If our current culture has hit ‘peak beard,’ then this is surely the crowning glory … at to that some ‘peak chocolate’ and you have sin in a glass. Rating → 95 points Stats: Chocolate Stout. 8.0% ABV, Bracebridge, Ontario. Size: 750mL Colour: Dark, nearly impervious deep brown with the slimmest of ‘red’ when backlit…
“La Vache Folle Double IPA – Palisade” (Double IPA) Microbrasserie Charlevoix.
Who doesn’t love a laughing cow? I mean really … what’s to hate? I’ve had some amazing beers from Microbrasserie Charlevoix including their Milk Stout (reviewed here) which was one of the highlights of 2013. So when I saw their double IPA (aka “imperial” IPA), I was sold without a whisper. After all, I love…
“Hopkins India Pale Ale” (West-Coast IPA), Boquébière Microbrasserie de Sherbrooke
Sometimes you just get a good feeling about a beer before you even open it. Hopkins, brewed out of the Eastern Townships (which is Western Quebec for those not from around these parts), is a good example of just that. The label says “funky” with its retro, throwback monochromatic portrait but what really impressed me…
“La Vache Folle” (Imperial Milk Stout), Microbrasserie Charlevoix.
On Monday, and on what turned out to be a rather despicable day in terms of weather, it was appropriate that I decided to turn to the last winter beer I planned to review before next winter. It may not be entirely appropriate that I also decided to do a slow barbeque full for baby…
“Raccoon” (Imperial Black IPA), Microbrasserie Le Naufrageur
A cool, cloudy day with still lots of snow on the lawns seemed as good as any for a return to winter … and to Imperial Black IPAs. I grabbed this beautifully styled bottle Le Naufrageur’s Raccoon out of the fridge thinking at first this was an imperial stout. The capped popped, the smells immediately…
“Stout Imperiale” (Imperial Stout), Multi-Brasses microbrasserie
One of my most interesting discoveries this season of immersing myself in winter beers as a genre has been the “Imperial Stout” whose history is just as interesting a discovery (see Dunham’s “Imperial Black IPA”). While these are not beers for the faint of heart owing to their intense flavours and high alcohol levels (in this case…
“Imperial Black IPA” (Imperial Stout/IPA), Brasserie DunHam
Nothing says “winter beer” like a foot of falling snow and commute both ways through the inanity of people who refuse to admit that “all season” tires were invented for Florida – except perhaps another delicious entry from Brasserie DunHam. Some of you will remember a previous post on DunHam’s “Black IPA” which elicited quite…
Le festibière d’hiver … the Winter BeerFest
So, a week late isn’t too late, right? As you may have recalled from a few posts leading up to it, January 24-26 was Le festibière d’hiver … the Winter BeerFest. This was Gatineau’s follow up to their inaugaral winter event a year ago which I didn’t find out about until too late. This year,…