XO Beer
Brasserie des Gabariers (L&L Cognac SA)

XO BeerXO Beer
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From:
Brasserie des Gabariers (L&L Cognac SA)
 
France
Style:
European Strong Lager
ABV:
8%
Score:
77
Avg:
3.24 | pDev: 21.6%
Reviews:
31
Ratings:
34
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 16, 2015
Added:
Jun 26, 2003
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
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Photo of papat444
Reviewed by papat444 from Canada (QC)

3.15/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Haven't had this in like 15 years back when i was a neophyte craft beer drinker. Remember thinking this was quite the sipper of a beer. Flashback to now and it's certainly not a complex beer. Murky brown body with minimal lacing, flavor is certainly not cognac but does have a sweet discreetness. Body is limp though and overall it's quite average.
Feb 16, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by Urik from Canada (QC)

Sep 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Socialiste from Canada (QC)

Aug 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by dcmchew from Romania

Nov 11, 2013
Photo of DARIVA
Reviewed by DARIVA from Netherlands

3.64/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
APPEARANCE: This is a clear amber colored beer with a beautiful head.

SMELL: This beer smells of yeast and oak.

TASTE: This beer tastes like yeast and cognac.

MOUTH FEEL: This beer has a good balance and a fine carbonation.

OVERALL: Good drinkable, short finish of cognac and a little weak.
Aug 22, 2012
Photo of marty21
Reviewed by marty21 from Canada (MB)

3.03/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A: Pours a light orange/golden colour with 1finger worth of white soapy head. Settles to a thin cap. Left a decent amount of lacing.

S: Lighter malt with a decent amount of honey.

T: Light malts with some honey on the aftertaste. You get a bit of alcohol on the tongue.

M: Light to medium carbonation with a light body.

O: Average beer. I don’t have much to say since it didn’t blow me away or disgust me.
Jun 26, 2011
Photo of krisklyne
Reviewed by krisklyne from Canada (SK)

3.95/5  rDev +21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: caramel in colour with a cream color head; soapy lacing.

S: Booze (wine taste at first)quite minimal,very subtle.

T: Slight Cherry/Raspberry/Caramel flavour but watered down. Pleasant and not overbearing.

M: Moderate body, Light carbonation.

D: Intriguing but not something I would reach for regularly. Something to throw a curve into my usual tastings.Went down easy however.Nice change of pace.

Serving type: bottle
Apr 27, 2011
Photo of Yoonisaykul
Reviewed by Yoonisaykul from Canada (QC)

3.42/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Been wondering about this one for a few years now. Finally decided to buy one.

A- A dark honey. Hazy, heterogeneous even, with clumps still swirling in the bottom of the bottle. Had to force the beige head by pouring with a bit of height but it was worth it. Retention isn't great but it might be my glass.

S- I think it really smells like raspberry. Some chocolate too and a little alcohol. So all in all it kind of reminds me of a black forest cognac cake. Quite an interesting smell.

T- Surprising taste. Still tastes like raspberries but it also has some sort of green hoppiness to it. Very little cognac or alcohol burn. Sweet but not cloying. A little watery.

M- Low carbonation which doesn't fit too well with the wateriness. Not dry.

D- Good. Easy to drink but not really what I'm looking for when thirsty for a beer.
My sister, who I'm having a hard time turning on to beer seems to really enjoy this one. She says it really tastes like cognac.

To me, this feels more like a cognac malt drink than a beer with cognac in it.

Before liking beer, I thought this would be awesome and fancy. After getting to know beer, I thought this must be a dirty, dirty, gimmick. I now know it's an ok/pretty good product that's not really my thing.
Worth trying.
Feb 04, 2011
Photo of rodenbach99
Reviewed by rodenbach99 from Canada (QC)

3.99/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
From a 330ml brown bottle. Bought at the SAQ. Nice copper colour with a beige thin head. Nose with a nice mocha nose, with some nuts. Good taste of malt, some alcohol, nice equilibrium. I drank this beer 10 years ago and it was disapointing now it's a very good beer.
Aug 25, 2010
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.68/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The version I have of this is 5.9% ABV.

