Publié le

Beyond Reality – Trailway Brewing Co.

Ale de Blé aux fruits (framboises), 4%

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INTENSITY
FRESHNESS
COMPLEXITY
APPRECIATION

Fruit Wheat Ale, 4%: Cloudy and murky amber/orange color with low activity but lots of floating detritus including what seems to be seeds. Foamy light beige 3 finger head, lasting around 5 minutes, with decent leggings and swirl effect. Flavors of raspberries, pumpkin, orange, light caramel, sweet grains, wheat, and herbal hops. Slick full body with a moderate crisp. Light strength finish, lightly grainy and wheathy, slightly tart from the fruits, ends with balanced leafy hops that feels like autumn and flowers. Good freshness and drinkability though highly accessible. A subtle fruit beer that could be more intense, although you can feel the quality of the ingredients. Overall very good quality craft.

Publié le

Pale Ale Américaine – Brasserie Dunham

Pale Ale Américaine, 5.5%

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INTENSITY
FRESHNESS
COMPLEXITY
APPRECIATION

American Pale Ale, 5.5%: Veiled and cloudy dark straw color, almost golden, with lots of activity. Thick foamy, almost creamy, light beige 3 finger head, lasting around 10-15 minutes, with average legs. Flavors of sweet grains, caramel, orange, grapefruits, wheat, Wild yeast, herbal and floral hops. Slick and smooth full body with prickly carbonation and a sharp crisp. Medium to strong strength finish, moderately tropical, slightly leafy and piney but more flowery, with a light straw and bardyard effect. A bit spicy in a coriander kind of way. Very close to an IPA in style, even closer to Belgian IPA so I’m not convinced about calling this an American interpretation. Although it’s highly refreshing and well polished, highly drinkable and pleasant. Really good balance. Overall high quality craft.

Publié le

La Vache Folle Session IPA – Microbrasserie Charlevoix

IPA de Session, 4.2%

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INTENSITY
FRESHNESS
COMPLEXITY
APPRECIATION

Session IPA, 4.2%: Vache folle, an old bottle from feb 2017 in a shady store (shame on, shame on me) : Veiled and dense hazy golden color with good activity. Creamy and frothy meza, quite explosive, light beige 3-4 finger head, lasting around 15 minutes and making serious legs. Flavors of sweet grains dominant barley, pineapples, orange, peach, caramel, Wild yeast, and floral hops. Slick and oily medium to full body with a moderate crisp. Medium strength finish, highly flowery and a bit rustic with sharp yeast and a decent tropical feel on the tongue, not too coarse nor leafy. Light straw and bardyard effect with a hint of clove. I still find the taste pretty good after all that time, with more subtle hops it balance everything out but most probably turns it further into a rustic pale ale or Saison intensity. Although the body did take a bit of a hit making it kinda dull, still remains the murky sensation that is trademark of the Vache folle series, kinda milky. Good freshness and accessibility. Overall very good quality craft.

Publié le

Daze On Saison – Saugatuck Brewing Company

Saison, 5.5%

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SENSATIONS
BALANCE
INTENSITY
FRESHNESS
COMPLEXITY
APPRECIATION

Saison, 5.5%: Clear, slightly hazy, dark straw color with moderate activity. With the yeast it gets cloudy and veiled with floating particles. Thick foamy and frothy white 3-4 finger sparkling head, lasting around 10-15 minutes, with decent legs and swirl effect. Flavors of grapefruits, orange, lemon, green grapes, sweet grains dominant barley, caramel, Wild yeast, and floral hops. Light silky, a little oily, medium body with sharp carbonation. Medium strength finish, gentle vinous feel, light barnyard and cheese sensation, a bit of straw but more fruity and tropical with balanced flowery hops. Faintly spiced, similar to a table Saison or a Sofie but not as complex. It’s gentle and accessible, with good freshness. Though it gets a little thin and dull very fast. Overall very good quality craft.

