Grande Cuvée Porter Baltique - Les Trois Mousquetaires

KickbacksSteve

Florida

3.1/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

On tap at Mondial, 2010. Poured into a Unibroue tulip. Huge, dark beige head. Black body. Aroma of coffee and roasted malts with a ton of hops. ABV comes on a bit hot, slightly medicinal at first, but much better upon warming. Very interesting but not necessarily in a good way. I'm all for lots of flavor but not if the flavor isn't good. However...this one does get much better upon warming. More sweetness develops into almost an aged porter taste. Interesting.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2010 05:12:07 | More by KickbacksSteve

Yoonisaykul

Quebec (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Black. Looks like an eightball in my tulip. Brown paper bag colored head.

S- Molasses. Alcohol. Gentle sweet hops. Once it warmed up I get a little coconut milk. Dark chocolate.

T- Very sweet. Basic roasted+alcohol. Dark chocolate. Dark dried fruit. Not getting anything special other than really sweet. Woody bitterness.

M- Thin but a little syrupy. Low to medium carbonation. I feel like it gets thicker as it warms.

D- I don't really feel like finishing this bottle. I will of course but mostly because I respect beer (heh.) and hate wasting.

Tastes young. I think it would be better aged (label states: Grande Cuvée Automne 2009).

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2010 21:53:36 | More by Yoonisaykul

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Fall 2009 bottle, purchased in Dec 2009 and cellared. Opening this with great anticipation, celebrating the birth of my third child! Poured into a large wine glass at ~6C, warmed to 12-13C during session.

A: Deep, dark beer with brown edges and a nice tan head. Head drops a touch quicker than expected and leaves little lacing.
S: Very enjoyable nose, with a healthy dose of liquorice, notes of molasses, alcohol, burnt paper and chocolate.
T: The first few sips are nice with liquorice and roasted malts being dominant, but the beer quickly gives way to acrid burnt flavours along with a too-hot alcohol that finishes badly. Some enjoyable earthy hops are also playing in the body, but man oh man, for a beer I have been looking forward to for eons, it is a grave disappointment.
M: The heat lasts seemingly forever in the back of the throat. Otherwise well carbonated.
O: Haven't had too many of this style and this is a highly rated beer, but the beer I had was fundamentally flawed. As I said, a grave disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 02:19:33 | More by kjyost

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.43/5  rDev -20%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Got bottles of this from a couple guys last year, but can't remember who you are. I had it all logged on my computer, but she crashed a while back. If bottles came from you, cheers! This particular review is of a 2011 bottle I got while in Quebec this past summer.

From a 750ml into a snifter
Bottled 7 January 2011

APPEARANCE: A clear brown pour yields a one finger, medium looking, fizzy, light tan head with decent retention. Clear black body with no carbonation evident. Head fades to a full wisp. A light ring remains until the end but leaves no real lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Dark malts, caramel, foral hops and a touch fo dark chocolate and leather aromas. Bold enough, though the floral notes make it a little different than expected.

TASTE: Dark malts, caramel sweetness and some toffee flavors start us off, then give way to some nice bitter dark chocoalte, nuts, molasses and woody flavors at the finish. This is quite sweet for sure, though no booze is evident. Aftertaste is sweet with molasses and sweet wood flavors, though some of the bitter chocolate and coffee notes do come through. The sweet flavors are definitely nice, though this could use more bitterness as balance.

PALATE: Medium-full body with medium levels of carbonation. Creamy enough on the palate, goes down fine with a slight scratsh at the swallow and finishes rather cloying. No heat. Good weight on this one.

OVERALL: The flavor is a little too sweet for my palate, but it is still a well made beer. There is lots of complex, interesting flavor, and the booze is held in check. The feel is pretty big as well, which really helps its cause. This would be good in small servings, but I found the 75cl bottle a little rough going at it alone. As a final note, I remember the '09 being much different than this 2011 vintage, which tells me this is a good candiate for a vertical one day. Cheers to the guys who helped me out with this one!

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 20:33:22 | More by Jeffo

phichifiji00

California

3.48/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Black, pours 2 fingers of thick tan head that fades slowly.

Smell: roasted malt, orange, estery, biscuit, chocolate, dark fruit, leather, oak.

Taste: roasted malt, a bit smokey, sweet, oak, coffee, molasses, chocolate, cherries.

Mouthfeel: full bodied, minimal carbonation, silky, smooth, creamy.

