Cheval Blanc Double Blanche
Brasseurs R.J.

Cheval Blanc Double BlancheCheval Blanc Double Blanche
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From:
Brasseurs R.J.
 
Quebec, Canada
Style:
Belgian IPA
ABV:
6.2%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.84 | pDev: 6.77%
Reviews:
16
Ratings:
49
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 26, 2019
Added:
Feb 03, 2014
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  12
No description / notes.
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Ratings by Lewnanny:
Photo of Lewnanny
Reviewed by Lewnanny from Canada (NB)

3.26/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
I was a bit disapointed when once the bottle open, I realize this double white (double blanche) was in fact intensively hops.

I'm not a big fan of highly hoped beer, but I like to try them occasionally. I was supprise and was not ready to drink this kind of high IBU beer (55, in fact), much over the number I was ready to taste one second before having this one in my mouth.

It was a nice feeling not ot be ready to drink a whitbier with this intensively hop taste.

I still have another bottle I bought in a degustation pack from Quebec, and will keep it for my next taste evening with friends.

It is a nice trick to make to white beer lovers.

This 6.2 % ABV, with the IBU of 55, poured from the 341 ml bottle was a nice surprise at the end.
Jun 11, 2016
More User Ratings:
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Reviewed by Alexc11 from Canada (QC)

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Admittedly, on my beer journey I've discovered IPAs are not my favourite. Nonetheless, I do drink them from time to time and this one caught my attention. Also, don't drink this while going over your kid's sport card. For some reason it hits and if you're not exactly already a serious type, you're making one too many inappropriate jokes.

Anyway.

Pours hazy, yellow colour with healthy foamy head that retains nicely. Tropical aromas dominate (some apricot and peach) taste is hops, citrusy, wheat, hops. Medium carbonation. Dry, somewhat smooth and with elevated bitterness that balances off nicely.
Nov 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.84 by quadmad from Canada (ON)

Jun 29, 2018
Photo of patre_tim
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

4.09/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Golden and hazy with a moderate amount of fine bubbled carbonation. Topped with a huge 6 finger, off white head.

Smells of grapefruit and Belgian candy sugar, green hops and Belgian yeast phenols. Light fruits like pears, yellow apples and apricots. A hint of dankness as well.

The taste follows the nose and does not disappoint. There's a big, dull but fresh bitterness that pervades the second half of the palate. Notes of drying grass as well.

Light body, dry and complex on the tongue. Moderate carbonation. The ABV is well hidden.

Really good Belgian IPA that is well worth a try. I got this at the LCBO, and I am drinking it on the lake tonight, December 9th, 2017.
Dec 10, 2017
Photo of Organdrew
Reviewed by Organdrew from Canada (QC)

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bought a six pack of beer called "Maitre Brasseurs" sampler pack from a Montreal local grocery store, The pack had three types of beers including Cheval Blanc Double Blanche, Coup de Grisou, and Blonde D'achouffe. Pulled out a 341 mL bottle and poured into a flute glass.

Look: Golden in color, with a cloudy consistency. 4-5 inches of head that stays awhile and leaves lacing in the glass until the end.

Smell: Wheat, hops, some citrus notes. Subtle peaches.

Taste: Notice right away the hops and booziness, then some bitterness that lasts. The boozinesss could just be the
strength of the hops. Citrus notes.

Feel: Moderate consistency, low carbonation, and some tingling from either the carbonation or hops perhaps. The white smooths out the ale-likeness.

Overall: Not bad. Reminds me of a mix between an ale and a white. The strength of an ale smoothed out a bit by the white style. If you've ever had Boundary ale by Moosehead Breweries, this isn't far off, probably the same hops, but brewed in a different style. Think of this with a mix of Rickard's white.

I like it. not really too complex. Not too many hidden notes. Probably brewed with one or two kinds of hops. Gives a buzz after a single bottle because of its ABV. I wouldn't say this is brewed as a prize beer, but better than a lot of others. Lacks a bit in flavor, but excels in the feel of it in your mouth. It's kind of fizzy, easy to drink, boozy, and with the bitter bite of hops. The bite is offset a bit by the wheat. Tastes better cold. If you like a moderately strong and bitter beer, this is for you. I'd drink again.

Do I recommend? If you like ales, citrus flavors, or white, you might like this.
Oct 07, 2017
Photo of Jtee
Reviewed by Jtee from Canada (ON)

3.89/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
750ml bottle served cold into a chalice.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy, deep gold with 4cm of white and foamy head. Both head and lacing are good.

Aroma: Very hop-forward - citrusy and grassy with faint pepperiness and pine.

Taste: Follows suit with the aroma but I detect a fruity layer that wasn't apparent on the nose. Notes of white pepper, citrus, and pine with faint pear.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium high carbonation. Prickly and drying.

Finish: Quite dry with a lingering bitterness.

Overall: A solid and enjoyable brew for a good price.
Mar 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.23 by nullbort from Canada (ON)

Feb 25, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by rugene from Canada (QC)

Feb 12, 2017
 
Rated: 3.66 by PJT from Canada (QC)

Dec 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.68 by TerryW from Canada (ON)

Nov 12, 2016
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.94/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Anything that combines wheat and Belgian yeast aught to be cloudy and have a huge, billowing head that refuses to leave. Cheval Blanc Double Blanche certainly fits that description. Owing to the protein haze this otherwise light and bright golden coloured ale looks solid as brick (and its giant mass of foam sets in like mortar).

