Apocalypse
Brasseurs R.J.

750 mL corked & caged bottle bought at the LCBO at least two years ago; best before July 13 2019 and served barely chilled. One of a couple of bottles that should've been cleared out of the cellar months ago... but this is described as a 'double Belgian stout' so I doubt the extra two months killed it.

Pours opaque brownish-black, topped with half an inch of foamy, tan-coloured head that settles off within two or three minutes' time. A tight collar and thin band of lace are the eventual leftovers, surrounding an island of filmy froth; looks fine to me. Lots of caramelized sugars and toffee on the nose, with notes of treacle, cocoa and coffee, and faint suggestions of herbal hops and indistinct dark fruit; the booze becomes noticeable as the glass warms. Typical aroma for the style, nothing out of the ordinary.

Not what I'd call complex or layered, but it's sure flavourful enough to keep me satisfied - and most importantly I am not getting any signs of old age/oxidation from this at all. There's treacle sweetness, caramelized and roasted malts, with the lattermost giving off a strong dark roasted coffee vibe; I'm also getting hints of fig, cocoa and date fruit. The bitterness does a bit of a crescendo towards the back end, with earthy, herbal notes and licorice root joining up with the coffee grounds at the finish; boozy warmth, licorice and some ashiness persist into the aftertaste for longer than I'd prefer. On the fuller side of medium-bodied, with moderate carbonation levels that prickle the palate softly, frothing up in the mouth a little. Smooth to sip, but the alcohol is very noticeable for 9%, and its bitterness is not to be scoffed at.

Final Grade: 3.96, a B+. Apocalypse is a pretty darn good imperial stout, and might very well be the best Brasseurs R.J. product that I've tried to date. And here I was worried that it wouldn't even be review-able... this bottle weathered its time in my cellar as good as any imperial stout has, so don't be afraid to store this format away for 2-3 years. IIRC, the price was reasonable as well, so there's no reason not to give it a try: I'd certainly pick it up again, in which case I'd consume it fresh, compare notes, and update this review as needed.

Medium: Capped.
Opacity: Opaque.
Color: Black with a very light copper hue.
Head: Creamy and frothy brown 3 finger.
Legs: Decent with strong swirl reaction.
Smell: Coffee/Chocolate/Wood.
Taste: Prunes/Raisins/Molasses/Toffee/Herbal.
Feel: Roasted/Earthy/Smoked/Esters.
Body: Medium silky and creamy.
Carbonation: Light crisp, a bit fluffy.
Overall: Easy to drink and alcohol well hidden. High quality.

Visual 8/10 - Flavors 8/10 - Sensations 8/10 - Balance 8/10 -
Freshness 6/10 - Intensity 7/10 - Complexity 8/10 - Appreciation 8/10

 

 

Pitch black with a half hair hint of ruby when held to the light. Topped with 2 fingers of deep brown, beige head.

Smells like a porter, heavy toasted notes, dark chocolate, chocolate liqueur, notes of coffee and a touch of umami.

Tastes of chocolate, dark, roasted toasted notes, a hint of char, and a solid, dull, long bitter finish.

Medium body, moderate, foamy carbonation. Smooth, but light, oily feel.

Got this at LCBO, drinking in Muskoka, Feb 4th, 2018. Solid mouth feel, good on the nose, and decent flavour.

 

 

 

Enjoyed a 750 ml cork and cage bomber for about $10 CDN. Served fairly cold into a chalice.

Appearance - Super dark brown, appearing black. Nice two fingers of light tan head, good retention. Imposing looking which is to be expected from a beer named Apocalypse.

Smell - Really nice here, plenty of charred notes, coffee, ash with a healthy black licorice and molasses combo that I personally really enjoy.

Taste - Very similar to the nose, quite bitter, ashy, a little smokey with coffee subtle vanilla moments and much less molasses and licorice than was on the nose. Those are present but disguised. Beer opens up in flavors as it warms, but a little too bitter for the sake of being bitter for my tastes.

Mouthfeel - Fairly smooth, full bodied, creamy at one moment and not so much the next.

Overall - A solid if not terribly memorable imperial stout that smells divine in my opinion but doesn't quite get there in terms of taste and feel. Nonetheless another successful brew from this under-the-radar Quebec brewery.

From a 750ml bottle served chilled at 12 degrees Celsius into a white wine glass. Best before date: 13.07.2019.

Look: The beer pours an opaque black (cola highlights) with 4cm of dense, sticky, deep mocha head that settles into a solid cap in 3+ minutes. Great lacing and overall retention for a high ABV beer.

Smell: Moderate strength and quite balanced. An earthy muskiness and cooked, herbal hops up front followed by mildly roasty dark malts featuring notes of toasted cocoa, dried fruit, and faint brown sugar or toffee. Pleasantly complex and nuanced with something off... is it the muskiness or do the hops clash with the malt? Each vigorous swirl of the glass brings out that unpleasant character.

Taste: Medium-strong and bitter. The flavour follows suit with the aroma with amped up strength and less subtlety. Dominating roasted malts and dark fruit character with herbal hops and an aggressive bitterness. Mostly the same descriptors as the aroma however the faint notes missing. The finish is long, strong, and bitter with a noticeable mineral quality and faint ethanol.

Feel: Medium-full body with lively to high carbonation. Creamy yet sharp with smooth alcohol warming of moderate strength. There's no question you're drinking a 9% ABV beer. Moderate astringency and quite dry.

Overall: A satisfying winter warmer with some complexity in terms of the malt profile and balancing hops. It could still be more layered and it's lacking some subtle, ineffable balance. Moderate drinkability due to high perceived bitterness and borderline harshness in the mouthfeel. I did finish a 750ml bottle without any issues so calling the drinkability low would be lying. Nothing like a 100% chocolate or straight up cacao nibs (which I both tried) to compliment this brew. Dayum, I managed to also throw a triple cream brie (Délice de Bourgogne [Lincet]) at it and it pairs dayum-well. All that bitterness is now turned over to sweetness! Good stuff for sure so give it a try if you're a fan of strong stouts.

Pours nice and dark black with a couple of fingers of brown head. The head lasts quite a while, and upon break there is some really nice lacing and wisps of foam left on top. The smell is roasty malts, coffee and cocoa. The flavor follows the nose, but there seems to be more cocoa and a touch of leather present too. The feel is medium/full and the carbonation is medium. The booze is well hidden.

Surprised at this one to be honest. I was not expecting much from this at all, and it turns out to be a nice stout.

a lovely stout on the strong side. Coffee chocolate and toasted malts. Opaque black with some dark brown lacing.
Quite dry with a fair amount of bitterness. Well worth a try. Double fermented as a stout then a Belgian dark ale.

As good as Brasseurs R.J.'s Death Valley was, as average this one is.
Then again, I like my stouts with some pizazz (see Peche Mortel, Founders KBS or Dragon's Milk) and this one has none of it, just straight on bitterness. Not that it's bad, but it doesn't stand out for me either. Nice nose and head.

 

2013 edition, found on shelves. Mouldy, less so in last part of the bottle. More bitterness became of age? Hops in the finish. Drinkable, with food. Dark colour.

 

 

 

Apocalypse from Brasseurs R.J. bought a 12 mix pack for 15,99$

Look: Dark, with a brown/dark head. About 1 finger of head.

Smell: Roasty coffee with a touch of caramel.

Taste: Like a espresso shot. Very roasty, some caramel on the aftertaste.

Feel: Very nice. Goes down really easily. No alcohol burn what so ever.

So overall would I recommend it? For sure. This is a awesome beer. And a really great Stout