La Vache Folle Double IPA - Mystery Hop - Microbrasserie Charlevoix

Long813

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark golden-copper body with two fingers of white fluffy head. Retention is great along with amazing thick lacing.

S: Great collection of citrus fruits, sweet malts and pine. It have quite an intricate aroma. Very pleasing

T: Pleasing taste of sour citrus fruits and biscuits. There is a nice touch of sweetness that it mixed with the pine. It's quite a interesting flavour from this hop strain.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation, texture is velvety with a great aftertaste of hops and biscuits. Alcohol is only slightly noticable - not bothersome at all.

O: It's another well done beer for the series. I don't like it as much as I do the other hops, but what can you do?

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 02:50:25 | More by Long813

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

09-13-2012 21:04:34 | More by Molson2000

oldp0rt

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

03-15-2012 13:16:05 | More by oldp0rt

NForr

Quebec (Canada)

5/5  rDev +31.9%

12-08-2011 05:22:37 | More by NForr

DoreenAndDave

Maine

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer is an attractive hazy copper with a nice beige head. Nice aroma of toast and malt and hops. Taste is a a solid malt and yeast backbone with a pleasantly bitter hop finish. This is a nice sturdy beer. It's less of a hop bomb than is typical of double IPAs, which is a nice change of pace. Mouthfeel is good. It's nicely carbonated and has some nice alcohol warmth at the end. This beer is is a nice compromise between heavy Quebec-style ales and hoppy IPAs. I like both of these styles, and so a beer that is kinda halfway between them is a nice combination.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 05:42:02 | More by DoreenAndDave

fostachild

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

bottled on 2011 feb 17

pours a really nice medium amber color. good amount of head that leaves lacing until the end.

smell is hoppy, citrusy - slight alcohol. quite pleasant.

taste has fruit, lots of hops. sharp bitterness with a nice sweet aftertaste.

really well balanced, enjoyed this a lot.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 00:38:55 | More by fostachild

ZorPrime

Quebec (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle says it was bottled on February 17th, 2011. Tasted on March, 20th, 2011.

Notes from the tasting:
Beer color is copper. Nice foamy head on top. Sticks well to the glass like all the beers from this series. This one is 8% abv instead of 9% like the others. The aroma presents notes of agrees. When the beer is colder, the aroma intensity is light. However, as the beer warms up, the aroma intensity gets stronger. Get some ananas when it is warmer. This one is so easy to drink... Its crazy. Sweet and mellow, like honey. Also the taste presents some caramel notes. I get some citrus too here. The bitterness is a little woody... Another good beer in this series and from this brewery. I like it.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2011 02:00:44 | More by ZorPrime

Seanstoppable

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle on date of Feb 13, 2011

Pours a clear dark orange color with tons of frothy white head Head evaporated sporadically, leaving hills and valleys. Sporadic lacing on the glass.

Slight scent of fruit and pine.

Flavor is more full than the smell. Enough hops to shock your tongue if going from zero to this. A lightly piney flavor mixes in with the malt taste. Some good hop bitterness. Slight hint of alcohol at the end.

The alcohol flavor at the end is a bit offputting, especially as I don't recall it in their other Double IPAs in this series. However, as the beer warms up a bit it mellows out and all but disappears. Not the best of their Double IPA line, but certainly a good one.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 00:27:17 | More by Seanstoppable

nighthawk

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3.15/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

500ml bottle poured into nonic pint. Bottled-on date (Thank you Charlevoix!) of Feb 17 2011 on back label. This review is a partial amalgam of an on the spot review and a.review from a fresher bottle. Marks may be skewed higher than a current purchase would indicate.

Pours a bright, clear orange with a fluffy white hoead that retains as a lady covering until.the end. Not a mind blowing appearance, but par for the course.

Not as hoppy an aroma as I would like. Bit of mango tropical fruit and brash weedy hop bitterness in there, but fruit esters and a bit of sweet bready malt seem to dominate the aroma.

Taste follows suit with the nose; bitter hops with a slight tropical nature are quickly overtaken by fruit esters and bready sweet malt.

Solid medium body and light to.medium carbonation. Feels pretty good in the mouth.