Who doesn't love that ultra-candied lemon/orange rind smell? Hops come in many shapes and forms but this kind of Starburst-like citrus is quickly becoming one of my favourites. Accompanying scents (whether from yeast or adjunct, this is a Witbier at its base after all) include nuances of coriander, lemon verbana, dried herbs and white peppercorn.

All that fruit and spice is accompanied by simple flavours of straw and cereal grain and maybe a drop of vanilla. Any creaminess is short-lived, however, because the bubbles are so tightly-wound. Think of a treadmill on its highest setting and you get the picture. All that carbonation quickly scrubs away all the wheat and much of any lingering hop pungency.

That said, there's enough discarded citrus rind, green tea and lemon verbana to leave a bit of a legacy (shared with the coriander- or peppercorn-like zest from the yeast). For a so-called Belgian IPA it appropriately allows flamboyant, farmhouse-y yeast and colourful, fruit-driven hops to share the stage equally. Alcohol is thankfully absent.

Cheval Blanc is absolutely pitiful as a Witbier but, credit where it's due, Double Blanche, a hoppy imperial variation, makes a very fine Belgian IPA. I much prefer the wheat beer base to whatever Brasseurs R.J. uses for Death Valley (a less stylistically accurate and gratifying example of the style). I don't consider this great but it's surely worth a pickup.
Sep 09, 2016
 
Rated: 4.08 by Geosuds from Spain

Aug 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.99 by Mousel from Canada (ON)

Aug 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4.1 by tyronegangsta from Canada (ON)

Jul 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.48 by JeremySachedina from Canada (ON)

May 24, 2016
Photo of thehyperduck
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

4.06/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
750 mL corked/caged bottle from the LCBO; best before Dec 7 2017 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a foggy golden-orange colour, with three fingers of puffy, whipped cream-like foam immediately erupting from the surface. Excellent retention, with gobs of sticky lace being produced over the next ten minutes or so. Quite grassy and floral on the nose, with notes of lemon zest, grapefruit, and crackery, doughy pale wheat malts. Mildly yeasty and spicy, with hints of clove, white wine, orchard fruit and pine needles.

Not bad, but the hop flavour seems a tad muted for a Belgian IPA. The wheat malts provide a grainy, crackery background sweetness, accompanied by light hints of apricot. Mild notes of lemon peel, grassy/floral hop astringency and a touch of grapefruit come through by mid-sip, with the grassy/floral elements winning out by the finish. Yeasty, peppery clove spice and some vaguely piney notes wrap things up nicely in time for a dry aftertaste. Medium in body, with prickly, lively bubbles that produce the sort of crisp, foaming mouthfeel that you'd expect from a Belgian-style ale. The fairly low abv and restrained astringency make this beer much easier to knock back than BIPAs tend to be.

Final Grade: 4.06, an A-. Cheval Blanc Double Blanche makes for a solid quaff, and is a better beer than their Death Valley IMO. The hop flavours are dialed down somewhat when compared to many examples of this style, which makes it a little more approachable and drinkable than expected. Double Blanche takes a measured approach to its flavour profile, with its clean, wheaty malt sweetness and yeast complexities being allowed to share the spotlight with the hop bill. This is definitely not the most exciting BIPA I've ever had, but it's certainly a quaffable one - and for the price, it's pretty hard to pass up.
May 10, 2016
Photo of taxandbeerguy
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

4.04/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
750 ml bomber served cold into a tulip. Purchased from the LCBO for $5.95 CDN. Full blown cork and cage setup.

Appearance - Pours a somewhat hazy bright golden orange and straw colored beer. Loads of carbonation rise to the surface and a finger and a half of white head is poured, Impressive spidery lacing left behind. The foamy head appears light nearly cloud-like.

Smell - Some yeastiness, light grain aroma and subtle hop aromas. A little citrusy with some lime shining through with just a hint of pine for good measure. Complex but delicate but completely unmistakable as a Belgian IPA.

Taste - Light and spritzy, some powdery yeast, light grain before light citrus. I get some lime and grapefruit here as it is on the bitter spectrum of things but not so intense that it overwhelms. Quite a refreshing beer to drink, especially since any alcohol content is masked masterfully.

Mouthfeel - Very heavily carbonated, and while not uncommon for the style, this is pushing the limits. Body is light and finish is dry.

Overall - While Cheval Blanc Double Blanche falls short of being a world class Belgian IPA, it's subtle fruit notes with a wonderfully constructed light spritzy body make it a certain summertime pleaser, and just a damn good beer all around, as the subtle yeastiness and light grain flavors and aromas have been taken care of too. Well worth a shot and value is reasonable too, give the size of the bottle, quality of beer and alcohol content.
May 08, 2016
Photo of peensteen
Reviewed by peensteen from Canada (ON)

4.02/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Hazed golden orange colour, 1.5 fingers of white head and lots of lace. Smell is a mix of fruity and grassy hops, lemon, leafy cut grass, orange and grapefruit all punctuated with a tangy belgian yeast. Taste is dry and hoppy with a long lingering bitterness, hops are mainly earthy with a light fruity flavour on the back end, yeasty aftertaste. Medium high carbonation, medium bodied and dry. This is quite enjoyable especially at such a low price point, something I could easily revisit at any time.
Apr 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.55 by Glorithm from Canada (ON)

Apr 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.85 by RedAleMan from Canada (ON)

Apr 09, 2016
Cheval Blanc Double Blanche from Brasseurs R.J.
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 49 ratings