Overall: Very complex, sweet, smokey, woody, coffee, chocolate, almost too much going on here. Drinkability is moderate. WOuldn't be able to handle a whole bottle to myself.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 06:26:42 | More by phichifiji00

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color ale with a medium size foamy head with average retention and minimal lacing. Aroma consists of light black chocolate with some sweetness coming through. Taste is a mix between some black chocolate malt with a seriously dry ending. Full body with medium carbonation and no alcohol was apparent with some vinous notes without being cloying. I am not exactly sure what to make of this beer – different and not totally on style but still interesting nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2007 17:13:48 | More by Phyl21ca

Luk13

Quebec (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Cask at La soirée de brasseurs. Pitch black with tiny moka bubbles. This one is way sweeter that the bottled version. Lots of chocolate in the aroma and taste. Some coffee roastiness but the meaty flavors are nowhere to be found.
I guess I prefer the 09 version for that reason.

The cask made it very interesting and displayed the flavors nicely. The palate was similar to port but fuller. I am lucky I had the opportunity to try this one.

Overall a good beer but the sweetness was a little cloying which made it hard to drink.

Serving type: cask

08-14-2010 13:52:31 | More by Luk13

rodenbach99

Quebec (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

bouteille de 750ml. bouchon de liège.

bière totalement noire non-translucide, mousse brunâtre compacte, beaucoup d'effervescence. nez de torréfaction prononcé, la bouche est légère malgré l'alcool, on ne la sent pas du tout, goût torréfié, agréable.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2007 23:56:40 | More by rodenbach99

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I think there is no significant difference between their Baltic Porters, a rounding difference on a.b.v. is all.
Pours black with dark head. Taste is licorice, a little sourness. Solid porter with above average mouthfeel. Carbonation is apparent. Drinkable stuff, though not exceptional baltic porter. More mal than any coffee or chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2009 05:47:35 | More by northyorksammy

ADZA

Australia

3.8/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This brew pours a dark as night cola hue with nice carbonation that leaves behind a mocha laced two finger head that slowly reforms to a nice rim and little lacing,the smell is pretty much what it says on the back of the label its mostly aromas of chocolate and alcohol with some tobacco,oak and port in there aswell,it has a nice smooth,medium bodied mouthfeel which leaves your lips sticky with mocha hints and coats your mouth with tastes of dark cherry ripe,brandy liqueor encased in dark rich chocolate,dark berries and finishes with a nice strong port warmness that almost feels like you have just had a shot of some dark liquor and to be honest overall this brew is very interesting with alot of twists and turns in smell and taste but its not something i could drink all the time but glad ive sampled as its different and as this drop is my last for the night its the perfect nightcap.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 12:57:43 | More by ADZA

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.8/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Pours black with a tan head.
Nose shows roasted and bready malt, some nutty notes and a bit of cocoa.
Sweet flavours of chocolate liqueur, roasted malt, soft coffee, bready malt and booze. Too sweet.
Could use higher carbonation to cut the sweetness.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2013 01:06:44 | More by CrazyDavros

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml Bottle

Appearance - The beer pours a black/brown colour with an average size fizzy light brown coloured head. I can't see much carbonation due the darkness of the beer and there is some fair lacing on the sides of the glass. The head lasted for 5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Chocolate, malts, smoke, roasted nuts

Taste & Mouth - The beer has a low amount of carbonation and it feels slightly thin on the tongue. I can taste chocolate mixed with malts and a roasted/smoke taste. I swear at first I could taste smoked meat.. but that faded as my glass progressed. It also has the same hoppy taste found in all the other LTM beers. It ends with a chocolatey sweet slightly bitter aftertaste.

Overall – I have to say I was a little disappointed in this beer. The appearance wasn't great and the taste and smell were just slightly above average. The main highlight is probably how well of a job it does hiding the 10% alcohol level. Maybe a little age would have helped this bottle. It's still good and if you're a fan of the style you should check it out. I just wouldn't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 16:35:07 | More by spinrsx

Crosling

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Black colored beer that pours nice. Brown edges with a lasting light tan head. Aromas showcases an array of complex dark malt notes. Flavor is very nice, with hints of sour fruit, chocolate, coffee and truffle. Lasting finish is also impressive. Very nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2008 19:21:18 | More by Crosling

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks Alex (Masterski) for this one.

A tan head forms and stays for a brief visit. Fades away leaving little lace behind. Dark brown beer with light penetrating through at the edges. Looks a bit like just standard black coffee.

Aroma is of dark malt. Really a lot of that malt aroma as if you were brewing. Some chocolate sauce and a touch of alcohol.

