Saint Arnould XIII Anniversaire
Micro-brasserie Saint-Arnould

 

XIII Anniversaire has a nose typical of many Imperial Stouts, being thick and heady, and most importantly, heavy with chocolate (and perhaps black) malts. Strong hints of dark chocolate (the 90% cocoa variety) also waft up from the glass, as well as lesser notes of licorice, loam/peat, and cognac.

On the tongue, the brew is just as malty as the nose promised, the most immediate flavor being an onslaught of chocolate malts that leaves the nose tingling with ash and tobacco. Deeply toasted grains abound, mixed with licorice and peat, as well as molasses and caramelized turbinado sugar. Some charcoal-filtered whiskey flavors bubble to the surface. The aftertaste is a mixture of chocolate malt and ash, and lasts for quite a while. Mouthfeel is oddly light for an Imperial Stout, especially one with this much flavor, coming across as only slightly thicker than skim milk, and carbonation is very light.

Overall, though the mouthfeel is odd, the flavors are excellent, and heavily geared toward ash, charcoal, and tobacco. Lovers of dark brews with smoky flavors should take note, especially since the high 9% ABV is more than adequately disguised by the malts.

Thanks to Alex for this rare Canadian...This is a gusher, I didn't expect it and wasn't paying attention until quite a bit was on the table. Pours a dark brown, almost black, looks good. A big tan foam with a full cap and good lacing...This smells great! What a ris should smell like, light roasted malt, slightly bitter, lots of milk chocolate. Bitter malt balls. This is great!....The taste is not as good, this is probably slightly infected. The nice roasty bitters now come across as just burnt, not as much as finesse. A little chocolate...There is a lot of carbonation in this, almost too much, yet the beer doesn't come across full enough for me...Easy to drink.

With the reviews had no expectations for this, turned out to be quite decent for an infected stout. Can't recommend but I enjoyed my pour.

Thanks to papat444 for this one. Served in my Kuhnhenn tulip.

A - It's a mild gusher! Pours with a huge tan foam that settles to a thick cap, leaving behind a few spots of lace. Very dark brown body that is slightly lighter at the fringes.

S - Big milk chocolate, Whoppers, light roasted malts, a bit of soap, and some fruitiness as it warms up. This is a pleasant surprise.

T - The taste is more bitter and roasty, and not as good. It's got some fruity character and is significantly less sweet. Finishes slightly burnt. Possibly infected with brett?

M - Somewhat thin for an Imperial Stout. Medium-high carbonation, slightly grainy. Also suggestive of infection, or at least problems with bubbles.

D - For a stout that I suspect has some sort of infection this was surprisingly decent. Reminds me of some of the English Stouts I've had that are finished with brett. Had no problem finishing my pour of this one, and would gladly have again! Perhaps it just needed some age?

Picked this up at Peluso in Montreal yesterday. Pours pitch black with tan head that dissipated leaving a thin ring. No lacing on the glass at all. Smells of chocolate, roasted malt and a little sour tinge. Flavour has no sourness, but still pretty mild for an imperial stout. Thin mouthfeel for a stout. Just an ok stout, though I expected better for an anniversary beer.

Tonight we're going to my in-laws to listen to the talk on the phone.

Poured from a 341ml. bottle.

Appearance: Black dense body with a thick & tan foamy head, about 2-3 fingers. Clings a little to the glass and dissipates at an average pace. So far, so good.

Smell: Hit with chocolate, roasted coffee (or coffee beans), dry cocoa and malt but at the same time a slight acidic (metallic?) twinge. Uh-oh. Fortunately, it seems to disappear and is overshadowed by a quite pleasing aroma that is always there whenever i inhale.

Taste: Thankfully no sourness or acidic edge to the taste but the smell that i digged doesn't translate to a great taste. Some coffee but the taste is fleeting and finishes way too clean. Lacks complexity and depth associated with the style. There's nothing offensive to it but it's far below what an imperial stout should be. Reminds me of a very average porter or stout.

Mouthfeel: Smooth with a smidgen of coarseness. Carbonation is fairly high though it relaxes as it warms. Body is thin at the end. Not unpleasant but not engaging either.

Drinkability: On one hand, alcohol is very well hidden and does not hinder the drinking. On the other hand, it's very average and doesn't incite me to seek it again.

Overall: Nothing really stands out about it. There are not blatant flaws but it seems that it drinks like an average stout, not an imperial one and for that, i can't really recommend it because it falls short of what it should be.

A: Pitch black with only a hint of light that passes at the edge of the glass, wispy head, looks like charcoal, minimal carbonation noticeable - 3.50, S: Espresso and bakers chocolate, solid charring and ash aromas, some milk/lactose sweetness in the background - 4.50, T: The espresso on the nose carries through on the palate, dark fruits, lots of specialty grains including chocolate malts, hint of smoke - 2.75, M: A little grittiness but on the side of thin especially for an imperial stout - 2.50, D: I enjoyed this beer but in the ranks of Imperial Stouts it falls short, worth a taste but probably not worth the CAD$3.00. - 2.50

Pours pitch black with thick, wiggly foam that drops quickly. Nose is toasted grain, cigarettes, prunes, raisins, cocoa and hints of smoke. Flavour seems fruity rather than toasty or burnt for the most part. Grape, purple flavour crystals, slight acid and lightly bitter finish round out the flavours. Weak seems to be a relevant adjective here. I expect better from an imperial stout.

