L'Évêque - Micro-brasserie Saint-Arnould

erica

California

3.38/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

To be honest, I wasn't that crazy about this beer. But the bottle was cool, with a metal 'label' on there. First of all, I still have no idea what style it is. I was told it's a scoth ale, the tag on the bottle said it was a brown ale (brune bier), and here on BA it's a Belgian strong dark. Hmm.... I would have to say though, it does taste more on the brown ale side, with Belgian spices shining through quite clearly. So... Belgian Brown?

Appearance is nice, cloudy dark orange-reddish colour with an off-white head that fizzes away as quickly as it came. It smells ok, a bit like a saison actually but not quite, with that grassy aroma, mixed with rich spices and a bit of apricot perhaps. I kept going back and forth on taste, whether I liked it or not. I'm still not sure. It tastes like a sweet and spicy and mixed fruity Belgian up front, then comes that flavour that I attribute to a brown ale, the only way I can describe it is dirty. Tastes like dirt. But I kept getting the good flavour too, back and forth. Hard to get past the dirt though. Mouthfeel is good, smooth and not thin or syrupy, and drinkability is not scoring too high with me. I liked it well enough, I suppose, but I don't think I'd want it again.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2004 17:15:59 | More by erica

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

3.18/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Deep dark ruby red with very little head. Little to no lacing down the glass.

S: Malty molasses and a faint candied almond smell. Quite a faint smell that's hard to pick up, at least for me. As another BA suggested, cranberry glossettes, should this product exist, would likely smell like this.

T: Slight malt taste that is rather subdued, also picking up tart cherries, tangy pineapple, and those cranberries. Overall a bit one dimensional with minimal complexity, but on the plus rather easy-drinking due to the wateriness of this. Not exactly well executed for this style with little in common with the better Belgian Strong Dark Ales. Alcohol is considerably well hidden, but then again, this isn't true to the style.

M: Oddly quite a thin mouthfeel, with below average carbonation.

D: Drinkable I guess but would prefer a thicker product with more complexity that's truer to the style. Likely wouldn't seek this out again.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 02:23:45 | More by Digimaika2

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

1.63/5  rDev -48.9%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Whoa! Not too sure what's going on here, but it's not too Belgian.

Very ordinary looking beer. Moderate head that settles to a creamy looking film. Dark, reddish brown colour.

I kept sticking my nose in this to try and figure it out. Dusty and moldy come to mind. The suggestion of Cranberry Glosettes by another poster is a good one. Some Belgian yeastiness. Chocolate and coffee? Malt and molasses. Dark fruit. I'm just not getting it. If I had to pick a word it would be "bizarre". It's just too all over the place.

Sweet, thin bodied. Slightly dry to finish. Wine, fruit, and malt to taste. Dominated by malt. Again, not too Belgian. Seems almost like some sort of odd porter.

I'm afraid this is just an unpleasant brew. It's not sure what it wants to be and just has too many off aromas and off tastes happening. Fail.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2011 00:47:39 | More by TerryW

Yoonisaykul

Quebec (Canada)

2.65/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Found this single at Dépanneur DeLorimier. All alone, no other brewery offerings next to it.

Poured into oversized wine glass.

A- Reddish brown. Medium bubble light beige head which did not last long enough for me to really appreciate it.

S- Milk chocolate covered berries. A little like cranberry Glossettes if they existed. A little bit of peanut butter & jelly. Light but hot alcohol.

T- Very English taste. But English as interpreted by many Quebec microbreweries (a few which come to mind right away are: Au Maitre Brasseur, Brasseur du Hameau and Brasseurs et Frères). Now I'm not really sure if this is because of the yeast or the hops, but when poorly executed I think it really tastes like wet cardboard. Bitter from start to finish with, in the middle, some of what was described in the aroma. Alcohol in the finish and after taste which is a little bit grassy and watery. Alcohol is well concealed.

M- Even kind of feels like cardboard; astringent like I had a piece of corrugated in my mouth. Medium carbonation, low for the style. Pretty dry for the style too. Also a bit thin I think.

D- Gets worse every sip. Seems like the dirty wet cardboard after-taste layers on with every sip, making it harder and harder to drink.

