Jurassian Imperial Stout (Cuvée Alex Le Rouge) - BFM Brasserie Des Franches-Montagnes

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Ow! My ears! This thing popped so loud when I flipped the cap that it really did give me a bit of a ringer.

Pours very dark with a thin tan head.

Nose is fruity and spiced, yes. Do you know what the problem with it is though? It reminds me of those markers I would get as a kid that each had its own fragrance. I take a sniff and just think of my old purple marker with the grape fragrance.

As the label so kindly informs me, this beer is "Extremely Complex". Oh really. Thanks for the help there buddy. Sure it is complex, but it seems like everything was thrown together. All the characteristics of this one just jump into my mouth together and don't stand alone to let me savor it all. Seems a bit messy.

The liquid feel is thin. The carbonation is decent.

Overall this is not worth the price. A bit of a mess and not really bringing enough interesting character. Pass.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2008 06:24:04 | More by RblWthACoz

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Jurassian imperial stout brewed with Sarawak pepper, Russian tea, and burbon vanilla.

A: Poured a viscous cola color with dark ruby highlights as it left the bottle producing a thin, fizzy dark, khaki layering.

S: subtle with warm, pleasant English tea scents with a dash of peppery spicing.

T: The initial flavor was spicy prunes, with warm tea notes and light citrus and cola hints. Progresses to a vinous burbon vanilla flavor along with ripe oranges and light peppery notes. The alcohol is extremely well hidden at 10.276% abv. The spicy warm tea flavor highlights this flavor with a quick, sharp peppery finish compliments of the Sarawak pepper. The finish was clean with only a minute trace of acidity.

M: very light, oily with a flat carbonation with warming spicy tea notes which gives way to a nice quick, sharp peppery finish.

D:Where in the world is the 10.276% abv? Besides from being a tad light body wise it does present a nice unique flavor which keeps you coming back sip after sip. Spicy, peppery and truly unique.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2008 23:51:00 | More by beerthulhu

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.15/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours out a dark brown body, reddish-hued at the edges, and capped by a small, beige head.

Smell: Aroma of dark malts, dried herbs, tart fruits and fainter notes of licorice and molasses.

Taste: Dark malts with a thinned taste of chocolate. Salted plum flesh. Sprinkling of licorice water. Hint of wood, molasses. Light bitterness. There's never any real sweetness. In its place, there's a pervasive tart fruitiness, like a wine cooler past its prime. Pinch of earthy spice on the creosote finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Very mild carbonation.

Drinkability: Different, for sure, but it's just not what I'm looking for in an Imperial Stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2008 21:11:35 | More by ChainGangGuy

Chaz

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very dark brown in color. A rather firm pour produced a pleasantly dark, orange-tan head, a good two-fingers and of good duration. Lacing was moderate to very good,and lasted throughout the duration of the drink.
Plenty of cake-y, suspended yeast here.

The nose is lactic, tannic,and spicy. As stated on the label, spices are a component of this brew, and the vanilla is the first spice I made note of. There is also a something I can only call "green olive", a component of the lactic sour character. As per the label there is a fair amount of alcohol in this brew, but on the nose it is easily masked by the other characteristics. A beer this big should offer some sweeter malt notes on the nose and yet this one appears almost dry. Roasted and dark malts blend well with the spices, and overall.

Semi-sweet on first sip, with prominent licorice, roasted and bready malt notes, and a mild sweetness creeping up towards the end, and a fairly dry finish. Astringent. Black pepper is not very noticeable, but seems to come through along with the warming alcohol in the aromatics. The "Russian tea" on the label is something I've not heard of as per use in a beer, but if anything the tea adds to the astringency, and lends a lightly vegetal character. Dry, roasted, and biscuit malt notes are subdued throughout the mid-palate yet seem to appear at the end and linger nicely. Notes of cocoa appear amidst this malt backdrop, particularly as it warms. Likewise, as this warms the spices contribute greatly to the complexity of the aromatic aspect, giving this a liqueur-like appeal.

Mouthfeel is rather thin; no doubt the addition of cane sugar was something of a factor here. Lighter mouth feel would seem to add to the drink-ability, but not so much for the style.

Altogether this is a very challenging and interesting brew. It's altogether different than what we've come to expect of imperial stouts from craft breweries in America, and is much more in line with what the Belgians and others have done with the style. Recommended for those who have time to sit back and savor a brew; a "cigar beer" if you will.

(Note: I allowed this to warm sufficiently; the intricate flavors and effects of the spices would have been lost on this if served too cold.)

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2008 19:27:56 | More by Chaz

dsa7783

New Jersey

2.98/5  rDev -17%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

11.2 oz swing-top bottle purchased from Buy Rite on Oak Tree in South Plainfield...
Very unimpressive pour - the result was a dark-black, purple-colored hue with hardly any head at all and very minimal lacing...
Juniper-berry aroma noticeable along with hints of cocoa powder, thick roasted malts, and slight caramel tinged by a touch of vanilla...
Poor, average at best, watery taste consisting of the aforementioned nuances depicted in the aroma...
Watery mouthfeel without too much going on in this department...
For the five or six bucks I paid for this one, can't say I would really recommend it...

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2008 01:35:45 | More by dsa7783

dedrinker

Kansas

2.3/5  rDev -35.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Nearly black in color, and rusty red algae around the edges when held to the light. No head. Aroma of vinegar/ cherries - sour/ acidic. Flavor was a Flemish Brown type of deal with faint roast dominated by wet leaves in a rain gutter followed by oxidative notes. Not my thing. Light body and sour finish. Gross. Hard to tell if it was spoiled when there is only one other review so far.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2008 21:36:02 | More by dedrinker

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a big dirty brown color head with some good retention and some lacing. Aroma of roasted malt with some sweet malt. Taste is a mix between some roasted malt with medium bitterness, some notes of liquorice are also noticeable with a nice sweet malt base. Full body with great carbonation and no alcohol was noticeable. Definitely different then most imperial stout around but very satisfying nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2008 20:36:40 | More by Phyl21ca