Grande Cuvée Réserve De Noël
Les Trois Mousquetaires

750 cl corked bottle at Las Buenas Pulgas, served in a balloon glass. Honey-amber color, small head and no lacing. Aroma is at first too soapy, I even changed the glass, just in case. OK, then I figured it was hops, pine. There is also caramel, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, alcohol, wood, pepper. Medium to full body, thin texture, flat carbonation. Sweet finish. Taste follows the aroma. Good, but not great.

 

 

 

The beer pours clear and amber with copper highlights along the edge of my glass. THe head is dense, off white, and has reasonable retention.

The aroma is definitely Christmas in a glass. Present without being aggressive. Faint hint of brown sugar in the middle melds with gentle maltiness giving the overall aroma structure. There's also cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Maybe my imagination but I swear there's a tiny hint of the candied fruit from my mom's fruitcake.

The mouthfeel is smooth, appropriately slick, and very lightly carbonated. CO2 almost spritzes across my tongue. Same spices merge with pleasant malt character before moving into a gently spiced finish. Sort of cinnamon and brown sugar, if you will. Finish fades quickly, leaving you ready for the next sip.

Overall, this is a very pleasant beer that says Christmas without screaming it. My one complaint is the Christmas aspect is maybe a little one dimensional. I think I'd enjoy this a little more if the amber ale quality came out just a bit more. A little more malt maybe, a little more of the hop finish you'd associate with an amber ale.

Apart from that, I would have this again and again.

 

From Cervezasespeciales. 75cl. In Teku glass. Playing Oceanhorn. These guys work spices like nobody. Full of christmas spices and still not feeling overwhelming nor tiresome thx to great toasted malty These guys work spices like nobody. Full of christmas spices and still not feeling overwhelming nor tiresome, probabaly thanks to a great toasted malty base

Deep ruby tinged amber, very little haze, and lots of slow rising bubbles, almost like snow in reverse. Topped with 3 fingers of beige tinged head that leaves a complex lacing.

Smells of Christmas spices, cinnamon and cloves, toasted malts and black liquorice.

The taste starts very earthy, then the cinnamon an cloves, and ginger come in, followed by a hint of rust on the first sip, but I don't detect it later. Its slightly sweet, and fairly malty.

Medium body, with a balanced but slightly tannic finish. Moderate, foamy carbonation.

Solid, well done brew. Reminds me of a lot of pumpkin ales as the spice is similar, but definitely looks like Christmas. I got this in Quebec, and am drinking it in Muskoka, Jan 12th, 2018.

Bought from the local beer store for 13$. Bottled on 22/11/2017, drank 29/12/2017. This one was labeled as 10.5% ABV, and not 11.5% as in the Beeradvocate listing.

Appearance: pours a dark ruby-red color with lots of off-white head with medium retention. Little lacing that slides easily down the glass. It looks pretty dead in the glass after a while.

Smell: Without even taking a whiff, spices waft into the room from the bottle. Aroma is delicious and unique. Smells sweet, doughy, spicy, and candy-like - like those "chicken bone" candies. I perhaps notice a bit of yeast. Slight spruce sap.

Taste: An overwhelming candy spice takes over in the first sip which is almost too much. It's sweet, candy-like, spicy, doughy. Cinnamon, nutmeg, spruce is noticeable and fairly dominant. Definitely like liquefied Christmas treats. A spicy, sweet finish. More malt-like than hop.

Mouthfeel: Medium-body, thick. Warms in the stomach. A slight candy-stickiness builds up in and around the mouth. Carbonation is not very noticeable, either because there is little to begin with, or the boldness of the drink overpowers it.

Overall: I find the spruce and candy flavor a bit overpowering for my tastes. Didn't particularly like the stickiness. The flavor hits hard and fast, and subsides slow. There is a symphony of tastes and spices that dance on your palate. The ruby lager is apparent as a base, but loaded with heavy spices and sweetness.

Don't get me wrong, it's tasty, and definitely a treat, but like all treats good in small amounts. I think the spruce taste doesn't mix very well with the drink, and pulls it in another direction. A bit too much candy sweetness (I'm not a big sweet fan) and longed for a bit of hop or bitterness to pull it together. I love ruby lagers, but not overloaded with Christmas cheer.

Definitely a unique drink meant to be drunk as a special treat. To be shared with a friend or two. This isn't something you drink a lot of on your own.

I probably won't buy again.

Do I recommend? If you like sweet, strong beers with unique flavor, you might like this.