Unfortunately for this beer the DIPA category is flooded with offerings that are bursting at the seams with hop flavour. This example is tasty, but lets my taste bids down just a little.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 22:57:38 | More by nighthawk

grub

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

another bottle from freud. thanks fred!

500ml bottle. sampled june 5/2011.

pours crystal clear golden amber with a small cap of fine off-white head. the head drops slowly and leaves a few spots of lace.

aroma is nice. whole wheat bread. bit of biscuit and cracker. caramel and a touch of toffee. grapefruit, orange, and tangerine. earthy and herbal. hint of pine.

taste is good. whole wheat bread. bit of biscuit and cracker. caramel and a touch of toffee. grapefruit, orange, and tangerine. earthy and herbal. hint of pine. lightly warming alcohol. medium bitterness level.

mouthfeel is good. medium body. just under medium carbonation level.

drinkability is good. nice balance. great malt base. i'd like to see a bigger hop presence. the dipa series has been fairly malty, but this one seems a little bolder there... perhaps it hasn't aged as well as the others.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2011 00:11:21 | More by grub

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Broue HAHA. Bottled Feb 2011 so about three months old. From notes.

A - Dark copper pour with good carbonation. Bright. One finger eggshell head elaves good rings of lacing and one finger of retention.

S - Citrus, peach jumps out for some reason, and clean hops.

T - Peach mostly. Not resinous. Hops are clean for the most part and nice.

M - Dry finish, good carbonation with a medium to full body. Not overly bitter.

O/D - Another so-so IIPA from Charlevoix for the night. Didn't really go anywhere and while tasty, wasn't anything special.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 22:47:05 | More by tbeckett

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

So-so DIPA. It hits the style in that there is bitterness in your face. Lots of white lace. Yet, little hop aromas, more booziness in the smell than anything. Tad above average mouthfeel, but just a hop delivery. Northern Brewer hop, not the highlight of the series. A musty aftertaste, not that satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 03:20:04 | More by northyorksammy

eat

Quebec (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled February 17; it's a little old at this point. Clear amber-coloured body with a good finger of rocky cream-white head. Decent head retention and lacing.

Very tropical nose: pineapple, passion fruit, lychee, mandarin orange, sugary malt. Smells pretty good.

Much too sweet as anticipated, based on previous Charlevoix double IPAs. Too much sugary malt bordering on cloying. Alcohol is quite apparent as well. Strange, I think all their other double IPAs have been 9% ABV; this one is 8% and probably the hottest of the bunch. Under all the sugar and alcohol there's a pretty flavourful, tropical hop variety trying to poke through, showing unripe pineapple, tangerine and lime zest. Light pine on the finish along with a moderate drying.

Decent slightly viscous feel. Medium body and carbonation.

Unfortunately, I don't feel freshness would have helped this one much; the sweetness and alcohol would still have been the same. I can't say this is too drinkable and I wouldn't buy it again. I keep buying these things hoping for another like the Amarillo but so far none have approached it.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 17:38:57 | More by eat

Swedes21

Ontario (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance - very clear and clean coper in appearance, there isnt much carbonation. the head is about 2 fingers and last a long time, some good lacing. head is an off fluffy white.

Smell - decent smelling beer, some good balance between hops and malts. there is not a dominant smell of pine like i expected. maybe some citrus smell, more on the lemon than grapefruit side.

Taste - more of a malty/pine than a hop/pine taste. some bitterness at the end that lingers a little. nothing overly dynamic in this beer.

Mouthfeel - smoother tasting, some good volume added. nothing stands out anymore than in the taste..

Overall - glad i tried it, would not rate this as a must try, i am sure there are butter DIPA out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 00:27:18 | More by Swedes21

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a clear amber color ale with a quite large foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of light citrus notes with piney hops is quite intense. Taste is more hop-centric then other beers from this series with also a solid caramel malt backbone. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Well brewed and surprisingly one of my favourite from this series with more intense hoppiness.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 18:50:30 | More by Phyl21ca

Intrinsic

Quebec (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is a great example of the DIPA style. Its dark amber in colour with a light density head and great retention. For this reason it gives you plenty of time to soak in the smell. The mystery hop variety has an intense citrus aroma, backed with floral notes. I smell zero malt, which either means they dry-hopped this thing so much it masks other smells or my olfactory senses are poor. I don't mind though - its very pleasant.

