The beer pours a dark red to brown colour, with a beige foam that quickly sinks in on itself to leave the beer looking quite still.
The aroma is subdued, but exhibits a little sweet dark malt, raisins and plums, a hint of sour cherries and an earthiness. The flavour picks up on these attributes, though more boldly.
A rich mix of sweet dark malts and the dark stone fruits makes for a tasty beginning. There is a little hop bitterness to balance out and bite through the sweetness, though no more evident than that.
About the beer: this is not a ‘bock’ beer at all, rather a top fermented ale. The ‘bock’ is actually a reference to the buck, and ‘leute’ translates to ‘fun’, and takes on the meaning of ‘people’s beer’. The first Leute beer was brewed in 1927 (the date reference on the barrel), but stopped shortly after. The second incarnation arrived in 1997. Oh, and it has a very cool glass!
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 Belgian Strong Dark Ale aged in both sherry and whiskey barrels
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
The most well-known of the Golden Carolus beers is the 'Classic' - a beautifully balanced Belgian strong dark ale of 8.5% ABV
Gouden Carolus' Cuvee Van De Keizer Imperial Dark Ale infused with Het Anker's single malt whisky
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 Belgian Strong Dark Ale with the addition of caramel sugar and orange peel
A dark winter beer that has torrefied barley and a pinch of cinnamon amount the ingredients
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The lesser-known dark beer from Brasserie Achouffe
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 famous Old Fisherman's Ale from Struise is a spiced strong dark ale
The 2019 version of Pannepot aged in bourbon barrels
Struise's spiced strong dark ale Pannepot, matured in Bordeaux barriques for a full 4 years
Struise's famous spiced strong dark ale aged three years in wine and port barrels
A Belgian strong dark ale with smoked malt and grilled cherries
A strong dark Belgian ale created from 6 different malts, slightly spiced and with a little honey
A fruity malt backbone, a spicy hop bite and a hint of vanilla
The newest beer for the Augustijn label - a rich, smooth balance of roasted malt and sweet stone fruits
A very drinkable tripel style Grand Cru from Van Steenberge
A classic Belgian dubbel brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
A special Tripel brewed by Van Steenberge for an annual gourmet degustation
The unique dark tripel from Brouwerij Van Steenberge, named after the 'Golden Dragon' of Gent.
The new addition to the Gulden Draak label - a rich and boozy quadruple
The Brewmaster is Gulden Draak's classic dark tripel aged in various whiskey barrels
A beer dedicated to the original brewmaster, the Gulden Draak Quadrupel has been aged in whiskey barrels
Really this is more a cross between a Belgian Quadrupel and an Imperial Stout
The classic Gulden Draak has had smoked malt added to it
A classic strong pale ale from one of Belgium's old family breweries.
A variation on the acclaimed Piraat strong blond ale, this time with four different hops added at three separate times during the beer-making process
