Haacht Charles Quint/Keizer Karel ABV 9% • Vol 330 ml • bottle • Belgium • Expensive • Flavour 6.5 Other beers from Haacht Other beers from Belgium

This strong, dark bottle-conditioned speciality from one of Belgium's larger independents is named after a son of Philip the Fair of Austria, Charles Quint (1500-48), who was born in Gent, became Duke of Flanders at the age of six and and went on to rule the combined territories of Spain, Austria, Burgundy and the Holy Roman Empire, including much of the west coast of the Americas. Nothing about the beer, however, seems to particularly relate to his story, other than that's it's spiced, strong, dark and unpasteurised, as most of the beers of Charles' era would have been. The beer itself is mid-brown, with a lacy head and a creamy and yeasty aroma with faint mineral traces, overall quite restrained. The palate is malty, sweetish and heady with a touch of lightly aromatic fruit and some evidence of botanical flavourings (angelica?). The overall effect is quite closed, however, and while there are some vivid hints the flavours never really open up and express themselves, weighted down by a rather cakey body. The finish is warmingly hoppy with woody whiskyish tones and some final wierdness that's difficult to describe -- banana liqueur, possibly. At this strength the beer might have been improved by keeping, but there was no best before date or other clue to its age. It came from Bottles/Only Fine Beer. Review submitted by: Des de Moor ADD A COMMENT TO THIS BEER

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Review updated 23 September 2002

Comments

I tried this beer for the first time recently in a restaurant overlooking the Grand Place in Brussels. I was overwhelmed with delight. Quite possibly one of the most delicious beers ever to accompany dinner. Absolutely superb!
Lee Le Clercq

We also had this beer in the bar overlooking the Grande Plaza and it was so beautiful that we stayed the rest of the afternoon in the same bar just enjoying the taste. Truly a very enjoyable beer from both my husband and myself opinion.
Eileen & Peter Williams

we also tried this beer in the same place and thought it superb - I am truly hooked. Pity it is so hard to get in the UK.
E&P Williams

Keizer Karel is truly an "empirial" beer produced by the 3rd largest brewery in Belgium, namely Haacht. Although already existing before, this beer was relaunched during the Keizer Karel festivities and it became instantaneously a big hit among beerlovers. Some say Keizer Karel thanks it succes to its superb advertising (you know, the "pot of olen", etc...) but these ignorants ignore the superb/superior taste of this beer. Indeed, one of the best beers launched on the market in recent years. I truly think the emperor would have loved it.
Tom De Nijn

We have tried this beer in a Madrid, Spain pub together with its less alcholic brother, Tongerlo 6 from Haacht. Both are delicious with full hop and malt flavors and great finishes. These were from the barrel, not the bottle.
Carlos Lund

The taste of Keizer Karel-beer is surely much better than the reputation of the emperor with the same name, who let thousands of non-catholics kill or escape the territory, leaving in Flanders only a poor agricultural population. In that sense, I think the name of the beer is a pity; it's worth better.
Filip D'Huyvetter

una cerveza excelente digna de un excelente emperador.
Javier Tornel

When I visited Brussels last year, I found a very goodbeer, "Charles Quint". Is it possible to bye it from your brewery and import it into my home adress in Sweden? I haven´t found this beer in any shop in Sweden. Please forgive my bad English. Leif Wadström E-mail: wadstrom@home.se
Leif Wadström

Drank this beer in Brugge while on vacation in July. This beer was so delicious,that I am trying to find it in L.A. anybody have any ideas???
Robert Parral

Dear Filip D'Huyvetter, I strongly recommend you to take a look to any History book about the XVI wrote by some of the best historians in this matter like Henry Came. Charles Quint was probably the most brilliant among all the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, and until the formation of the Schmalkalda League his attitude towards protestantism in Northern Europe was really open minded and dialogant, and a strong supporter of Erasmism as his Chancellor and Counselor Mercurino da Gattinara believed in the concept of a humanistic, reinassance empire before the treachery and treason of the Germanic Princes forced the emperor to put an end to rebellion in the Battle of Mühlberg.
His son and heir, King Philip II, ruled with much more zealotry than his father. Blame him for the carnages in Flandres, not his father, the Great Emperor Karl V.
Marco Chomón Montaña

A superb dark warm beer, quite distinctive, realy exelent; Drink it from its own glas, not from this earth ware they call a tipical mug.
hugo laget

I go to Brugge every year with a group of friends. Last year in our adopted local t'gazelke they had an offer on that if you bought 6 keizers you got a free 75cl bottle. Between the 5 of us we ended up with 19 in a week! Now that's one addictive beer!
Adam Bradshaw

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