 

 

Service: Bottle
Bottled: 2015


A:
Pours a lightly hazy amber red with two fingers of tiny-bubbled beige head that seems content to hang around just the edges of the glass. OK retention; little lacing. (3.75)

S:
Holiday spices and doughy yeast. Cinnamon, spruce boughs, nutmeg, ginger, other random baking spices, Christmas potpourri. (4)

T:
Smooth spruce sap. Smooth piney sweetness engulfs your mouth followed by a light piney bitter twang and spicy biscuit yeast, root beer. (3.5)

M:
Medium bodied with light-medium carbonation, and a slightly sticky feel/aftertaste. (3.5)

O:
Pretty good, spicy Christmas beer.
It pours nice enough, but nothing spectacular. Everything else kind of follows suit. Everything about it is says Christmas. It is earthy, sappy, spicy, warm, doughy. A little over-the-top with the spices. It is amazing at first, but not super drinkable after a while. Defintely one to share for a toast or something. There is a real ginger/spruce/root beer character to the flavor that is damn tasty, but a little much for my tastes beyond a couple sips.
Not really my style, but I would have it again. (3.5)

It is a great beer at first, but I took the overall and palate down a notch, because it was a little rough and not super drinkable to me after a while. Basically, if this was in a small bottle or if I had only had a glass, my numbers likely would have been higher.

What to expect from an 11.3% amber lager, brewed with rye, wheat and roasted buckwheat, boldly dry-hopped, and amply seasoned with a variety of different spices? I'm unsure. But Réserve De Noël sure looks good, not to mention befitting: deep red with tinsel-like highlights and powdery white head.

Say what you will about it, but no one can question this beer's Christmas cheer. Les Trois Mousquetaires have been post-ghosts visit Scrooge-level generous when it comes to their "secret holiday spice blend". One can't be sure from smelling it which spices were used but it's obvious they have been.

Classics like cinnamon and nutmeg are almost certainties. I'd bet my presents under the tree that ginger and orange peel are in there too. Clove I'm less sure about but it wouldn't surprise me one bit. All these spices combine with brown sugar sweetness and fruitcake notes to mimic many holiday baked treats.

Spices aside, this beer has the piny, resiny hops and caramelly, sticky malts - both in more than ample supply - to resemble an American barleywine. At 10.5% it also has the alcohol content to fit the profile (though don't expect to taste any of it). Likewise it is great armchair accompaniment by the fireplace.

At the behest of those that already tried it, I was convinced to grab a second bottle of Réserve De Noël to stash away for next year. I'm glad I did. I suspect it'll hold up well. I must admit, however, that it's drinking just fine now, even at hardly over a month since bottling.

Réserve De Noël is a slightly unconventional winter warmer, albeit with some classic holiday features. The use of different grains provide a thoroughly rich and well-rounded maltiness, while spices marry well with the vaguely citrusy, somewhat dank nature of the hops. A true special occasion beer.

2013 version 10.5 % abv Polaris hops
Slightly hazy reddish colour, served cold, not much head white collar a bit of lacing.
Candied sugar aroma. Pumpkin pie comes to mind.
I taste orange peel, brown sugar, cinnamon, very sweet. A bit of hops as final. Very warming from the alcohol!
Very Xmassy ...But a a bit overboard for me. I'll try with some smoked Gouda....Tastes like a Leffe Brown on streroids.

Appearance - This beer came in a 750 ml bottle poured into a brussels glass. The beer pours a very cloudy brownish amber color, with 2 fingers of off white head, the head receeds leaving a nice half finger head for so far about 10 minutes. Carbonation is extremely strong in this beer, especially considering its 10.5% abv.

Aroma - Gingerbread really stands out on this one, just behind it I get some cinnamon and nutmeg, a bit of orange peel, some caramel and toffee, vanilla and oak. Really nice smelling beer.

Taste - This is a palate buster if I've ever tasted one. the flavors beat up your mouth In a big way. I get a strong Gingerbread. cinnamon, orange peel, candied fruits like apple. some grape, then some sweet vanilla before you get smacked in the face with bittering oak.

Feel - This feels like a medium body to me with creamy medium carbonation, the bitterness one the end feels stronger than 33 ibu's but definitely brings character to the beer.

Overall - This is a very decent winter beer. The flavors and aromas definitely do a good job and sparking holiday memories and the aroma is absolutely amazing, I like the general mix of flavors here but feel if the oak had been toned down and the gingerbread less gingery and more sweet it would come off less harsh. That being said this is an excellent brew and I'm glad I tried it.

 

 

 

 

This 2014 version is hopped to 33 IBUs with Northern Brewer and Polaris and dry hopped with Polaris.

750mL bottle purchased at NB Liquor in Miramichi, NB for $13.99. Poured into an oversized wine glass.

L: Copper colour with one finger of off-white head that settles quickly leaving a long-lasting thin layer on the surface.

S: Big hit of minty pine upfront. Lots of complexity underneath. Oranges and dark fruit, quite a bit of cinnamon spiciness, and yeah, gingerbread. It smells like gingerbread with orange peel. This beer is dry hopped with Polaris which apparently has a fruity and refreshing hint of “Glacier Mints”. If that is the only place that the mint is coming from then this is a very distinctive hop flavour. Really neat!

T: Malty sweetness in a big way. Not really much fruit character in the taste. The mint might lean a bit towards the medicinal here. The cinnamon and spice are here and they are stronger than in the nose. Light bitterness. Perhaps a hint of vanilla.

