Microbrasserie Charlevoix Brut Ale de Charlevoix – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV | 46 IBU (C$6.16 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 23-Sep-2022, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 6-Dec-2022)
Appearance: crystal clear straw with a short loose white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: funky Belgian esters, pomes. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry short duration finish. (4/5)
I’ve mentioned before how much I love this brewer’s labels, but, damn: I love this brewer’s labels. No, not the goatee-wearing minotaur, the back, where they specify serving temperature, IBUs, OG, FG, LOV, and AA. And! The base of the can has the date in clearly-readable YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM format (aka “God’s date format”) as well as lot number. I mean, these guys are clearly so geeky that it just warms my heart.
Too bad the beer sucks.
I kid! I kid!
Sort of.
I mean, come on: this isn’t an American DIPA. It might well be a “Belgian living in Quebec’s interpretation of an American DIPA”, but it’s not an American DIPA. You want to make a Belgian IPA? Great! Call it that. Don’t hop on the Brut bandwagon with a re-tread. This is, by no reasonable interpretation, a “nod to the wave of West Coast IPAs” (yes, some of us dirty Anglos can decipher French), unless you’re going to Belgium the long way ‘round.
Nice beer. Ridiculously badly characterized. (14/20)
This will be my 5,441st unique Untappd check-in.
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
