Gouden Carolus Noel by Brouwerij Het Anker

The Gouden Carolus Noel, from Anker brewery, is a high gravity Belgian ale that is bottle refermented.

I want to thank Eddie from De Vinos, my favorite specialty wine and beer shop in Adams Morgan, DC, for recommending the Noel. He saved a case from last year and let me have one of these beautifully aged brews. This already impressive beer only gets better with age.

I had the 1 pt. bottle, the bigger the better. The label has a scene of Santa flying over a snow covered village and a large Christmas tree and ivy around the boarder.

The Noel pours a dark ruby, almost black color, with a very shallow light brown head that quickly dissipates but leaves behind gorgeous lacing.

There are aromas of fruit, cinnamon, and caramel. No surprise, the Noel has a well balanced flavoring of fruit and spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) and is incredibly smooth and drinkable for having 10% alc/vol. This high gravity ale gets better with each glass, and before I knew it, I had an empty bottle in front of me.

The Noel is an extremely drinkable beer; a delicious seasonal, that I will definitely purchase again. I would recommend drinking this one closer to room temperature to really get the full flavor of this complex ale. You do NOT want to get this beer too cold.

This holiday season, look for the Gouden Carolus Noel. It is a great way to start the holiday season. 

Drink up and be merry!

Brewery website: http://www.hetanker.be/