Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van de Kaiser Rood (Red)

Ladies and gentleman, an apology. I am deeply sorry for the crappiness of this photo. It is a dark bottle, but I can't explain why it's so terrible blurred and undefined. Very sad. Forgive me, please. Oh, well, the bottle is drunk, and I can't re-do or re-stage it. Nonetheless, here come the notes:

Cuvee van de Kaiser Rood (Red). Jaargang 2011. 10% ALC. Vol. "Special Blond of the Emperor."…I will skip the further descriptions on the label, so as not to influence my thoughts. 

30/05/11 reads the bottleneck. 

I've had the Blue (Blau) before, and tapped it at the Nile. Incredible stuff. More coveted than this one, but that's because the beer geek's taste typically run to the darker flavors. 

Let's untwist the cage, pop the cork, and get down to it.

Clouded, opaque orange-ish coloration, no head at all. Starts, tries, and falters. 

Aroma: Slight. Citrus and straw, spice, but quiet, meek, mild. Not showing much of anything. (I've been battling a cold, though, so maybe that interfered with my senses?)

Taste: Big hops up front, bristling bitterness, then Belgian yeast character, and splashes of citrus and spice. Deep and complex, a rising richness, reminiscent of a good triple, but murkier, messier, much more wild and unrefined. Flavors are all over, and the alcohol rises high. Brisk, effervescent, and turning slightly sour. Interesting, complex flavors. A bit quirky. Not normal. The Emperor has a taste for crazy blondes. A lot of nasty yeast action going on. Buzzing carbonation. Bright lemon-y flavors persist, delicate spice plays on the palate. 

It's taken me many years to get to this one, compared to how long I've loved this brewery. Typically, I'm not nuts about blondes, but I do like and appreciate them. They're damned tasty, easy to pass down the gullet, and utterly enjoyable. Not as complex and rich as darker Belgian brews, but this one takes a twist. It's vast in it's own way, and terribly tasty. It's easy to fall into the trap of the dark ales, and sink into the viscous chocolate malt, the cocoa, the coffee, the dark fruit, etc. Just let that thickness fall all over, and succumb. With a crazy blonde, you don't know what you're in for. You didn't expect this, you just thought it would be light and pretty. you thought it would be a hayride, a romp, a jump in the sack, but, no. It's starting to pound on your brain, and the complex flavors are a little confusing. 

Candied orange, coated with champagne. Coriander and cardamom, still ring true in here, pithy lemon, zesty and delicious. Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm.

Let's look at that label copy now: " Cuvee van de Kaiser Rood is brewed once a year on the 24th of February on the birthday of Charles the Fifth. It is brewed in a limited quantity by the Anker Brewery of Mechelen, one of the last remaining classic producers in Belgium. This blonde ale of top fermentation illustrates the subtle balance between the different natural ingredients. Bottle fermented."