I get a great deal of chocolate, especially as it warms.Some prune as well. A hint of alcohol late in the profile.

Almost a light powdery feel on the tongue. Medium bodied...

Pretty good Baltic Porter. I usually like a touch more body and some more smoothness, but still solid.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 03:38:03 | More by Reagan1984

hellbilly

Arizona

4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2007 bottle with a different label (bistro l'autre oeil) from glouglouburp.

pours a reddish brown shade of opaque black topped by a medium sized orange tinted cafe au lait colored head. slight horizontal trails of lacing.

big time tar/asphalt aroma followed by fudgey chocolate, nice tobacco, vanilla, licorice, scalded cream, bruised red apples, fresh strawberries (yep), umami and a slight acidity.

fairly sweet palate though less than the majority of baltics. it's cut nicely by a bitterness and great sourness. flavors of chocolate, toasty grain, black raisins, brown sugar, five spice spiciness and black licorice with an ashy charred finish. coffee joins the aftertaste party. medium body. super slick texture. prickly carbonation and char make the sugar almost a non issue and make it a whole bunch easier to drink in quantity.
8/4/8/4/16/4.0

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2008 06:52:34 | More by hellbilly

tmoneyba

Ohio

4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Champane's Wine.

Poured an hazy dark amber color with an average frothy white head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate citrus, fruit and spice aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture and soft carbonation. Medium sweet spicy flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2009 22:53:13 | More by tmoneyba

grumpy

Missouri

4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

750mL bottle, corked and caged, label rendered in French. Received as an extra in a trade with pugman. Thanks again!

Pours a very dark brown/black, with very little red tone visible under light. Tan head that dissipates quickly.

Aroma is sweet and winey with a touch of molasses.

Flavor is quite complex. Starts with a bit of tartness or sourness, which is quickly cancelled by a wave of sweet maltiness, a layer of chocolate, a return of the molasses, and then a considerable roasty dryness and astringency. After a few minutes the dryness disappears and the sweetness returns. Alcohol is virtually undetectable in the flavor. Hard to believe this is 9.8% ABV.

Mouthfeel is a little light for a beer this big, but that would likely improve with age. Carbonation is a tad too prickly for my personal tastes.

Overall, a pretty tasty beer and not your American style Baltic (Imperial) Porter. Possibly more true to the classic style other than the ABV. I'd definitely drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2009 21:41:26 | More by grumpy

mfunk9786

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From a corked bomber (that, despite its all-business label, looks amazing) provided by my amazing lady friend who thankfully has a friend who goes to medical school in Montreal. Oh, how I wish I could visit this wonderful beer city more often!

A: Pitch black. I guess the head's lighter than some beers of this style, but its off-white qualities just remind the drinker of its unique astringency. The beer itself would struggle to reveal itself in even the most Gothic of settings. Completely. Black.

S: The smell leaves a lot to be desired. This beer obviously needs to be aged, because at 10% alcohol, it is quite difficult to get a good whiff of. Sure, there's some oh-so-subtle chocolate, some anise, some smoke. But the smell doesn't do the taste any justice - it's like a bad trailer for a good movie.

T: The taste gets things going. Despite the high alcohol burn (that is expected after the amazingly neutralized odor), this beer delivers a dark chocolate sweetness that is never too bitter, followed by anise and dark fruits that don't necessarily brighten things up but do excite the tongue - as this is a no-nonsense Baltic Porter that doesn't fuck around with too much motor-oil looking 'choco-tastic'ness. It'd be impossible to confuse this dark masterpiece with the stuff they use to flavor chocolate milkshakes at McDonald's, that's for sure.

M + D: The mouthfeel and drinkability go hand-in-hand on this one, as [especially the mouthfeel] they suffer from the booziness of this brew. It's not supposed to feel so overwhelming as it does on the tongue, but it can't quite help itself but to hit you up with some major levels of quickly-evaporating alcohol notes. The reason I give the Drinkability a higher rating is because if you like the taste, you're more likely to cut the Mouthfeel a fucking break.

If you find this, buy a bottle. But don't go crazy - this isn't just any Baltic Porter - give it a try first and see if you can handle Les Trois Mousquetaires' interpretation!

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2010 02:34:48 | More by mfunk9786

dgilks

Australia

4.03/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark black colour with a creamy, dark tan head. Fair head retention.

Rich, malty, chocolatey coffee notes. Dark caramel and nutty notes. Like a good, sweet coffee.