Smells better than it tastes. I do not like this beer. Pretty much what I was expecting.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2010 02:21:19 | More by Yoonisaykul

notdan

Ontario (Canada)

2.65/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Pours a dark ruby/brown with average head. Looks alright. Smell is... odd. Some nice dark malt and fruits, and also odd/tangy notes that aren't too pleasant. Taste is tangy and not very nice. There's some nice malt there, but it's overpowered by the tangy/slightly sour flavours.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 05:53:07 | More by notdan

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev +16%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lightly hazed but very dark ruby red. Head formation is weak, and that's a generous descriptor. Nose is toasty, roasty and fruity. Lots of caramel, apple, raisins and the like. Somewhat sweet flavour, with a roasted coffee edge and a big yeasty middle. Some husky grain, again some apple, and winey and grapey flavours. Finish has a bracing bitterness. Hints of nuts and alcohol complexity. This one seems to be growing on me a bit. Individual flavours are not the best, but the balance seems good. Not bad drinkability for a bigger beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2009 15:39:06 | More by allergictomacros

bloberglawp

Quebec (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light brown, a good fair amount of head that dissipates slowly to a medium size crown of foam, little lacing. A little bit hazy from the chill haze and the yeast maybe, good carbonation for the style.

Aroma of spice, malted wheat and yeast. Flavor very much like aroma, a good amount of malted wheat caracter in this one. Also some phenols and esters reminding of a belgian wit minus the orange zest.

Add a little orange peel and coriander to the recipe and you could call this a imperial dunkel-wit. Quite good but could be tweaked to exellent.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2008 04:11:11 | More by bloberglawp

brewtal

Quebec (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is the 341ml version, not the 750ml with a pewter label, hence the appearance score. Served in a Koningshoeven chalice.

-Pours a foamy head fading to good lace around the glass. Color reminds me of liquid caramel/caramel syrup.

-Smell is mostly caramelised malts, roasted grain, cocoa and somewhat spicy.

-Simple, bu huge taste. Malty, but some pleasant brown sugar and milk chocolate and a slight roasted bitterness. Could use some more complexity

-Feels a bit liquory. Could use a bit less carbonation. Warming alcohol feeling.

-One that you can either sip or avidly drink depending on your mood.

A good brew to have now and then. Goes well along with a good meal. To bad they don't have that great bottle anymore. I'll get back to this one sometimes tough.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2007 21:23:39 | More by brewtal

vanrassel

Alberta (Canada)

3.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Received in CANBIF 2006. Thanks, Matt!

A two-part pour out of a 341 mL bottle into a Chimay goblet yielded a moderately foamy head over a caramel-coloured body. The aroma is mostly malty, with some fruity esters and sweet sugar.

It tastes malty and not much else — maybe a bit of brown sugar. The label says the beer is made with spring water and indeed, it had a pleasant freshness about it. Mouthfeel is thin and watery. Overall, a one-dimensional beer that lacks complexity.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2006 22:46:47 | More by vanrassel

Tim2000

Quebec (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

341 mL brown bottle, undated. Everyone here seems to have reviewed the 750 mL version. Maybe they updated their recipe too, because this one is identified as having 8% abv instead of 8.5% and "Belgian style beer" is written on the label.

Crystal clear caramel brown brew with a thick frothy head that laces the sides of the glass.

Aroma is malty and spicy with a bit of hops.

Big and malty. Lots of caramel flavors backed up by resinous hops. Spicy notes abound, as well as some fruit. Alcohol is present and lends a nice warming touch to the beer. Very sweet but balanced. Mouthfeel is thick and rich and carbonation is quite high.

I don't know how to classify this beer. It tastes like some kind of belgian-style double ipa. Very good though.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2006 01:19:10 | More by Tim2000

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2.78/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Coca-cola in appearance with little head, my wife commented that it was almost drinkable. Nice colour but not a bear appearance. Honeyish aroma. Honey in taste, light mouthfeel maybe even watery. Not finishable. Scottish? Had under Le Gobelet label, and bought recently and tasting fresh. Didn't work

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2005 03:18:06 | More by northyorksammy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a clear dark brown colored beer with a huge head with standard retention. Aroma is a mix of sweet caramel and some spices. Taste is bit lighter then expected with again some sweet caramel and spices coming out quite clearly. Alcohol is well hidden for 9% beer. Overall, this is a very good drink but not sure about this being a scottish ale, seems more like a strong Belgian ale to me. The bottle is extremely cool too with the metal label.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2004 15:22:00 | More by Phyl21ca

francisweizen

Australia

3.88/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle with an awesome pewter(?) embossed label and a cool-looking silver overwrap. No cork, just a crown, which is pryed off easily. The pour reveals a dark orange/ruby liquid with a small white head that fizzes and dies quickly. The aromas are not strong, but they consist of several varieites of dried fruit, some candy sugar, a nice yeastiness, and a bit of floral hops. The taste is sweet up front with a dirty scotch ale flavor on the flip side. The dry fruit taste is in the finish, and it mixes wonderfully with the dry, herbal hop flavor that is in the finish as well. The mouthfeel is a bit thin for this "bruin" ale, which is actually more of a scotch ale than anything else. The drinkability is very good!

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2004 16:37:56 | More by francisweizen