F: I think it's a medium plus body with medium to low carbonation that works really well for this beer. There is a cooling effect from the mint flavour that I don't think I have ever experienced from a beer before.

O: This is a nice Christmas beer. The herbal, spicy, and fruity smells and flavours work surprisingly well together. A good one to share on a cold snowy eve as long as you are looking for something sweet.

 

 

Note: My version was the 2014, hopped with polaris, 10.5%, and 30 ibu's.

A nice clear amber color. One finger of slightly off white head. On the nose I get menthol aromas. On the back of the bottle i read Balsam fir was a descriptor and I don't think that would be inaccurate. Rather sweet on the palate but then this awful menthol, balsam/ spruce like flavor comes through. Vick's Vapo rub is really what it reminds me of. You also get some sweet malt and a touch of ginger, but the menthol flavor is really too much for me. Surprisingly the alcohol is pretty well hidden and only appears as a slight warmth in the stomach. This is really not my style of beer. the menthol is waaay too much in my opinion. I abosolutely love this brewery , and can appreciate that the beer seems to be a quality made product, it's just not to my fancy. Drank on Christmas eve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

750mL bottle

I never mention bitterness in my reviews, my bitterness taste buds are ridiculously under-
sensitive.

APPEARANCE : Deep mahogany brown, not entirely clear, not much head to speak of. That mahogany tint is especially pleasing, though.

SMELL : First nose is all about spices, mostly nutmeg and gingerbread, backed up with some discreet malt. Very faint herbal medicinal-like aroma (Vick's or some other menthol-like scent). Second nose opens up the malt profile and definitely reveals the medicinal side as belonging to the hops. Third nose makes the spices more complex, revealing some herbs like thyme, rosemary and cloves, as well as lightening the malty side by blending the freshness of the dry-hopping into it. Also has a definite lager character through and through.

TASTE : Lager yeasts and spices are dominant here. Final notes have the hops lingering and lingering and lingering. Very impressive length. Those spices are very crisp and sharp, shining through the malt.

MOUTHFEEL : Surprisingly sparkling, given the looks in the glass. Very, very fine bubbles, giving the brew an almost creamy feel on the palate. Enjoyable to a point, I find myself swinging the beer around my glass to calm this down as the beer just blows right out open in my mouth and I have a hard time tasting and swallowing. Once this is dealt with though, the mouthfeel is outstanding.

OVERALL : This has some definite pumpkin ale characteristics. One might actually call this an Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Very satisfying winter brew and most befitting of Christmas with its gingerbread cookie palette of aromas. Beware, though : its 10,5% alcohol definitely don't show and it can be very treacherous.

 

Bottle: Poured a deep brown color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma of cinnamon and light cloves with some candi sugar notes and some fruity ester is quite sublime. Taste is a easily drinkable mix of light cinnamon and cloves notes with some fruity ester and residual sugar with a solid malt backbone. Body is quite full with good carbonation with light warming alcohol that can be detected. I really enjoyed this one with some complex mix of spices while retaining a good drinkability level.

 

 

Christmas lager brewed once a year. Style is more like a Winter warmer, as I've never seen a red lager clock in at over 11%, but style on bottle is labeled as a spiced red lager, not an ale, so will go with that for now. Date on bottle, 11/12.
Poured into a Pokal/Footed Pilsner glass. Drank both out of the fridge and let warm up to recommended temp of 10+ C.

A: Cloudy, unfiltered, medium/dark reddish orange. Aggressive pour gives a decent off-white head, but quickly dies off with minimal, faint lacing...

S: Lots of spice on the nose, especially cloves, a bit of cinnamon... lots of syrupy sweet aromas as well, brown sugar, dark malts.... I get a bit of orange in there as well

T: First off I get candied ginger, lots of sweet spicy malts in this as this warms up, very complex malt profil, roasty, vanilla under tones....finishes with a slightly alcoholic spice aftertaste again with the cloves and some other winter mulling spices. The 11% definitely leaves a lasting feeling as it goes down, almost burning the spice into you....very low bitterness/hop profile.

M: very light carbonation, almost non existent. Very syrupy mouthfeel, sticks to your tongue like honey.

O: As we sit here in the midst of a very cold January winter streak, this beer hits the spot. Red lager, or winter warmer, call it what you will, it certainly is doing its job. The alcohol is certainly present in this one which is ok, as right now I've feeling quite warm and happy, nearly enough to go for a run in the snow outside! This is certainly a sipper, but for that the brewer has made a interesting, tasty beer that certainly does the job if you just want to have the night melt away in your large arm chair with your best companion tucked up next to you... if you're in Quebec over Christmas I'd recommend you pick one of these up, even if they run for around 12$, it's pretty close replacement for that after dinner port so in that regards, not a bad deal.... And like a port, careful, as it warms this one does get quite sweet, but what do you expect from all that malt....