Eisbock (Congelator) | Micro-Brasserie L'Alchimiste
Brewed by:
Micro-Brasserie L'Alchimiste
Quebec, Canada
lalchimiste.ca
Style: Eisbock
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 9.40%
Availability: Spring
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by Beersignal on 03-13-2007
Ratings: 42 | Reviews: 25
3.16/5 rDev -12.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.5/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.41/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.5/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Flashback #272
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Flashback #272
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3.48/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
2.58/5 rDev -28.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Appearance: Pours an amber-brown body, good clarity, with no apparent head formation.
Smell: A simple, lightly scented trace of bready, caramelly malts, then, a bit of fruitiness and sniff of booze. It's just not particularly inviting or appealing. You just want to quietly, carefully pour it back into the bottle and dismiss it as you push it aside with your hand, moving on to something else. But, we've come this far, let's press on!
Taste: Well, huh, there's oddly very little flavor for a purported eisbock, though it's no surprise after the underperforming aroma. A touch of toast, very mild, with faint hints of herbs, apricots, and tangelos. Drying, warm finish. You're in and out in a flash, as there's not much going on in there.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Nil carbonation.
Overall: Unlike any eisbock I've previously encountered, in that it's totally lacking all the rich, complex maltiness and potent, pleasing flavors one would expect and hope for. If this is the concentrated, post-freezing results, I'd be curious to see what the heck they started with.
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look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Appearance: Pours an amber-brown body, good clarity, with no apparent head formation.
Smell: A simple, lightly scented trace of bready, caramelly malts, then, a bit of fruitiness and sniff of booze. It's just not particularly inviting or appealing. You just want to quietly, carefully pour it back into the bottle and dismiss it as you push it aside with your hand, moving on to something else. But, we've come this far, let's press on!
Taste: Well, huh, there's oddly very little flavor for a purported eisbock, though it's no surprise after the underperforming aroma. A touch of toast, very mild, with faint hints of herbs, apricots, and tangelos. Drying, warm finish. You're in and out in a flash, as there's not much going on in there.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Nil carbonation.
Overall: Unlike any eisbock I've previously encountered, in that it's totally lacking all the rich, complex maltiness and potent, pleasing flavors one would expect and hope for. If this is the concentrated, post-freezing results, I'd be curious to see what the heck they started with.
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3.38/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle from Broue HAHA.
A - Pours a dark amber with mild carbonation. Bright. Half finger off white head. No lacing and a film of retention.
S - Caramel, dark fruit, brown sugar.
T - More caramel and fruit with a little less sugar. Some yeast in the finish. Not bad.
M - Good carbonation and a full, chewy body with a sweet finish.
O/D - Not too shabby. Not overwhelmingly good but good enough to keep your attention.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle from Broue HAHA.
A - Pours a dark amber with mild carbonation. Bright. Half finger off white head. No lacing and a film of retention.
S - Caramel, dark fruit, brown sugar.
T - More caramel and fruit with a little less sugar. Some yeast in the finish. Not bad.
M - Good carbonation and a full, chewy body with a sweet finish.
O/D - Not too shabby. Not overwhelmingly good but good enough to keep your attention.
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4.05/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A- Dark brown and ruby tone with frothy head that has nice retention and creamy lace.
S- Strong, bold and fruity. Sweet toffee and toasted grains, hints of booze, earthy notes, and cherry tones; other dark fruit.
T- Toffee, brown sugar, rich sweetness. Fruit notes are prominant with cherry, dates, plums, and raisins. Biscuit and toasted grains underneath and a hint of booze well hidden under the sweetness.
M- Thick, creamy, and slick
D- Very sweet and slick with a booze burn makes this delicious beer a sipper.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A- Dark brown and ruby tone with frothy head that has nice retention and creamy lace.
S- Strong, bold and fruity. Sweet toffee and toasted grains, hints of booze, earthy notes, and cherry tones; other dark fruit.
T- Toffee, brown sugar, rich sweetness. Fruit notes are prominant with cherry, dates, plums, and raisins. Biscuit and toasted grains underneath and a hint of booze well hidden under the sweetness.
M- Thick, creamy, and slick
D- Very sweet and slick with a booze burn makes this delicious beer a sipper.
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3.35/5 rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Big thanks to MasterSki for the gift.
A - It pours a rustic russet hue, with a surprisingly lustrous head. The froth recedes to plentiful wisps of pancake batter foam.
S - The aroma is better from afar, where it seems spicy and sweetly malty. Up close it reveals too much naked grain. The malt is slightly toffee-ish, and tends toward spicy more than sweet. Herbal hoppiness is apparent.
T - It tastes pretty nice; it is surprisingly bitter, though the hop is not specifically flavorful, more so it is generally bitter. There are generally hop-driven spicy and savory notes, and the maltiness is only an equal partner in this equation. This is not tremendously hoppy; it is also not the beer equivalent of Aunt Jemima (of which many a brew of this description suffer from this type of syrupy affliction.)
M - Fairly lively, and not syrupy at all... still it is fairly uninspiring.
D - Pretty good stuff, not great. The well-hidden ABV is commendable.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Big thanks to MasterSki for the gift.
