Beerfection

Tag: Tete d’Allumette

  • Presqu’ile | Tête d’Allumette

    Presqu’ile | Tête d’Allumette

    Score: 81/100 – Very Good

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear deep gold with a moderately tall, frothy, creamy, off-white head. Good foam retention – great considering the very high ABV.

    Aroma 20/24

    Strong intensity with balance towards smoked malt. The aroma is rustic and reminiscent of a campfire. Massive smoke upfront with mild apple-like esters, low grainy malt, and a splash of alcohol. No apparent hop character or any significant off-notes.

    Flavour 32/40

    Follows the aroma with strong intensity and balance towards smoked malt with pronounced perceived bitterness. The smoked character dominates the flavour. A hint of apple-like esters and noticeable alcohol note work well with the smoked character. The flavour lacks complexity and I’m getting a butyric acid-like note at the front. Still, the flavour is good.

    Mouthfeel 8/10

    Medium body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is rather crisp yet mouth-coating with noticeable alcohol warming and a medium-dry finish. No apparent astringency and no actual harshness on the palate. Very good.

    Overall 15/20

    Tête d’Allumette’s Presqu’ile is a very good beer. It’s one of the most unique barleywines I’ve had. Blindfolded, it’s hard to peg this as a barleywine – a reflection of the brewery’s approach to bending classic styles. While the smoke doesn’t clash with the other ingredients, it leaves little room for a complex interplay between different ingredients. At such a high ABV, this is a beer to savour, however, I’d rather opt in for a few pints of Grodziskie which would deliver better drinkability while maintaining a rustic flavour experience. Still, this is an interesting brew and definitely worth trying.

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  • L’Impériale Gasket de Tête | Tête d’Allumette

    L’Impériale Gasket de Tête | Tête d’Allumette

    Score: 90/100 – Excellent

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black (opaque in glass) with a moderately tall, dense, creamy, deep tan head. Great foam retention for the high ABV. A good-looking brew!

    Aroma 20/24

    Strong intensity with balance towards dark malts. The aroma is robust, edgy, and quite complex. Significant dark malts take the lead and are followed by dark fruit esters, alcohol, and moderate woody-herbaceous hops. Mild oxidation and no apparent off-notes.

    Flavour 38/40

    Strong intensity, balance towards dark malts, and aggressive perceived bitterness. The flavour is intense with a complex mix of dark malts, dark fruit esters, woody-herbaceous hops, and alcohol. No off-flavours. Delicious and pleasantly muscular flavour.

    Mouthfeel 8/10

    Medium body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is slightly thin and mildly fizzy with noticeable alcohol warming and a medium-dry finish. No significant astringency and no actual harshness on the palate. Very good.

    Overall 18/20

    Tête d’Allumette’s L’Imperiale Gasket de Tete is an excellent russian imperial stout. Beautiful appearance and a bold, complex flavour with no apparent off-notes. This delivers exactly what’s expected and then some. At the same time the beer is a little bit thin – it’s missing that wonderful weight a 10% stout can have on the palate. I think this would stand out if the mouthfeel fully matched the flavour intensity in texture. It’s also not a cheap thrill but I think it’s absolutely worth a try if you can find a bottle.

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  • À Demain Le Soleil! | Tête d’Allumette + Dieu du Ciel!

    À Demain Le Soleil! | Tête d’Allumette + Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 91/100 – Outstanding

    From a 500ml bottle served at cellar temperature at 12 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. No date information on the packaging.

    I picked up this beer from a local specialty store probably close to two months ago now… I had a very long breview list and it’s taken me a while to get through it. Anyway, it felt like the right time for this little fella.

    I tried this beer at Dieu du Ciel’s 20th anniversary event and I remember it standing out from the crowd. I’m mostly steering away from reviewing one-offs and collaborations for a multitude of reasons but on this gloomy Sunday I’m breaking my “half-ass” streak by going whole-ass on À Demain Le Soleil!.

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a veiled deep gold (pushing amber) with 4.5cm of dense, creamy, off-white head which dissipates into a solid cap within 4+ minutes. No lacing with great head retention. A good looking brew.

    Aroma 21/24

    Medium-strong intensity with good balance. The aroma is malty-sweet and fruity with a sense of intrigue.

    Pronounced caramelly sweetness and some biscuity notes pair well with a splash of alcohol and light floral tones. There’s a round, jammy quality reminiscent of strawberries and a light, earthy hop character. No off-notes.

    The dry nose is of moderate intensity, filled with biscuity, toasty malt, mild butterscotch, and a trace of earth. Great aroma.

    Flavour 38/40

    Strong intensity with good balance and pronounced perceived bitterness.

    The fine palate opens up sweet with notes of butterscotch, biscuits, and alcohol-soaked fruit – making way for a more balanced center where the robust biscuity, toasty-caramelly malt melds together with mild (yet sharp) alcohol, low earthy-herbal hops, gentle floral tones, and a touch of strawberry jam. An interesting honey character chimes in. No apparent off-flavours.

    The medium length finish is balanced and of moderate strength with notes of biscuit, toasted bread, caramel, mild floral tones, a hint of earth, a dash of alcohol, and wild flower honey. Complex.

    Mouthfeel 9/10

    Medium body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is heavy and somewhat slick with mild fizz, restrained alcohol warming, and a medium-sweet finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate. Excellent.

    Overall 17/20

    Tête d’Allumette + Dieu du Ciel! collaboration À Demain Le Soleil! is an outstanding beer.

    A good appearance sets the stage for an inviting as well as charming aroma. With a little bit more punch the nose could dazzle. On the palate the flavour is expressed in a complex, balanced, and exciting package. The mouthfeel supports the rest of the beer but it clocks in just a little thin for me. A tad more body would match the flavour depth and contribute to a uniform drinking experience.

    Overall, À Demain Le Soleil! is worth seeking out. It has character and depth paired with a sense of intrigue which makes it an easy choice on the store shelves. I’ve still seen it at some of the Montreal specialty shops so grab yourself a bottle while you can. I’d happily drink this regularly throughout the year if it was available in a smaller format at a reasonable price. Cheers y’all!

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  • L’Oeil du Mouton | Tête d’Allumette

    L’Oeil du Mouton | Tête d’Allumette

    Score: 79/100 – Good

    Appearance 5/6

    The beer pours a veiled amber with low, fluffy, off-white head. Decent foam retention. Good appearance.

    Aroma 18/24

    Medium intensity with good balance. The aroma is soft and unique with a sense of intrigue.

    A blend of malt, yeast, and special ingredients dominate. No apparent hop character or alcohol. No obvious off-notes but I’m not in love with the character.

    Flavour 34/40

    Follows the aroma with medium intensity, good balance, and moderate perceived bitterness.

    The flavour is unique and focused on malt as well as fermentation (yeast) characteristics. Noticeable minerality. No apparent hop notes or alcohol. Very good flavour.

    Mouthfeel 8/10

    Medium-light body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is delicate and fizzy with a mouth-coating quality. The alcohol  warming is restrained while the beer finishes medium-dry. Mild astringency with no actual harshness on the palate. Very good.

    Overall 14/20

    L’Oeil du Mouton is a good beer.

    It’s very unique with good balance and drinkability peppered with a sense of intrigue. At the same time, it’s a little bit tricky to dig into and the overall character is missing appeal.

    A beer worth trying for the unique drinking experience which seems to be a pattern for me when trying the brewery’s product.

    OMG, read another breview!