The Ommegang Keizer Karel is the newest member of the Keizer Karel/Charles Quint label from the Haacht Brewery.
It is a slightly cloudy, straw coloured blonde ale of 8.0%, which pours with a fluffy white head of loosely packed bubbles. The aroma is strongly of citrus and hops, with a background note of soft spice. This carries through to the taste, where citrus flavours fill the mouth. A smooth grainy character is offset by a slight warmth from the alcohol, and the spice notes add a little peppery tingle.
The use of three different hops, with good carbonation, makes for a very easy drinking blonde beer, tending toward a soft triple style.First brewed in 2011, this beer was created to celebrate the 'Ommegang of Brussels' - a traditional procession commemorating events from the time of Emperor Charles V around 1549. The beer proved very popular, and has been in regular production since 2012.