The beer pours a deep, dark reddish brown, with a few fingers of puffy, off white head, that melts away, leaving no lacing. It smells of sour grape essence, and mildly sweet malt. It tastes of sweet wood flavours, citrus, grape must, and caramel malt. The carbonation is quite mild, and the alcohol not really noticeable, just a slight warming. This finishes smooth, with the brandy edge holding on for a little while. A pretty interesting and natural pairing of French beverages, that, while being a blend instead of an aged in wood product, produces similar impressions as those offerings from Innis & Gunn and BrewDog.
Mar 05, 2009
Photo of bloberglawp
Reviewed by bloberglawp from Canada (QC)

2.53/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Pours a clear medium cooper with a huge white head and some nice lacing, medium carbonation.

Aroma of earthy hops, hints cotton candy, mango and lichi. Flavor is a rather wierd synthetic pop-cycle like cheery candy flavor upfront followed by a boozy note of alcohol. Finished bitter and a tad bit astringent. As it warms up it becomes more and more clutered and flavor seem to clash with one another.

I love both cognac and beer and beleive blending them or perhalps aging beer in cognac barrels is a good idea. I don't feel the base beer used here is the best one for this combination.
Jan 26, 2009
Photo of thierrynantes
Reviewed by thierrynantes from France

3.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Beer bottle (33 cl.), taste in 2003.

Appearance : Amber caramel clear color, with white foamy head.
Smell : vanilla oak and alcohol (cognac).
Taste and mouthfeel : round, medium bodied, bitterness of alcohol in finish.
Drinkability : a good beer in the French style "bière de garde".
Jan 11, 2009
Photo of forceten
Reviewed by forceten from North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +24.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This beer gets an unfairly bad rap. First off, it's a weirdie right off the bat, as it's an orange/amber beer blended with actual Cognac. If you don't like Cognac (or any Brandy), don't try it! You won't like it. It's Cognac beer. For those that are interested, read on... it pours nicely, its head isn't remarkable, but not unacceptable. Very pronounced cognac nose. I must have had a fresh bottle - the beer tasted fresh, and the balance was better than most reviews had me believing. Cognac taste is very present, of course, but it's still a beer. Smooth and drinkable, pleasant. Alcohol was not overly pronounced. Excellent alternative to a port or cognac after dinner, or with a cigar or dessert. I find it's similar in spirit to Innis & Gunn. I'd recommend it for those who like ports and cognacs.
Apr 08, 2008
Photo of jasonjlewis
Reviewed by jasonjlewis from Texas

3.77/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Nice initial head and retention with good lacing. Red in color, I can see through the glass.

Smell is of apple and grapes that dominate the malts underneath the beer.

Taste is sweet upfront cut with a mild sourness and a faint bitterness. The alcohol is very apparrent and a little too astringent. Not bad though.

The mouthfeel is slightly crisp but a little astringent because there isn't enough balance to cut the alcohol on the palate.

The astringency of this beer makes a little bit of a sipper, but I would definetly not mind having this beer again.
Nov 24, 2007
Photo of cyrenaica
Reviewed by cyrenaica from Canada (ON)

3.54/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
330 ml Bottle
8.0%
I tried this beer on August 17, 2007 at 'Smokeless Joe' in Toronto. The beer poured into a tulip glass a beautiful reddish brown colour with almost no head. The aroma was cognac, malt, alcohol and burnt butterscotch. The mouthfeel was very very smooth with a medium body and some mild carbonation. The taste was very heavy on the cognac, and a little hint of fruit. I did feel the alcohol burn, and for a beer with an 8% abv, that's not good in my book. A little pricey at $14.25/bottle as well when I can visit some other places and get an Abbey Quadrupel for less.
Aug 18, 2007
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.92/5  rDev +21%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
There's no denying the branded XO glassware is classy. The liquid it contains, well, that ain't so bad looking either. Though much less ostentatious than cognac, and sootier too, this caramelly amber beer nevertheless relinquishes sharp cardinal red highlights when inspected from the right angles. Its head is foamy and sticks like plaster.

