Gouden Carolus 2004

[HogieWan]

Found this bottle at my local paint stroe and it looked interesting - here is my RealBeer.com tasting notes debut:


Pertinent Info - (Straight from the label) Gouden Carolus "Grand Cru of the Emperor" is brewed once a year, on the 24th of February, the birthday of Charles the Fifth . It is brewed in a limited quantity by the Anker brewery of Belgium. . .

Anyone know who this Charles the Fifth guy is?
Corked bottle - 1 pint, 9.4 fl. oz. - 10% ABV



Appearance - poured a clear, deep brown with slight red hints, almost like a reddish leather. A huge (1/4 of glass) off-white rocky, tight foam head lazily faded to a nice 1/2 inch cap that lasted the entire session, leaving a beauitfully dense latticework of lacing.


Aroma - Exotic fruit right in your face, mostly mango, with a dash of banana. Slight caramel and honey tones in the background.


Flavor - Big hit of caramel right up front, but not at all sweet. Big malty middle with the hops just there to keep the sweetness in check and some more exotic fruit along for the ride. Gets smoky and earthy just before setting up a beautifully long, grainy caramel finish that just refuses to become sweet.


Overall - 10% ABV? No way. The alcohol is only slightly noticeable at the trail end of a VERY long finish. Big malty flavor, but never sweet. A true pleasure to drink. If I ever brewed something like this, I could die a happy man. The hops stayed behind the scenes in every aspect of this brew but presented the definition of balance.

[studentofbeer]

nice review. i had this with some broiled lamb chops and it was pretty damn good.

[HogieWan]

That sounds like a good pairing.

[danno]

if you recall my really long "BJCP Belgian night" thread, I thought this was as good as the Westy 12. I've been looking to purchase a bottle of this ever since... it continues to amaze me that Belgian beers can be both dry and sweet at the same time...

[zoom6zoom]

Anyone know who this Charles the Fifth guy is?


Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperor)

[HogieWan]

I appreciate all he did so that I might one day taste this wonderful beer that was brewed in his honor.

[chazwicke]

The G C has been showing up on cask and draft in the DC area. Maybe still on at the Brickskeller.

[eppie]

I just tried the Gulden Carlos Easter Beer 2005 last night. I'm not the sort that taes notes, or analyses beer with a list, but I'll try to give y'all an idea how it is. I'm also gonna use HogieWan's review as a basis for my review:

"Corked bottle - 1 pint, 9.4 fl. oz. - 10% ABV"
Same thing I think (is 1p 9.4 oz 750 ml?)

"Appearance - poured a clear, deep brown with slight red hints, almost like a reddish leather. A huge (1/4 of glass) off-white rocky, tight foam head lazily faded to a nice 1/2 inch cap that lasted the entire session, leaving a beauitfully dense latticework of lacing."
Probably a bit lighter in color, more red, and the head was thick, but didn't last as well.

"Aroma - Exotic fruit right in your face, mostly mango, with a dash of banana. Slight caramel and honey tones in the background."
Yeah real fruity, but more caramel and honey and something real strong, couldn't identify yet (read further).

"Flavor - Big hit of caramel right up front, but not at all sweet. Big malty middle with the hops just there to keep the sweetness in check and some more exotic fruit along for the ride. Gets smoky and earthy just before setting up a beautifully long, grainy caramel finish that just refuses to become sweet."
Pretty close, especially the caramel up front and the nice balance. The smoke and earthy feel was taken over by something else (I know I smelled it), what was it. Anise! It took me a while, but then I said it and my father-in-law who shared it whith me said yes and everyone else smelled it and agreed. I never found it so strong (or at all as I remember) in a beer, but it complemented the beer nicley. As soon as you get over the idea that you're drinking a black gum drop you really enjoy the great beer.

"Overall - 10% ABV? No way. The alcohol is only slightly noticeable at the trail end of a VERY long finish. Big malty flavor, but never sweet. A true pleasure to drink. If I ever brewed something like this, I could die a happy man. The hops stayed behind the scenes in every aspect of this brew but presented the definition of balance."
Exactly. the 10% definately snuck up on us. It's not at all biting. It's a style I don't drink often and bought only to share with my wife's dad, but I'm thinking about grabbig another bottle or two (it was only 2Euro 50) and save it a year or two for a rainy winter night, or a celebration feast with red meat (I reckin this would be even BETTER with lamb). If you find it, give it a try.
________
Park Royal 1 Prathumnak Pattaya (http://pattayaluxurycondos.com)

[lost identity]

grand cru of the emperor is one of the finest beers i have ever tasted. does any one know if maris otter is the barley used in this beer?

[chazwicke]

Not certain of the hop variety but I have o bottle of the beer waiting to be tasted.;)