Gouden Carolus Noël

I'm not sure what qualifies something to be a "Christmas beer": is it a beer which designed in a way which makes it ideal for consumption during the Christmas period? Is it supposed to  embody some aspect of the Christmas spirit? Is it designed to invoke some hazy nostalgic memory of past Christmases? Whatever the criteria, this beer presents a vision of Christmas which is a better argument for atheism than any of Richard Dawkin's smuggest dialectics.

This is a dark ale and suitably has a very thick, almost black appearance with a beige head that settles slowly and leaves a satisfying layer across the glass. The aroma is strongly of aniseed and dark chocolate. The taste is overwhelmingly one of licorice with a hint of toffee and nutmeg. Very tart.

Gouden Carolus Noël does bear a resemblance to Christmas, darkness and the liquorice are superficially reminiscent of the holiday but, like the vision of Christmas presented in Bob Dylan's "It Must Be Santa Claus", there is a  unpleasant undercurrent to the whole affair. The only saving grace is the incredible alcohol to price ratio; so maybe this isn't a Christmas you would want to remember but thankfully forgetting is not a difficult task.

 Alcohol strength 10.5% Price: €2.50
 Aroma 4/10 Appearance: 7/10 Taste: 3/10
 Alcohol/Price ratio: 4.20
 Big Dave's Final Verdict: 3.5/10