Doppelbock Grande Cuvée Printemps | Les Trois Mousquetaires
Brewed by:
Les Trois Mousquetaires
Quebec, Canada
lestroismousquetaires.ca
Style: Doppelbock
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 8.60%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
Full-bodied, Bavarian-style lager with a complex malt character suggesting flavors of fresh-baked bread, molasses, chocolate, plums, and oranges. This style was originally created by monks for Lenten fasting and called "liquid bread".
Added by Derek on 05-26-2009
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 208 | Reviews: 104
4.82/5 rDev +15%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.43/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.74/5 rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
3.28/5 rDev -21.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
4.25/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.54/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Creamy tan head, deep amber colour Doughy, yeasty aroma with a hint of berry. Flavour leads with dark dried fruit and finishes with brown sugar sweetness. Excellent
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Creamy tan head, deep amber colour Doughy, yeasty aroma with a hint of berry. Flavour leads with dark dried fruit and finishes with brown sugar sweetness. Excellent
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3.55/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
4.16/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a 750ml bottle corked-and-caged, dated 08/12/15. Served in a tulip.
Pours a deep, translucent burnt-caramel colour with big, soda-like carbonation and a modest one-finger cap of loose, dirty foam. Settles out quickly leaving no lacing.
Smells sharply of yeast, whole-grain bread, orange zest, pipe tobacco and ginger.
Taste is sweet and malty, not sticky-sickly sweet but light and clean sweet, with brandy-soaked raisins and marmalade, pipe tobacco and sweet herbs. Vinous and chewy, with a long, gentle boozy fadeout.
Feel is medium-bodied but mouth coating, sweet without being sticky and with some pleasantly boozy warmth. Carbonation is heavy at the pour but fades out quickly.
Not a style that I have a lot of experience with and I'm asking myself why? A substantial, belly-filling beer, you're not going to be drinking more than a couple glasses of this, not unless you're a German monk with centuries of tradition and an abiding faith in the Lord's sure mercy to see you through and an caring abbot to rub your shoulders while you vomit. Aside from that, I'm just grateful that there isn't anything else I have to do today because I'm going to finish this bottle and probably fall asleep on the sofa.
1,218 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a 750ml bottle corked-and-caged, dated 08/12/15. Served in a tulip.
Pours a deep, translucent burnt-caramel colour with big, soda-like carbonation and a modest one-finger cap of loose, dirty foam. Settles out quickly leaving no lacing.
Smells sharply of yeast, whole-grain bread, orange zest, pipe tobacco and ginger.
Taste is sweet and malty, not sticky-sickly sweet but light and clean sweet, with brandy-soaked raisins and marmalade, pipe tobacco and sweet herbs. Vinous and chewy, with a long, gentle boozy fadeout.
Feel is medium-bodied but mouth coating, sweet without being sticky and with some pleasantly boozy warmth. Carbonation is heavy at the pour but fades out quickly.
Not a style that I have a lot of experience with and I'm asking myself why? A substantial, belly-filling beer, you're not going to be drinking more than a couple glasses of this, not unless you're a German monk with centuries of tradition and an abiding faith in the Lord's sure mercy to see you through and an caring abbot to rub your shoulders while you vomit. Aside from that, I'm just grateful that there isn't anything else I have to do today because I'm going to finish this bottle and probably fall asleep on the sofa.
1,218 characters
4.26/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
No bottling date.
A: Dark, dark, dark brown pour. Mid-sized frothy light brown head. Head fades fairly quickly. Almost unbroken walls of lacing left behind however.
S: Strong, sweet raisins right off the bat. Light cherries (almost like cough syrup) and lots of caramel sweetness. Maybe some light hopping?
T: Huh, very fruity up front. Raisins for sure but I get orange marmalade in there too. Light dusting of cocoa and then there's tons of bread dough. Touch of bitterness in the finish with more hints of that cocoa. Aftertaste is more orange and lingering bitter bread crusts.
M: Fairly heavy, smooth.
O: Hell of a Doppelbock. Very sweet and malty and fruity in general. Super smooth flavors, very little bitterness and no harshness at all. One of the finest I've ever had.
783 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
No bottling date.
A: Dark, dark, dark brown pour. Mid-sized frothy light brown head. Head fades fairly quickly. Almost unbroken walls of lacing left behind however.
S: Strong, sweet raisins right off the bat. Light cherries (almost like cough syrup) and lots of caramel sweetness. Maybe some light hopping?
T: Huh, very fruity up front. Raisins for sure but I get orange marmalade in there too. Light dusting of cocoa and then there's tons of bread dough. Touch of bitterness in the finish with more hints of that cocoa. Aftertaste is more orange and lingering bitter bread crusts.
M: Fairly heavy, smooth.
