"The Chimay Blue Cap, 'baptized' 'Grande Réserve' in 750 ml bottles is a dark Trappist beer with a powerful aroma, the complex flavour of which improves across the years. It was first brewed as a Christmas beer, explaining the presence of a 'vintage'. This authentic Belgian beer, whose tinge of fresh yeast is associated with a light rosy flowery touch, is particularly pleasant. Its aroma, perceived as one enjoys it, only accents the delightful sensations revealed by the odour, all revealing a light but agreeable caramelized note. It is served ideally at cellar temperature (50 to 54 °F)." —brewer
"Thirty-eight years we had to miss the Christmas beer but in 2002 the tradition was restored with Gouden Carolus Christmas. It's a strong, dark ruby red beer with character and contains an alcohol percentage of 10.5% ABV. Brewed in August, the beer rests a few months to reach an optimal balance. Three kinds of hops and six different kinds of herbs and spices define the rich taste of this Christmas beer. Top-class!" —brewer
"Colour and sight: chestnut amber. A fine, white, creamy and lacing foam. Scent: A complex entity of caramel malt, fruit, spices and the sweetness of the alcohol. Flavour: A strong presence of alcohol, very spicy, slightly bitter. The aftertaste is sweet, spicy and slightly bitter." —brewer
"Dark brown-red. A compact white-yellow, stable and lacing head. Touches of caramel, mocha and chocolate on the nose. Spices such as liquorice and coriander are also present. Initially, a very good mouthfeel of alcohol and softness. This is followed by an increasing bitterness, partially from the hop, but also from the roasted malt and chocolate malt. Towards the end a nice balance between bitterness, sour and sweet." —brewer