Het Anker Gouden Carolus Christmas/Noël
For more than 35 years we had to miss the Christmas beer but in 2002 the tradition was restored with Gouden Carolus Christmas. It’s a strong, dark ruby red ale with character and contains an alcohol percentage of 10.5 % alc.vol. Brewed in August, the beer rests a few months to reach an optimal balance. Six different kinds of herbs and spices and three different kinds of hops define the rich taste followed by a long, well-seasoned aftertaste. Perfect combination with wild, stews or ripened, strong cheeses. Top-class!
3.8
1619 reviews
Mechelen, Belgium
Community reviews
Rötlich bräunliche Farbe mit weißer Schaumkrone. Süß malziger, fruchtiger Geruch. Geschmacklich malzig, fruchtig nach dunklen Früchten und Karamell. Hohe Süße mit leichter Bitterkeit, mittlerer Körper mit sanfter Kohlensäure.
I bought this bottle at least a year ago and decided to save it for Christmas this year (at 10.5% ABV I figured it'd be fine in my beer fridge until then). I missed the target on Christmas, but I'm glad I finally opened it after the New Year. I could tell from the aroma that this would be something special. It's a combination of black licorice (not anise) and sarsaparilla with a touch of woodiness. It appears to be quite dark at first, but after lifting it to light it's just a clear dark brown with a slight ruby/orange tinge, topped with a light tan head. The carbonation is almost champagne-like with some big and some small bubbles. In the sip there's a cola taste mixed with candy sugar and caramel. This is a sweet beer, but it's not really a dessert beer. There's good balancing bitterness to keep it away from that. Perhaps the most amazing thing about this beer is the body. It literally feels creamy like a light milkshake! There's a light vanilla flavor in this but it's more caramel and brown sugar overall. It's very hard to believe that this is 10.5% ABV as it drinks so easily and there's no burn here at all. This might be a different story if this was a fresh bottle versus an aged bottle. Finishes with lots of caramel and vanilla sweetness and a lasting creaminess that I don't think I've ever experienced with another beer. This is a truly great and unique Belgian ale which I'm very worried I may not taste again as it doesn't appear to be readily available in the States. If I find this again, I will be buying multiple bottles so I can enjoy this many times.
Cloudy-clear dark red through the backlight, with ample visible carbonation. Short tan head fading within a few minutes to a splotchy cap.
Aroma has elements of dark fruits and sweet mint candy.
Taste repeats the aroma: mint candy, figs, and raisins. Licorice, bready fruitcake. Very much a Christmas drink. Enjoyable, but seems to lack a certain gravitas. No obvious alcohol present in the flavor. Very slight warming in the lingering aftertaste.
The body is on the thin side of medium. Feel is smooth and creamy.
Overall, a good Christmas ale. Good holiday fruitcake and spices flavors.
Bwaah met een +, een klein beetje in de buurt.
Bottle from Systembolaget Sweden. Big and lasting brown head. Dark red brown color. Excellent complex aroma with caramell and phenols. Big but nice caramell sweet taste. Smooth phenols and chocolatectaste.
Very tasteful beer from Belgium
Heavy massive Christmas on the nose. Malty sweetness , caramel fudge and milk chocolate.
The palate continues from the nose. “Over the top” sweetness all the way through.
Wow, massive Christmas feel all the way.
Really amazing
Lite mot Barely Wine men med bra tryck i karamell. Karamell med bas av fudge, julmust och red ale. Bra syra balanserar upp den höga Sötman från karamell.
Synnerligen välsmakande.
Bottle. Pours a dark brown with a thick light tan head. Aroma of dark fruits, raisin, dark malt, brown sugar, light spices. Flavor of dark fruits and sugary raisins up front with Belgian yeast, light spices, brown sugar, gummy candies and sugar plums. Sweet and decadent.