O: Hell of a Doppelbock. Very sweet and malty and fruity in general. Super smooth flavors, very little bitterness and no harshness at all. One of the finest I've ever had.
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4.47/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
750 mL corked and caged bottle picked up at the LCBO a fairly long time ago; dated July 30 2013. Listed at 8.6% and served at cellar temperature. Wanted to pick something memorable for my 1200th review, and I've been hearing effusive praise about this one for years.
Pours a deep, translucent brownish brick-red colour that shimmers with a brilliant crimson red hue when held to the light. Nearly an inch of creamy, light beige-coloured froth covers the surface, managing to hold together for the better part of ten minutes. A dense cap and foamy collar remains in place well into the glass; good lacing. No complaints visually. On the nose I am getting a mixture of raisin, cherry, red licorice and prune; tons of molasses, too, with hints of burnt sugar and toasted biscuit. Noticeably boozy and somewhat herbal, with kind of a nutty, almond/amaretto-like note to it.
A meal in a bottle. Molasses and toffee blend together along with toasted biscuits and bread crust; flavours of almond, prune, fig and raisin just add to the complexity. Notes of rich chocolate, vanilla and rum join in on the back end, with a warming, boozy-sweet finish that is herbal, earthy, and just a little spicy. Warming aftertaste with a lingering hint of black licorice. Full-bodied, with gentle carbonation levels that weakly agitate the palate. The mouthfeel is soft and silky-smooth, with a viscous, almost syrupy-like thickness to it. Positively delicious, and perfectly suitable as a digestif or dessert beer.
Final Grade: 4.47, an impressive A grade. A lot of doppelbocks have that whole "liquid bread for German monks" spiel written on the back label in one form or another. LTM's Grande Cuvée Doppelbock is no exception, but the comparison here is more apt than ever - this is one hell of a rich, thick, luxurious beer. My only issue is that it's really quite sweet - not exactly uncommon for the style, but between the high abv and large serving size, it starts to become a bit much after a while. Sharing the bottle with a friend would certainly remedy that problem. A fantastic doppelbock that I vigourously recommend; I will definitely grab another bottle the next time I spot one.
2,178 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
750 mL corked and caged bottle picked up at the LCBO a fairly long time ago; dated July 30 2013. Listed at 8.6% and served at cellar temperature. Wanted to pick something memorable for my 1200th review, and I've been hearing effusive praise about this one for years.
Pours a deep, translucent brownish brick-red colour that shimmers with a brilliant crimson red hue when held to the light. Nearly an inch of creamy, light beige-coloured froth covers the surface, managing to hold together for the better part of ten minutes. A dense cap and foamy collar remains in place well into the glass; good lacing. No complaints visually. On the nose I am getting a mixture of raisin, cherry, red licorice and prune; tons of molasses, too, with hints of burnt sugar and toasted biscuit. Noticeably boozy and somewhat herbal, with kind of a nutty, almond/amaretto-like note to it.
A meal in a bottle. Molasses and toffee blend together along with toasted biscuits and bread crust; flavours of almond, prune, fig and raisin just add to the complexity. Notes of rich chocolate, vanilla and rum join in on the back end, with a warming, boozy-sweet finish that is herbal, earthy, and just a little spicy. Warming aftertaste with a lingering hint of black licorice. Full-bodied, with gentle carbonation levels that weakly agitate the palate. The mouthfeel is soft and silky-smooth, with a viscous, almost syrupy-like thickness to it. Positively delicious, and perfectly suitable as a digestif or dessert beer.
Final Grade: 4.47, an impressive A grade. A lot of doppelbocks have that whole "liquid bread for German monks" spiel written on the back label in one form or another. LTM's Grande Cuvée Doppelbock is no exception, but the comparison here is more apt than ever - this is one hell of a rich, thick, luxurious beer. My only issue is that it's really quite sweet - not exactly uncommon for the style, but between the high abv and large serving size, it starts to become a bit much after a while. Sharing the bottle with a friend would certainly remedy that problem. A fantastic doppelbock that I vigourously recommend; I will definitely grab another bottle the next time I spot one.
2,178 characters
4.26/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.6/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.14/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.06/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Purchased at the LCBO at a discounted $6.50 for a 750ml bottle. Served at a bone chilling 4deg C in a goblet
A- Opens well and pours a good 1" high brownish head with a moderately vigourous pour that lasts for a minute or two before film out. Medium to dark brown colour and unfiltered.
S- Good amount of malt here. Fig, molasses and a TON of heat. The description says 8.7% alcohol however this bottle states 8.6%.
T- Rich fruit as expected from this company. Opens up as it warms and lets it's sugary sweet nature be tasted. Not complex as I though it would be but it does have layers that come as the brew warms. Definitely a sipper as the heat is rather present. The caramel is a bit over done on this one but palatable.
