Gouden Carolus Imperial Dark (11%)

The more than a century old Het Anker brewery is located in the city of Mechelen, about halfway between Antwerp and Brussels in Belgium. Over the years since my first visit, it has become not just a brewery, but a tourist destination in and of itself, with a restaurant, hotel, and distillery – the last located a short distance away. Notable in the hotel is the presence of a beer vending machine, ideal when you feel the urgent need for an 11.7% alcohol Gouden Carolus Whisky Infused in the middle of the night!

To my experience, the Anker beers have had their ups and downs over the decades, but seemed to hit stride around the time the brewery added their hop-forward Hopsinjoor to the line-up in 2008. The Cuvée Van De Keizer specialties, however, have always struck me as being on point.

This beer was formerly known as Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw, or Blue – differentiating it from Cuvée Van De Keizer Rood, or Red – and the Cuvée name remains present on the label, albeit in small print at the bottom. It is, as billed, quite dark in colour, not black, but more a dark ruby brown, with its sweetness immediately evident on the nose, which is full and fragrant and filled with notes of burnt sugar, berries of all sorts – a curious blueberry note seems to rise to prominence, but black cherry, red currant, and muddled raspberry all seem to be present – a whiff of black licorice candy, and a light touch of allspice.

Given the complexity of the aroma, the flavour actually errs a bit on the simple side. Sweet throughout, it begins with faintly spicy chocolate toffee notes that bring to mind traditional Christmas pudding, of the sort my grandmother used to make with nickels and quarters hidden within. (I can only imagine the choking hazard warnings that would need to accompany such a dessert today!) On the mid-palate, it grows spicier, fruitier, and ever-so-slightly slightly drier, with taste memories shifting more towards a dark, brandy-soaked fruit cake, while the cooked sugar flavours return on the warming and satisfying finish.

While I always preferred the drier, spicy complexity of the Rood, now rebranded as the Imperial Blond, this is a seasonal brew that both checks all the winter beer boxes – sweet, filling, warming – and is very easy to like. It might not be the most remarkable ale you will sup this Christmas season, but it’s likely to be the one you talk about with your friends.

87 ($11.50/750 ml)