Sometimes breweries put names to their beers that somewhat overstate the 'street-cred' of the beer. Well that isn’t the case with this beer.
The Het Anker brewery is in the town of Mechelen, sort of between Antwerp and Brussels. The closer you get to the region, the more this beer becomes a staple in the cafes and bars. Across the country, it is not unusual to see a Gouden Carolus beer on a beer menu, and chances are if there is only one it will be this beer.
It has a slightly sweet, dark malt body with flavours of caramel, brown sugar, raisins, plums, licorice, some herbal notes and a spicy yeast. All these flavours somehow meld so that no one characteristic is overly dominant. It really has a lovely balance.
There is very little sign of the alcohol, save a little warmth to the dry, spicy and slightly bitter aftertaste.
This beer has been brewed to the same recipe since it was first released back in 1962. And for that reason alone, it deserves the name ‘Classic’.
by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs
A lovely Belgian strong dark ale, balancing sweetness and bitterness so well
by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs
A strong dark ale full of dark fruits, caramel malts and a gentle hop and yeast spiciness
by Brouwerij der Trappistenabdij de Achelse Kluis
A classic strong dark ale from one of Belgium's renowned Trappist Monastery breweries.
A strong dark winter beer which uses old whiskey barrels to impart an added dimension and depth of flavour
An intriguing dark ale, brewed with spices (ginger, coriander & cardamom)
A Belgian strong dark ale brewed with star anise and orange peel
A flavoursome strong dark ale, at the top of the abbey beer hierarchy
by Brouwerij Hoegaarden (AB-InBev)
The 'Forbidden Fruit' is a delicious balance of ripe fruits, sweet malts, earthy hops and gentle spicing
A tasty beer somewhere between a Belgian Dubbel style and a Belgian Strong Dark Ale
A dark winter beer that has torrefied barley and a pinch of cinnamon amount the ingredients
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The winter seasonal offering from the Chouffe brewery
The best features of a traditional strong ale, and the added earthiness of noble hops used in abundance
A solid malty backbone balanced by a good level of hop bitterness
The middle beer in the Rochefort range - a classic Trappist strong dark ale
The famous Old Fisherman's Ale from Struise is a spiced strong dark ale
Struise's spiced strong dark ale Pannepot, matured in Bordeaux barriques for a full 4 years
A strong dark Belgian ale created from 6 different malts, slightly spiced and with a little honey
An amber beer recreated to a recipe from the 15th-Century, the typical beer from the Mechelen region of Belgium
Five old-world hops are used in this fresh grassy Belgian IPA
A strong blond ale in the style of Duvel, brewed by Het Anker brewery
A biggish witbier, with the typical aroma and flavours of banana, citrus and coriander