M- Thick, rich and creamy. Enough said
O- Nice brew overall. Excellent at $6.50 though! Still will not buy more as this brew in this size needs to be shared or cork it and save it for the next day. Too much for one sitting as it gets fatiguing.
Food Pairing
This pretty good little brew went well with......... BBQ rack of lamb. A touch of mint jelly on the side and pick a side that is heavier like a root vegetable. Anything light or delicate will get completely over run by this brew.
Enjoy!
1,229 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Purchased at the LCBO at a discounted $6.50 for a 750ml bottle. Served at a bone chilling 4deg C in a goblet
A- Opens well and pours a good 1" high brownish head with a moderately vigourous pour that lasts for a minute or two before film out. Medium to dark brown colour and unfiltered.
S- Good amount of malt here. Fig, molasses and a TON of heat. The description says 8.7% alcohol however this bottle states 8.6%.
T- Rich fruit as expected from this company. Opens up as it warms and lets it's sugary sweet nature be tasted. Not complex as I though it would be but it does have layers that come as the brew warms. Definitely a sipper as the heat is rather present. The caramel is a bit over done on this one but palatable.
M- Thick, rich and creamy. Enough said
O- Nice brew overall. Excellent at $6.50 though! Still will not buy more as this brew in this size needs to be shared or cork it and save it for the next day. Too much for one sitting as it gets fatiguing.
Food Pairing
This pretty good little brew went well with......... BBQ rack of lamb. A touch of mint jelly on the side and pick a side that is heavier like a root vegetable. Anything light or delicate will get completely over run by this brew.
Enjoy!
1,229 characters
4.24/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Veiled copper color with a strong amount of activity. Frothy light orange 2 finger head, lasting around 5 to 10 minutes, with average legs.
Aromas and flavors of caramel, toffee, molasses, dark fruits, citrus, esters, oak, nuts, cocoa, floral and herbal spices. Super flavorful and delicious with a strong thick sugary and light earthy feel, with notes of bread and wood.
Smooth creamy light to medium body with moderate carbonation. Strong and long finish, ending with a vinous sugary, molassy, and fruity tongue coat with lingering yeasty spices, and a smoky wood barrel aged feel.
Overall an excellent craft offering complex and powerful flavors with a pleasant sugary vinous feel while remaining fresh. Excellent warming appetizer similar in taste to a Port wine. Although the strong spices may not please to everyone.
826 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Veiled copper color with a strong amount of activity. Frothy light orange 2 finger head, lasting around 5 to 10 minutes, with average legs.
Aromas and flavors of caramel, toffee, molasses, dark fruits, citrus, esters, oak, nuts, cocoa, floral and herbal spices. Super flavorful and delicious with a strong thick sugary and light earthy feel, with notes of bread and wood.
Smooth creamy light to medium body with moderate carbonation. Strong and long finish, ending with a vinous sugary, molassy, and fruity tongue coat with lingering yeasty spices, and a smoky wood barrel aged feel.
Overall an excellent craft offering complex and powerful flavors with a pleasant sugary vinous feel while remaining fresh. Excellent warming appetizer similar in taste to a Port wine. Although the strong spices may not please to everyone.
826 characters
3.94/5 rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into a pilsner glass. 2014 release.
Pours a light caramel, much lighter than typical for the style. Kind of hazy, two finger head on an easy pour, lots of foamy cling. Looks pretty good. Smell brings lots of malt, light caramel, kind of a fruity aroma, brown sugar. Taste is malt forward and..sweet. Really sweet. Also caramel, brown sugar and dates. Smooth, creamy, good level of carbonation.
I don't know, maybe this sat on the shelf too long. Not nearly as fragrant as I'm seeing in other reviews, and the sweetness... I love sweet, a lot, but this was almost cloying. Still a very flavorful beer, very well crafted. Hopefully, I'll find a fresher 2015- if it's released, and give that a try.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into a pilsner glass. 2014 release.
Pours a light caramel, much lighter than typical for the style. Kind of hazy, two finger head on an easy pour, lots of foamy cling. Looks pretty good. Smell brings lots of malt, light caramel, kind of a fruity aroma, brown sugar. Taste is malt forward and..sweet. Really sweet. Also caramel, brown sugar and dates. Smooth, creamy, good level of carbonation.
I don't know, maybe this sat on the shelf too long. Not nearly as fragrant as I'm seeing in other reviews, and the sweetness... I love sweet, a lot, but this was almost cloying. Still a very flavorful beer, very well crafted. Hopefully, I'll find a fresher 2015- if it's released, and give that a try.
723 characters
4.49/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Doppelbock Grande Cuvée Printemps from Les Trois Mousquetaires
Beer rating:
91.8% out of
100 with
208 ratings
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Not a common style but such a great beer.
Deep brown, rich creaming head, sweet maltiness in the nose and on the tongue. Smooth slightly dry caramel finish is great.
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