Grande Cuvée Stout Impériale
Les Trois Mousquetaires

 

nothing says fourth of july and high summer like a french canadian russian imperial stout right?! very neat beer here, i love these guys and was stoked to get this as part of rare beer club. its lovely stuff, different than most, and not least because of its lack of barrels and adjuncts, so few like this around anymore. its more brown than black to my eyes in bright light, rather viscous, and with only a short tan head from the large intimidating bottle, definitely a lighter look for the style, but from then on its nothing but robust, not light in aroma or flavor at all. huge leather, licorice, pipe tobacco, and light roasted coffee notes popping in this, layers upon layers of grain, none of them all that roasted to me, none of the specialty black malt intensity either, but its still plenty bitter. cigar, toffee, maple, molasses, and fig. there is a ton of middle malt character here and it stands out in the absence of more familiar low end roast. i like the chocolate layer, a hint of smoke too, rum and booziness through it all, this is both sweet and bitter, and its both mellow and warmly alcoholic at the same time, definitely different for a stout, almost drinks like a belgian strong dark without the belgian yeast. the ferment does have a little something almost english to it, not flavorless and maybe not quite complete in its work, but i like its flavor contribution. overall distinct and strong, aggressive for this time of year, but a cool beer, if not my favorite from these guys. wish i had access to more of their stuff. all who tasted this were impressed, and we agreed it got better and better as it warmed. fun bottle.

 

 

 

Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a very dark brown hue with 1 inch frothy dark mocha head with excellent retention. Nice lacing left on the glass.
S: Very dry and bittersweet dark chocolate, charred malt, dark tobacco, leather, and a nice burst of resinous hops to add a superb layer to an already excellent aroma.
T: Dark tobacco, charred malt, very dry and bittersweet dark chocolate, resinous hops, leather, and a nice anise note in the background. With warming, some dry herbal notes and a soft oat note emerges…and the anise note strengthens.
M: Medium-heavy body. Lovely layered darkly sweet notes balanced by resinous hops. Both bring a lot of dry and bitter elements. Excellent balance. Lingers and matures beautifully on the palate.
D: Wow, what a nice surprise! I’ve had some of their beers before, so I am familiar with their quality. But this one is next level stuff! Really enjoyed the interplay between big layered stout and the fresh hops.

From a 750ml bottle, corked and caged, dated 19-12-19. Served in a Les Trois Mousquetaires-branded goblet... because utterly proper glassware.

Pours a thick appearing coal-black with a cherry cough syrup highlight. A scant finger of burnt caramel colored, sudsy head with excellent retention and a solid curtain of foamy lacing which persists basically forever.

Nose is rich and thickly malty. Aromas of molasses, fresh straw and roasting coffee - I cheated and took a sip.

Taste is dense, creamy, rich. Molasses and dark roast coffee prominent, then tasting chocolate covered cherries, root beer and bitter chicory. Earthy minerality and vaporous pine dominate the finish.

Feel is dreamy, thick and creamy, full bodied but with ample fine, tingly carbonation keeping it light and… for want of a better word, fluffy - there’s a mouth coating, whipped cream-like unctuousness.

Overall, a very most excellent big boy stout. Rich and unusually well balanced to the style, it beautifully straddles the line between sweetness and bitter-dry, it’s thick and creamy without ever remotely approaching being cloying or syrupy. This bottle has been aging for a couple of years and I’ve got to think that I caught it at its absolute peak.

 

75 cl corked bottle at Las Buenas Pulgas, served in a balloon glass. Black colour, small brown head and retention, creamy lacing. Aroma is earthy, chocolate, roasted malts, cherries. Full body, creamy texture, good carbonation, sweet finish. Round flavor. Taste of chocolate, coffee, cherries. Pretty good.

Bought from a specialty beer shop in Montreal for 12$. Dated "19-12-19" drank on August 15th, 2020 (age 8 mths) . lot.9109

Appearance: Poured into an 8-ounce glass beer mug at fridge temp. A black coffee-like liquid pours with thick creamy brown head that stays for a minute or two. Not much lacing.

Aroma: Cola/root beer, sweet, like those candy cola candies, chocolate.

Flavor: First hits like it smells - sweet and candy-like, but then a deeper dry roasted flavor breaks though. Chocolatey on the finish with a drier bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: One the heavier side, reminiscent of a desert beer.

Overall: A nice blend of sweetness and bitterness. The sweetness seems to be dominant, and it's quite heavy. It's a very strong beer at nearly 12%, though the boozy quality isn't too present. Starting to get a buzz from one 8-ounce glass. Not something you would tend to drink quickly. I'd recommend for those who like heavy beers and stouts.

Opinion: Though I'm a big fan of stouts, the sweetness was a bit overwhelming for me. I prefer mostly crisp and dry beers. Though the appearance and aroma were wonderful, the flavor and mouthfeel were a bit too sweet on the front. Due to the heavy sweetness, I didn't particularly enjoy it. Hard to review something objectively that your palate rejects, so take my review as it be.

As a whole, it's not terrible though. I just couldn't dig it.