Publié le

La Bittt à Tibi Amos Kristall Witte – Brasserie Belgh Brasse

Kristalweizen, 5%

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SENSATIONS
BALANCE
INTENSITY
FRESHNESS
COMPLEXITY
APPRECIATION

Kristalweizen, 5%: Hazy and soft cloudy dark straw color with low activity. Foamy white 3 finger head, lasting around 5-10 minutes, with light legs. Flavors of melon, caramel, pears, banana, sweet grains dominant wheat, floral and herbal hops. Slick medium to full body with a shy crisp. Light to medium strength, cereal and light straw feel, slightly spicy, with a balanced leafy herbal sensation similar to other Bittt’s. Highly sweet but ends a bit coarse. Best one of the three in that collection. Still too accessible and lack intensity. Didn’t taste much Kristalweizen to compare, but overall it’s a decent quality craft.

Publié le

La Bittt à Tibi Amos Pale Ale – Brasserie Belgh Brasse

Ale Pâle Américaine, 5.5%

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FLAVORS
SENSATIONS
BALANCE
INTENSITY
FRESHNESS
COMPLEXITY
APPRECIATION

American Pale Ale, 5.5%: Slightly hazy light amber color with dense activity. Thick foamy, a bit creamy, beige 3 finger head, lasting around 15 minutes, with decent legs. Flavors of caramel, lemon, sweet grains dominant barley, floral and herbal hops. Slick medium to full body with light prickly carbonation but a good crisp. Light to medium strength finish, bready with decent butterscotch feel, balanced hops, soft leafy and faintly flowery. More sugary than bitter. Nice butterscotch sent though. Lacks a lot of complexity and intensity, nothing amazing nor special to notes except easy to down. Overall average quality.

Publié le

La Bittt à Tibi Amos Lager Blonde – Brasserie Belgh Brasse

Lager Pâle Américaine, 5%

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INTENSITY
FRESHNESS
COMPLEXITY
APPRECIATION

American Pale Lager, 5%: Hazy, slightly cloudy, dark straw color with few activity. Foamy white 3 finger head, lasting around 10 minutes, with poor legs. Flavors of caramel, sweet grains dominant light straw and wheat, soft lemon and melon, and floral hops. Slick and slightly oily medium body with a moderate prickly crisp. Light strength finish, a bit of cereal with strange use of dull leafy hops. The yeast is not attenuated enough so you get a soft maillard effect too similar to the Pale Ale version. Highly accessible, boring, and also too thin. Overall poor quality craft.

Publié le

Transylvanian Pale Ale – Microbrasserie Kruhnen

Pale Ale Transylvanienne (IPA Rousse), 7%

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INTENSITY
FRESHNESS
COMPLEXITY
APPRECIATION

Transylvanian Pale Ale, 7%: Clear, slightly veiled, dark amber color with tons of activity. Gets cloudy as more yeast is poured. Thick foamy and frothy, a bit creamy, beige 3-4 finger head, lasting around 15 minutes, with good legs and lacing. Flavors of roasted grains dominant barley, clove, pears, caramel, mint, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and herbal hops. Soft and smooth medium body with a light crisp. Strong strength finish, lightly earthy and quite leafy, thick lingering bready malts on the tongue. Lots of sugars with high bitterness. As more yeast is poured you get more fruit effect of estery orange peels and grapefruits, kinda Belgian? Still feels more like a cross English IPA and spicy red ale, some autumn drinking qualities and halloween themed. The freshness is alright but effectively robust so it lacks accessibility. Though the flavors are well balanced still making this an enjoyable brew. I dig the complexity and interpretation. Overall very good quality craft.

Publié le

Grande Noirceur – Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

Stout Impériale Russe, 9%

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SENSATIONS
BALANCE
INTENSITY
FRESHNESS
COMPLEXITY
APPRECIATION

Imperial Russian Stout, 9%, aged around 8 months: Opaque black. Creamy brown 3-4 finger head, lasting around 10-15 minutes, with strong lacing but not much legs nor swirl effect. Flavors of dark grains, walnuts, wood, raisins, plums, coffee, cocoa, toffee, vanilla, and herbal hops. Silky light creamy medium body with a light crisp. Strong strength finish, impressive barrel aging effect, with some rauch style smoked hops. A bit leathery with a moderate earthy feel, some brown sugar and cinnamon. Lightly sour from the aging process although manageable. The smell is highly alcoholic but hidden in the mouthfeel, though a highly warming brew that is not overly dry nor lacking much freshness. Rich and densely flavorful, superb balance and intensity, deep complexity although shy in the smell department. Makes a really nice appetizer, yet easy to drink in big quantities. Overall superb quality craft.