A weak stout, certainly not an imperial. Sour and thin. Dark colour with a bit of lace and some head. Coffee, and chocolate, but it does not taste good. Carbonation is OK. Alcohol is hidden.
I would expect something better for an anniversary beer.
Thanks for sharing, Derek.

A: Black with a tan head, thin ring of retention.

S: Molasses, dark rye bread, chocolate, coffee.

T: Coffee, roasted grain, modest bitterness and a slight astringency.

M: Moderate body seems thin & watery for the style.

D: I'm really not impressed.

Thanks to Phyl21ca for this bottle

Well I agree with the previous reviewers in that if you are going to make an Impy Stout for your 13th anniversary then it should be up to snuff. This beer gas an over carbonated mouthfeel especially in the first few sips. I get the needed chocolate/ burnt malt notes all right but it wasn't really harmonious with the way it felt in the mouth. When the beer clamed down it got better but the finish is quite short which is kinda a cardinal sin in this style. Not a bad beer but lacks the drinkability and complexity of what we expect in RIS today

There's nothing better to wash away the sickly taste of a fruit beer than an imperial stout, so it was with some glee that I cracked open the St-Arnould XIII Anniversaire, part of a nice package from Goldorak (cheers Martin!). My excitement was tempered somewhat as I read the previous reviews highlighting an overly aggressive carbonation, but I prayed that there was some inconsistency between batches and this would be a piece of perfection.

There was inconsistency, but perfection this was not. The pour kicked up a finger of foamy tan head which rapidly dissipated to the faintest of wisps, sat atop a very dark brown liquid. No retention or lace was possible, even with the assistance of etching on the bottom of the glass. Evidently, the carbonation had hit the other end of the spectrum, rolled over, and died. The aroma held a lot more promise, though, with strong notes of molasses, ash and stale coffee grinds. A pervasive earthiness kept things tied together, and despite the 9% ABV, the alcohol was not discernible.

The flavour is decent, but without the expected intensity. Old coffee, some smoke, peat and light caramel mixed in with bittersweet cocoa. Its passable I suppose for a regular stout, but you really expect the imperials to turn it up to 11.

The body is the real let down, as it misses the boat completely. Gone is the luscious fullness of a great imperial stout, and in its place is a slightly light, under-carbonated feel more appropiate for a session stout. The body is actually so poor that it drags the flavour down too, making it fleeting and watery.

This is one sub-par imperial stout, and it seems to be lacking in every area. Glancing over previous reviews it seems like there is absolutely no consistency to this beer at all, and as such I would recommend avoiding it.

Viggo shared this one. thanks eric!

12oz bottle. sampled may 18/09.

pours deep brown, nearly black, with a huge light brown head. the head seems to last just about forever, and the ample carbonation causes it to rise up with even a gentle swirl. few spots of lace.

aroma is good. coffee with cream. bittersweet and dark chocolate. light alcohol. biscuit and whole wheat bread. bit of cracker. hints of grapefruit and light citrus. anise. lightly earthy and woody.

taste is ok. stale coffee. bittersweet chocolate. earthy and woody. bit of leather. bit of caramel. medium bitterness level. roasty. unlike the carbonation, the taste definitely falls flat. just a little one-dimensional.

mouthfeel is not great. medium body. tons of carbonation. about 20 minutes after opening and with plenty of swirling there's still more there than i'd like.

drinkability is ok. the carbonation does it no favours. seems to be fairly balanced, but not enough going on to bring it equal to other examples of the style.

12 oz bottle picked up at Rahman in Montreal.

Pours a very dark brown, almost opaque black, medium sized but fizzy tan head forms, settles down to a thin ring around the glass, no real lacing, head doesn't want to stay. Smell is alright, quite fruity, might label this more as an English RIS, cherries and strawberry, quite earthy, some ashy roast and chocolate, light brown sugar sweetness, biscuity, pretty interesting if lacking in complexity. Taste is alright, very dry and roasty, some biscuit, nutty, caramel, chocolate, lightly fruity and earthy, kind of watery in the finish, chocolate milk lactic quality. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with very high carbonation, really takes away from the flavour and experience. Not bad, not good, would be half decent with appropriate carbonation.

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a nice size light brown foamy head with good retention and some minimal lacing. Aroma of light coffee and black chocolate is nice enough. Taste is a nice mix between some dry roasted malt mix in with some coffee and black chocolate notes. Full oily type body with good carbonation and no alcohol discernable. Very well done and a pleasant surprise but lacking some creamy-ness and some complexity.