La Cuvée Spéciale Du Dep De La Rive
AMB - Maître Brasseur

2008 vintage.

I'd say it's more of an English Barley wine.

A: Hazy orange-brown with an off-white head, thin ring of retention, some leg/lace.

S: Big honey aroma, candied fruit, pineapple, mango, alcohol, brown sugar and caramel.

T: Honey, candied fruit, earthy orange rind, caramel, treacle, sherry, woodsy spicing, some alcohol heat.

Residual sweetness balanced by a decent bitterness.

M: Fairly full body has some residual sweetness, moderate carbonation, slightly drying finish.

D: I'd put this below average.

Way overpriced at 7.99 a bottle... and I still have another...

Cuvée 2008. 500 ml brown bottle.

A- Cloudy orange-brown with decent orange-beige head. Ver bubbly. Head sticks to the glass.

S- Hint of dried fruit. Winy alcohol vapours. Dusty caramel. Maybe a bit of faint banana.

T- Alcohol prominent. Yeasty. Slightly off moderately bitter aftertaste. Mild caramel malt middle. Better when it reaches room temperature with some dried candied fruit aromas and a definite whisky character and taste come in. Kind of made me think of a mix of wine and whisky.

MF- Smooth, medium bodied. Harsh finish associated to the off aftertaste. Leaves a slightly bad feeling to the roof and back of mouth. Like a watered down harsh whisky without the smokiness of good whisky.

D- A little light bodies for the style. Though this makes it easy to gulp down. Not really what I would look for in a barleywine. Off finish detracts from an otherwise decent strong beer with a real alcohol hit.

Bottle: Poured a hazy orangey color ale with an average size foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of green hops and sweet malt is more interesting then anticipated. Taste is also a very nice mix between some sweet malt with a well balanced final of green hops which provides some bitterness. Full body with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. I have to admit that this a lot better then most beers from this brewery and something I might even buy again.