The malt characteristics shine through in the taste up-front but this doesn't last long at all considering its a DIPA. These hops, whatever they are, are incredibly tasty. Citrus, pine, floral, all mingled together to give a very natural and almost earthy feel to it.

As for mouthfeel, well, it isn't anything to write home about. Its slightly syrupy, which lost it some points, but its also well carbonated so it made ground there. Overall, its a pretty good beer. The only problem is I paid $5.95 for it. At that price, its only a "try it once" beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2011 00:38:22 | More by Intrinsic

rodenbach99

Quebec (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From a 500ml bottle bought at Peluso.

The liquid is beautiful, nice coppery translucent with a off-white foam compact and durable all through the end of the glass.

The aroma of malt and hops is nice but with little complexety.

The mouth is strong, hard, a slightly sweet taste of hops are present, more floral than fruity. Touch of alcohol. The bitterness is pleasant in aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 14:38:17 | More by rodenbach99

flipper2gv

Quebec (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

FYI, the Hop used is "Northern Brewer" which is the first time I hear being used as the main hop for an IPA.

A: Microbrasserie Charlevoix always made the best looking beers I've ever seen. Perfectly translucent amber color with a big off white creamy looking head that has lots of retention and lacing.

S: Smell really not as good as the others (especially the amarillo version). Really strong on the pine resin and not much citrus except some light lemon peel. A little bit of undefined vegetal like qualities. The malt base is very strong and sweet in the smell. Strong brown sugar, caramel, vanilla and bready-ness.

T: Sweet malts upfront with caramel, vanilla, brown sugar and the bread. Really not much hops at all and this is supposed to be a DIPA. Some light pine resin, mint, some mango juice but all in subtlety. Very lackluster and really really does not feel like 80 (more like 40). The beer isn't bad, but it's just boring.

M: Medium body with super smooth carbonation. A little bit sticky. Really nice here.

O: An american strong ale might be a better descriptor here as it's not strong enough in the barley to be called a barleywine.
Even if it would have been described as such, it would be a pretty boring. There's not much complexity in the malts or in the hops, it makes a boring beer overall.

By far the worst in the series.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 01:56:02 | More by flipper2gv

Yoonisaykul

Quebec (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Heard a new Vache Folle DoubleIPA was coming out more than a month ago but I just found it in stores today. Kind of sucks to see it with bottled on feb 17 stamp.

The mystery hop thing is pretty cool. Nice label.

A- Looks like the others in the single hop series. Maybe a bit lighter in color. Slight beige tint to the white head. Clear dark copper. Almost caramel. Lots of expected lacing.

S- I don't think this smells as good as the others I've had. More sour... a bit of onion. Bubblegum. Grapefruit rind. Some grassiness which I didn't remember smelling in the others.

T- Nice grapefruit juice taste but some woodiness and still a tiny bit of onion. Mild grapefruit rind bitterness followed by a harsher woody bitter after-taste.

M- Low to medium carbonation. A little bit syrupybut also a bit to thin.. or maybe it's just the lack of carbonation. Semi-dry finish. A bit of alcohol burnin the back of the throat.

D- Okay. I like the grapefruit taste but dislike the wood, grass and onion. Kind of refreshing. Alcohol is a bit too present to ensure good drinkability but is enjoyable nonetheless.

Yeah, not one of my favoites in the series. Not too disappointed since I wasn't expecting too much (just hoping).
It is a good beer. Always happy to see another Quebec (Double!)IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 05:12:30 | More by Yoonisaykul

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml Bottle - apparently I'm the first one to review this beer...

Appearance - The beer pours a clear orange colour with an above average size frothy off-white coloured head. There is an average amount carbonation there is and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes before it began to dissipate.

Smell - malts, caramel, hops, biscuits/cookies

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and the beer has a very sweet taste. I can pick up on lots of malts and a buttery caramel flavour. There are also some hops and a some biscuit/cookie notes. It finishes with a buttery/caramel aftertaste with a little bit of lingering hops.

Drink - The alcohol was well hidden and the beer reminded me a little bit of a stronger Sierra Nevada Celebration ale. I enjoyed this one quite a bit; it was really well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2011 00:53:33 | More by spinrsx