pepper, medicinal syrup, chocolate cake, lightly roasted coffee, plum, raisin and grape. Fuller bodied with a much stronger malt presence than I expected. Also, the high ABV is excellently masked resulting in a flavorful beer that's easy to put down.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 05:58:15 | More by corby112

ikantspel

California

3.85/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

bottled on 5-27-10

served into a duvel tulip

pours a dark chocolate brown with a small head. compared to other quads, this is probably the smalled head ive ever seen. bubbles seem to dissipate quickly.

fig, raisins, malt, brown sugar, and a hint of alcohol.

follows the nose. something at the end though is killing it for me. finished with a medicinal phenol taste. not too bad

good, but id like to see how their donker is.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 06:40:02 | More by ikantspel

thierrynantes

France

3.63/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer bottle (75 cl.) purchased in La Cervoiserie, and tasted in 2011.

Appearance : dark brown color, with tan foamy head.
Smell : roasted malt and chocolate aromas.
Taste and mouthfeel : sweet malty flavoured.
Drinkabiliy : good beer in the belgian style; but too sweet for my taste

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 19:03:23 | More by thierrynantes

mclaughlindw4

Maine

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip.

A-Pours a very dark amber color with a thin head. A steady slow moving stream of carbonation keeps a layer of head only aroung the edge of the glass.

S-Roasted and figgy and other dark fruits. As I am drinking it the aroma has turned to a sweet and fresh.

T-Its rich tasting and medium bodied, flavors are complex, fig and raison and whatever else. The alcohol is well disguised, but some hints are there.

M-Full and creamy and pleasant.

O-For the price this is not a bad beer, I will drink it again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 21:40:49 | More by mclaughlindw4