As it warms, the beer starts profusely sweating cognac: warming, soothing but enlivening scents of black cherry and raspberry tannins, vanilla-laced oak and a string of volatile alcohol components that bring phenols reminiscent of jasmine and esters of orchard fruits. It's not hard to understand why they call this stuff "eaux-de-vie" (literally: water of life).

My first thought upon tasting, however, was that they'd used the wrong base beer for this project. It was a disappointing find, to be sure. While difficult to finger exactly what it was at issue - was the beer too insipid? did it clash with the cognac? - it was obvious that without a better base recipe this beer, despite all else going for it, simply wouldn't be as awe-inspiring as it sounded. Nor as sumptuous as it has the potential of tasting.

The cognac, infused both tastefully and tactfully, is really the life-preserver that keeps this beer afloat. Without its rich kirsch-like cherry and plum fruitiness, almond, honey and brown sugar sweetness and hints of citrus shavings, this beer would be a dreadfully average ale. Perhaps the brewery did this intentionally so as not to overwhelm the cognac.

Truth be told, this biere-du-garde-type base beer, while not a perfect match, does little to hinder the cognac, except with regards to regulating its alcoholic intensity and remodeling it for slightly larger, more casually quaffed sips - both of which are positive amendments for my purposes. Still, however, the beer by and large retains much of the balance and delicacy, the sublime serenity, that characterizes even the youngest of France's cognacs.
Apr 11, 2007
Photo of Derek
Reviewed by Derek from Canada (BC)

3.55/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A: Burnt caramel colour with an off-white head; some retention, nice lace.

S: Booze (fortified wine-like aroma) up front, but fades over time; toffee; caramelized raisins; brown sugar.

T: Raisins, burnt caramel, brown sugar; pleasant spicyness; the depth of flavour almost masks the booze. Initially interesting, but the taste buds become tired...

M: Moderate body finishes dry; moderate carbonation.

D: Interesting, but not highly drinkable.
Dec 29, 2006
Photo of CAMRAhardliner
Reviewed by CAMRAhardliner from Canada (ON)

2.51/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Pours a bright copper color with a long lasting eggshell head and a modest smattering of lace. The aroma is sweet and very aromatic. There’s equal parts ripe red and white grapes, skins and all and some strawberry essence, honey, and booze. The taste is sweet and less appealing than the nose. Booze is more noticeable and cognac flavors dominate. Malt is very hard to find as are any hops. Still, the beer is palatable, like a cognac cocktail would be. The mouthfeel is medium to heavy with light carbonation and lots of numbing from the alcohol (more than most 8% beers). The finish is long, sweet and spicey from booze.

OK but not great, not enough beer flavor and too much alcohol flavor.
Dec 28, 2006
Photo of Mindsquall
Reviewed by Mindsquall from Canada (ON)

2.76/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
I was curious, so I decided to give this one a try.

This poured an attractive amber brown with some head near the top there that subsided to a slight ring around the glass. Smell is rather unique, very bold notes of grape and very little else. The grapes are dominant in the flavor, in fact drinking this I'd swear I was drinking just Cognac. It's not disgusting or nauseating or anything but it's certainly not the best tasting beer out there. The alcohol from the cognac is predominant in the body of this making this a little difficult to drink.

Not horrible, not amazing, not likely to get this one again any time soon.
Dec 16, 2006
Photo of Pegasus
Reviewed by Pegasus from Texas

3.5/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Deep amber-brown, with a small white head, and slight carbonation.

Aroma: Profound cognac and brandy aroma, quite spicy and peppery, with prominent alcohol notes.

Taste: Opens with a warm brandy note, followed by a lingering earthy, spicy note. Finishes dry with a lingering clove and spice note.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, very rich and full.

Drinkability/notes: Well-balanced example, quite well done.
Dec 03, 2006
XO Beer from Brasserie des Gabariers (L&L Cognac SA)
Beer rating: 77 out of 100 with 34 ratings