A - It pours a rustic russet hue, with a surprisingly lustrous head. The froth recedes to plentiful wisps of pancake batter foam.
S - The aroma is better from afar, where it seems spicy and sweetly malty. Up close it reveals too much naked grain. The malt is slightly toffee-ish, and tends toward spicy more than sweet. Herbal hoppiness is apparent.
T - It tastes pretty nice; it is surprisingly bitter, though the hop is not specifically flavorful, more so it is generally bitter. There are generally hop-driven spicy and savory notes, and the maltiness is only an equal partner in this equation. This is not tremendously hoppy; it is also not the beer equivalent of Aunt Jemima (of which many a brew of this description suffer from this type of syrupy affliction.)
M - Fairly lively, and not syrupy at all... still it is fairly uninspiring.
D - Pretty good stuff, not great. The well-hidden ABV is commendable.
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3.81/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
A rich colour, with a strong reddish hue. Very little carbonation. Taste is non aggresive and pleasant, with a bit of a sweet overtone, and some caramel notes. Not too complicated, but a pleasant experience overall. Goes down quite easily (in part because of the low carbonation).
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look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
A rich colour, with a strong reddish hue. Very little carbonation. Taste is non aggresive and pleasant, with a bit of a sweet overtone, and some caramel notes. Not too complicated, but a pleasant experience overall. Goes down quite easily (in part because of the low carbonation).
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3.66/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Viggo brought this one over. thanks eric!
12oz bottle. sampled march 25/2010.
pours a beautiful crystal clear ruby red. the small dense tan head drops fairly fast and leaves spotty lace behind as it falls.
aroma is nice. caramel and toffee. lightly toasted whole wheat bread. bit of biscuit. light alcohol. earthy and woody. cherry, date, and a bit of raisin.
taste is nice. light alcohol. lightly toasted whole wheat bread. bit of biscuit and cracker. bit of caramel and toffee. dark chocolate. cherry and date. earthy and woody. slightly herbal. bit of fenugreek?
mouthfeel is nice. medium-large body. medium-light carbonation level.
drinkability is good. nice balance. fairly interesting, but doesn't quite have the depth and complexity i usually expect in an eisbock.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Viggo brought this one over. thanks eric!
12oz bottle. sampled march 25/2010.
pours a beautiful crystal clear ruby red. the small dense tan head drops fairly fast and leaves spotty lace behind as it falls.
aroma is nice. caramel and toffee. lightly toasted whole wheat bread. bit of biscuit. light alcohol. earthy and woody. cherry, date, and a bit of raisin.
taste is nice. light alcohol. lightly toasted whole wheat bread. bit of biscuit and cracker. bit of caramel and toffee. dark chocolate. cherry and date. earthy and woody. slightly herbal. bit of fenugreek?
mouthfeel is nice. medium-large body. medium-light carbonation level.
drinkability is good. nice balance. fairly interesting, but doesn't quite have the depth and complexity i usually expect in an eisbock.
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3.53/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle picked up at Peluso.
Pours a clear very dark red, crimson hues, very thin tan head forms and quickly settles down to a thin ring around the glass and a thin layer, some tiny lace spots stick.
Smell is neat, lots of dark fruit and raisin, brown sugar and caramel sweetness, quite rich, honey on biscuits, light fruity sourness, alcohol, sherry, lightly oaky, a bit earthy, sour cherries, pretty neat.
Taste is nice but a little light, slightly oxidized, some honey and caramel, brown sugar, raisin, leathery, sour fruit, cherries, biscuit, lightly oaky, some citrus/floral in the finish, alcohol, not bad.
Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, lightly oily feeling, medium carbonation, some alcohol burn going down. Overall not bad but pretty plain.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle picked up at Peluso.
Pours a clear very dark red, crimson hues, very thin tan head forms and quickly settles down to a thin ring around the glass and a thin layer, some tiny lace spots stick.
Smell is neat, lots of dark fruit and raisin, brown sugar and caramel sweetness, quite rich, honey on biscuits, light fruity sourness, alcohol, sherry, lightly oaky, a bit earthy, sour cherries, pretty neat.
Taste is nice but a little light, slightly oxidized, some honey and caramel, brown sugar, raisin, leathery, sour fruit, cherries, biscuit, lightly oaky, some citrus/floral in the finish, alcohol, not bad.
Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, lightly oily feeling, medium carbonation, some alcohol burn going down. Overall not bad but pretty plain.
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Eisbock (Congelator) from Micro-Brasserie L'Alchimiste
3.6
out of 5
based on 42 ratings.
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Micro-brasserie L'Alchimiste "Eisbock"
341 ml brown glass returnable bottle with multiple codes, most likely less than 3 months old (or about 5 years old ;)
Notes: Labeled 9.5% ABV. Cloudy Russet, short creamy yellow-tan head. Malt aroma with alcohol and some dark skinned fruit - not sharp, dull... raisin, fig. The flavor is fuller but follows. The impression of dark fruit skins seem to over-ride the dark fruitiness, I'm guessing because of the bitterness, and then there's a central caramelish malt component and an outside alcohol note. It's moderately toffee-ish. Medium full body with a median carbonation. Certainly not the best eisbock I've ever sampled, but pleasant enough.
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