Thick malt sweetness with a hint of chocolate. Caramel. Mild alcohol sweetness. A little over the top.

Full body with moderate carbonation. Good.

A decent baltic porter and really quite tasty. Thick, full flavoured and interesting. It is a touch sweet but that is good in it's own way.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 09:33:04 | More by dgilks

gford217

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle.

Pours deep, chocolate brown out of the bottle and settles in pretty close to black with a big thick tan head that leaves spotty lacing.

Aroma is heavily roasted black malts, bakers chocolate and some hints of smoke. There is also a bit of sweetness, especially the licorice and vanilla.

Taste is even sweeter with malted milk balls coming to mind - sweet chocolate and lactose with smoked malts and licorice. The finish is dry with bitter roasted malts and semi-sweet chocolate. Maybe a hint of cherry tartness as it warms, very subtle.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with lots of carbonation and really, really smooth on the palate.

This is not one of the biggest or most flavorful Baltic porter but it's extremely tasty and sweeter in the taste than the nose suggests.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 01:09:05 | More by gford217

shopshopshop

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had a bottle sitting in the fridge for a few months, bought at the LCBO in the winter. Remembered it as being sweet, with a hint of tart cherries. Brought this bottle out to pair with a strawberry rhubarb pie.

Pours dark, but not quite black. Hint of dark, dark red/brown. Once it's in the glass it's near-black.

Smells like chocolate, with a bit of bitter wood/smoke. Didn't remember this aspect the first time around.

Taste is chocolate on the front, a bit of tart cherries, and then finishes with a strong woody, smoky, bitterness. Amazingly well-rounded taste, with three flavours that stand out from each other. Definitely a rounded beer, as the bottle said.

Mouthfeel was medium, not quite a super thick stout but not thin.

Definitely one of the best Baltic porters ever--far more flavourful than the Garrison Baltic porter.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 16:02:54 | More by shopshopshop

MasterSki

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to papat444 for sending this rarity my way. 2008 edition. Served in a Sam Adams pint glass.

A - Pours with a billowing dark foam that eventually settles to two fingers before dissipating slowly - good amount of lacing. Dark, dark, brown body that has a nice glint of ruby red at the fringes. If there was a touch more lace, and a touch darker body then it'd be perfect.

S - Dark fruits, cocoa, a touch of maple, a touch of leather and smoke, pretty well-hidden booze. It's a good, straight-up Baltic porter.

T - The taste is pretty similar - loads of cocoa, a bit of earthy hops, espresso, leather, and a strong roasty bitter aftertaste. Again, nothing crazy, but quite tasty. Well hidden ABV.

M - It's a little higher in carbonation than I prefer, but not inappropriate for the style. A surprisingly dry finish, with only a little bit of residual stickiness. The body is a little gritty.

D - This was a pretty good beer, but not as awesome as the other few reviews led me to believe. Still, a few of us killed the 750ml bottle pretty quick. I'd drink this one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2009 02:57:23 | More by MasterSki

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Autumn 2009 vintage, 750 ml bomber, left over from Christmas, and as the snow seems in temporary retreat, no time like the present...especially when it's TGIF...

This beer pours black, with red edges in the light, and two fingers of creamy cocoa head, which leaves evenly spaced streams of laces as it fades away. It smells of dry chocolate, a bit of ash, and warming alcohol. The taste is semi-sweet chocolate malt, balsa wood, trail mix, and a mild booziness. The carbonation is very low, the body thick, slick, and pleasantly unctuous, and it finishes sweet, in a chocolate caramel way, but a with nice drying hoppy/boozy effect in there too.

For its purported strength, this is crazy-easy to drink, when one discovers the drying effect that counteracts the initial perceived sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2010 04:03:37 | More by biboergosum

BDTyre

British Columbia (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle proudly displays 9.2%.

Dark ruby appearance with a lovely creamy, khaki head. Sweet, rich malty, slightly smoky head. Wine and cherry linger.

Sweet taste. Chocolate, fruit, raisins and a bit of dessert wine. Slight alcohol burn. Faint woody, smoky character and even a bit of marshmallow.

Smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Only the high alcohol stops this from being perfect.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 07:06:18 | More by BDTyre

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is one intense beer with almost too many flavours going on at once. I would love to age some of this as the finishing sweetness was a little much right now but the beer is complex and full of deep notes of dark fruit and molasses. Quite a beer from a Canadian brewer and on to hold onto for awhile.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2012 01:00:34 | More by canucklehead