7/4/8/4/14 (3.7/5)
Nästan oxblodsröd och mycket mörk. Stort fluffigt skum. Doft av malt, nästan lite julmust. Fyllig, söt, lakrits, lite choklad. Lätt kolsyrad. Lätt beska
0.33 l bottle from 'Bierothek', 2020 vintage, cellared for almost a year. Clear, very dark ruby with a medium large, foamy, almost stable, beige head. Sweetish-malty, quite yeasty-spicy, slightly fruity aroma of caramel, molasses, coriander, raisins, prunes and light coconut. Gently sweet, malty, quite yeasty-spicy, gently fruity taste of caramel, molasses, light chocolate, raisins, prunes, licorice root and some coriander, followed by a short, slightly bitter, quite yeasty-spicy, moderately boozy and a little woody finish. Medium body, gently effervescent mouthfeel, lively carbonation. Very tasty Christmas Ale, typically Belgian, quite complex, warming and saturating. Really good beer, the Belgian Christmas ales are still the best.
Dark reddish brown with a good and lasting beige head. Good lacing.
Aroma: Malt - licorice. Also hops - orange, red berries. Yeast - ripe apples, dates.
Mouth: Sweet (licorice) with also a very nice frutiness. Moderate and well integrated bitterness. Full body. Creamy texture. Really pleasant.
From the archives: Cola coloured, medium head, full body, liquorice, salty liquorice, raisins, plums, sweet.
This is a backlog rating from 2008 from a bottle shared by Tmoney99, from notes. When I had this beer it was average to below average for the style and not something I wanted to have again or I just didn't get back to my notes because of my technology at the time, work and/or family. Words to describe this beer are dark fruit, sweet malts, spices, brown sugar, good.
Nice fat xmas beer
A delicacy for Christmas. Deep dark red color, with a more then average white head of medium persistance. The aroma is good and complex, full of dark fruits, wild berries, dark caramel, liquor, pepper, anise and vague scents of gingerbread and licorice. The taste is pleasant, characterized by flavors of dark fruits jam, dark caramel, spiced biscuits, liquor, pepper and anise, with slight roasted and bitter (licorice and herbs) notes in the end of the drink. The body is rather full, with a average carbonation and a well hidden alcohol, just slightly warming the mouth. In the end, this is an excellent beer, full of interesting scents and flavors, as well as discretely well balanced.
Brune - une très bonne de noel, idéal au coin du feu! Pas mal pour une brune avec une rondeur en bouche
Birra natalizia della Gouden Carolus dal colore marrone molto scuro. Gusto classico delle birre natalizie: dolce, caramello e speziata. Alcol ben nascosto. Buona.
Complex malt aroma with notes of toast and caramel, plum fruity esters. Deep, dark copper color with good light brown head. On the palate, malt, fruity esters, a little sweetness goes into a slight alcoholic finish. Medium dry aftertaste. Medium body, high carbonation.
Zeer kruidig bier
Fantastic!
La classica è una delle mie birre preferite, questa non delude le alte aspettative. Si sente molto l'anice.
Lakrits, fyllig smak.
Butelka. Ciemny, prawie czarny kolor z delikatnym rubinowym refleksem. Piana średnia, beżowa, opada powoli. W zapachu palony słód, karmel, susz owocowy I lukrecja. W smaku ponownie palone słody, ciemna czekolada, susz owocowy, figi, daktyle, karmel, lukrecja, która nadaje specyficznego posmaku. Wysycenie małe, pełne o świetnie ukrytym alkoholu. Zdecydowanie świąteczne nuty, zdecydowanie fajne. Oby 2021 był lepszy...
Dark murky chestnut brown color with aroma of dark fruit, fig, molasses, and some roasted notes. Complex flavor with dark fruit, molasses, caramel, vanilla, and roast. Bottled 09/16/2010. Excellent beer!
Söt
Aroma of liquorice, fruits, malt, caramel and some spices. Deep brown with a tan head. Heavy sweet and medium bitter. Full body with average carbonation. Overall a very nice, rich and warming Dark Strong Belgian Ale.
Pours dark brown/black with beige head. Liquorice and spices on the nose. Liquorice is the main attraction in just the right amount to not put me off entirely (not my favorite). In the end quit nice and complex, good for drinking once or twice a year, what I suppose is the definition of a Xmas beer.
Söt och smakar som generalsnus rinn men god ändå
Dark brown color, decent head. Sweet, red fruits and raisins in its smell, some dar chocolate but hardly any roasted notes. Also some distant vanilla and caramel. Creamy. The taste is similar. Subtle hops as well though. Some herbs, liquorice and roasted notes in the finish. Nicely layered and complex. Nice winter ale - above average as to be expected from this excellent brewer.