Gouden Carolus Christmas 11.2 oz

Belgian Brown Strong Christmas Ale

Brewed by: Het Anker Brewery
Country: Belgium
Style: Winter
Color: Red/Brown

ABV: 10%
Cellaring: Yes
Ratebeer.com rating: 98
BeerAdvocate.com rating: 88

Gouden Carolus Christmas from the Het Anker Brewery (abv 10%) is a warming winter ale that pours a deep, dark red with a frothy beige head.

Brewed in August with three kinds of hops and 6 different kinds of herbs and spices, and then allowed to age a few months more, the brew is top fermented and bottle conditioned.

Complex and full of character, it offers flavors of roasted malt, cinnamon, anise and ginger, dark fruits, and sweet toffee. The finish is long, warming, fruity, and dry. It can be cellared for years to come.

Food Pairings

Pair with grilled pork or beef; also with sharp or pungent style cheese like Cheddar, Gorgonzola, and Limburger. Serve at 9 - 12 degrees C.

Brewery Information:

Located in the town of Mechelen in the Flanders region of Belgium, the Het Anker Brewery was founded in 1872 when Louis Van Breedam purchased the site of what had once been a brewery and hospice run by a community of Beguine nuns. He modernized the facility – it became one of the first steam powered breweries of the time – and his heirs would later greatly expand its influence.

By the 1980s, like many family owned breweries of the time, Het Anker found it difficult to compete with large commercial breweries, and entered into partnership deals which never succeeded as intended.

In the late 1990s, Het Anker, helmed by a fifth generation of the Van Breedam family, became independent again, and both focused and diversified its business. Today, the flourishing brewery includes both a restaurant and a hotel while producing a dozen or more ales exported around the world.