Gouden Carolus Noël / Christmas
Brouwerij Het Anker

Om tap at the brewery. Pours dark brown with beige head. Body is full and slightly crisp. Dark fruit, spices, caramel malt, herbal hops fill the mouth. Finish id long and semi dry. Nice brew.

 

2024 bottling, smooth and creamy feel
With slowly opening layers of complexity, bitterness chocolate, prunes and Raisins and pleasant boozy notes. This is drinkable, enjoyable and highly flavorful with a rounded but lively feel. Excellent Belgian xmas ale!

Copenhagen 20/1 2018. 75 cl bottle from Ølhandleren in Give (Web-shop). Very Christmassy label with a little town and Santa in his sleigh flying around.

Pours clear dark maroon with a big off-white head. Settles as a 1,5 cm thick layer of dense, fluffy foam. Massive lacing.

Aroma is sweet and intense. Sweet dark fruit, candy cane, caramel, hints of orange peel and a whiff of humid, Belgian basement.

Soft carbonation and medium thick, creamy texture.

Flavor is strong and quite sweet. Followed by only a light bitterness. Aftertaste is pure Christmas. Caramel, sugar and a little spice and booze. Lingering.

A sweet, soft Christmas Experience.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm biased as this is my favorite Xmas beer and Belgian Xmas beers are my most looked forward to drinking of the whole damn year!
I usually order a few mixed cases of big bottles consisting of this,St Bernardus,St Feuillien,Corsendonk,Bush and Delirium
All of them are great but the Bernardus and Carolus seems to always be neck and neck but the Carolus pips it with more body Xmas spice and more intense fruitiness.
It's like an Xmas pudding in a bottle.

Dark ruby brown pour with a creamy tan head. The nose is caramel with anisette and licorice. The mouthfeel is silky and fairly substantial. There's a lot that goes into this ale, 3 hop varieties plus 6 herbs & spices. And it pays off with a mild yet complex drinking experience. Dark fruit, caramel, anise, licorice with cloves and a bit of cinnamon--really nice, rangy flavor profile. Definitely worth a throwdown around the holidays!

Bottle 0.75L.
Brown body with a huge, frothy, tan head, mostly lasting with nice lacing.
Complex aroma: moderate-to-heavy malty (caramel, slightly roasted) character with notes of red fruits(cherries), raisins, alcohol realated spices and light licorice; liquor sensation is also felt.
Intense sweet flavour with moderate bitter character more evident in the finish.
Full body with velvety texture; soft carbonation.

Dark, ruby color Medium-sized, off-white head. Candy sugar, dried fruits, herbs, and spices in aroma. Malty but not too sweet with a light , herbal bitterness. A. Bit too many spices and herbs for me, but definitely stays out of a crowd.

Dark brown somewhat cloudy but definitely opaque body, with a plump tan head and sporadic streaks of lacing. Smells of baking spices for Christmas with supporting prune, toasted caramel, licorice, anise, a hint of biscuit, and within the malt: candi sugar. Taste is similar, surprised how much licorice is here though, it almost rivals the spices and malt tones. Feel has great balance of spices, malts and decently dry yeast, smooth and frothy with a fuller base. Excellent belgian Christmas beer

 

 

 

From a bottle. Dark brown color with a thin layer of brown foam. Malty aroma with a raisin note. Medium body. Rich malty flavor with a fruity plum/raisin note and some cloves on the finish. A great Christmas ale.