Bock De Joliette | Micro-Brasserie L'Alchimiste

1.58/5  rDev -52.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

On this damp, rainy evening I felt like a bock. This one isn't it either.

A: Surprisingly clear, copper-orange hue with a light tan head, very little retention, no lacing.

S: Chocolate & fruit with a slightly sour, grainy astringency.

T: Chocolate covered cherries (I'm being kind) with a light tartness, grainy, modest bitterness. The cardboard & vegetal flavours are obvious imperfections and the lingering aftertaste gives me convulsive shakes.

M: Light to moderate body is over-carbonated.

D: I could choke it back if I had to, but the rest of this is going down the drain.

The ratings are all over the place for this. Is it really that inconsistent or is there a house infection that causes it to SEVERELY degrade with time?

I don't think they could've bottled it in this condition, and the label does have numbers to indicate the date, but nothing is marked. I wasted my money on this, so the review stands.

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2.13/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Bottle: Poured an amber color ale with a medium foamy head with minimal retention and no lacing. Aroma of overcooked vegetables is dominating with a thin medium sweet malt profile. Taste is also dominated by DMS with some very light sweet malt. Body is definitely too thin for the style and carbonation is quite low.

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2.44/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A clear amber coloured bock with two fingers of pale tan head is sitting in my pint glass. Decent retention although it has now dissipated to just a collar. Leaves some half decent intricate lacings.

Big whiff of butterscotch from the nose, im not getting much else here, other than some tart aromas.

A mildly sour butterscotch is the main flavour here, along with some green apple. There is some nondescript hop bitterness underneath the sweet yet tart flavours.

Took me a while to get to this brew, as the other Ive had from this brewery scared me away even though they were fresh. Had a maibock today so i figured I'd have another. This is pretty light in body, with no real malt or hop presence, it tastes more of candied corn than anything else, and if it were not for the hint of grain husk i would be surprised to find that this is indeed a beer.

Im going to drink this, and almost enjoy it. It is an interesting beverage, but it certainly is not a good bock. There is a good beer scene in Quebec, but unfortunately I've been disappointed in the offerings from L'Alchimiste.

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2.48/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Well well. What can I say? I don't like this beer. Not sure about the taste. Not really sure if this is a Bock. I guess I will have to taste other Bock and then redo a taste on this one. Still have 2 bottles so I might do that. Maybe it is the beer style I do not like.

Why I do not like, well it doesn't taste much... maybe next time I try to drink it directly from the bottle... :)

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2.5/5  rDev -24.5%

2.5/5  rDev -24.5%

2.5/5  rDev -24.5%

2.53/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

bouteille brune de 341ml.

de couleur orangée trouble, la mousse est blanche et persistante, nez fruité de levure, gout persistant de levure, de fruit, un peu aigre. difficile de se rendre compte que c'est une bock. manque de malt. manque de rondeur.

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2.71/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured in a mug. Reviewing from notes. 11/08

A- Dark Amber colored. Small 1 finger off-white head that fell quickly to almost nothing. No lacing.

S- Sweet malt is upfront. Caramel. A little fruit also.

T- Caramel malt and fruits are present, but too faint. Not too much alcohol…

F- Medium mouthfeel with some carbonation.

D- It’s an easy drinker, but lacks in taste for the style. I do not plan on having more of those any time soon.

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2.75/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

2.75/5  rDev -16.9%

2.9/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz Bottle

Appearance - The beer pours a clear amber colour with an average size off-white fizzy head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing. There really isn't much lacing and the head was gone in a flash.

Smell - metallic, lemon, malts, breads/grains

Taste & Mouth - The beer has a near average amount of carbonation and feels and tastes slightly watery. The flavour that is there consists of malts, lemons, creating a somewhat rusty flavour. There is also a slightly metallic taste. The beer finishes with a biscuit/lemon bitter aftertaste.

Drink - I've had a few beers from Quebec which have a flavour similar to this one. It doesn't really do it for me.. It's not awful; just not my thing.

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3/5  rDev -9.4%

3/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Received this in a trade from papat444 -- thanks!

Shared this 12 oz bottle with my dad in two small sample glasses. Looked great upon pouring -- deep amber colour with a slightly eggshell head that stuck around. Lots of good lacing.

Aroma was pleasant, if mild. Fresh bread with hints of sweet cotton candy or caramel. Taste was, unfortunately, disappointing -- definite skunk in there. The bottle had a dateline on the label, but it was unmarked, so I'm not sure what happened. I have had a couple of unexpectedly skunked beers lately, so I may need to investigate my storage area to see what's up. Anyway, I can see the potential of the flavour, but the skunky Heineken-like flavours overwhelmed what might have been a decent beer. Also somewhat overcarbonated for the style, in my opinion. I would like to try this again with a different bottle to see how it compares.

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3/5  rDev -9.4%

3/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

3/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

3.15/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

3.2/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to Thirstybird for bringing this back across the border. Served at 53 degrees in a pilsener glass. Pours a translucent amber with a half inch, frothy, off-white head. Head eventually settles into an 1/8th inch consistent skim - no lacing on this one. Nose expresses caramel malt, dark fruit (raisins and prunes) and an earthy/grainy quality. Taste is consistent with nose, but comes off really quite dull and watered down. There's also a faint metallic character interspersed, but not particularly prominent. Flavors open up a bit more as the brew warms. Mouthfeel is light-medium, with a lively, almost gassy carbonation. Overall, a somewhat lackluster bock.

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3.22/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

On tap at Vices & Versa.

Burnished amber colour, clear, with steady bead. Head is off-white, just a rim. Bit strong-looking, but OK.

Smells malty, sweet. Brown sugar, molasses with a touch of diacetyl. Maybe underattenuated as well. Bit simple, not a lot of nuance to it.

Tastes milky, creamy, lots of toffee with creme Anglaise and orange peel. Quite peppery on the back, kiss of booze and a bit of Grand Marnier.

Fluid, seems a little warm but nice crisp backing up.

Not a bad bock, I guess, but I have had more interesting heavier beers.

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3.24/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

3.25/5  rDev -1.8%

3.25/5  rDev -1.8%

3.25/5  rDev -1.8%

3.29/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25