Microbrasserie Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum Lupulus – Belgian Golden Strong Ale at 10% ABV | 70 IBU

Microbrasserie Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum Lupulus – Belgian Golden Strong Ale at 10% ABV | 70 IBU (C$12.98 at Beer Club Offering #12, 750 ml, packaged on 13-May-2014, best before 13-May-2015, acquired 11-Oct-2014, reviewed 24-Jun-2020)

Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: Belgian yeast esters, green apple, boozy floral & fruit. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, sticky bitter warming slightly tart finish. (4/5)

The Great Cellar Drink Down continues. What? I’m in quarantine in a (supposedly) sold house, so I can’t get anything fresh, and who knows how long my collection will go into a storage unit after we pack up here and find a new house – could be months, easily, subjected to wild temperature variations. No, better it end here, with dignity: cue the swelling orchestra.

I had to dig pretty deeply into the cellar to unearth this one. (And in doing so, discovered another one from the same brewer, that I didn’t even have in my inventory! Score!) So this one has now been cellared for almost six years, and actually passed its BB date about five years ago – but come on: Really? A one year BB date? For a Belgian Strong, with double digit ABV? “I’m sure it’s fine,” he said, before uncapping it. And, it is. It’s nothing like the newer one I had fresh six years ago, mostly because there’s essentially nothing left of the hop character at this point. So, the citrus and pine have been replaced with Belgian esters and green apple, but there’s no hint of oxidation and the carbonation is still lively. A different experience isn’t necessarily a negative one. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com