MacKroken Flower
Le Bilboquet, Brasseur Artisan

 

(16 oz can; EMB 06-08-21; purchased cold single yesterday at Pinocchio's in Media... decanted into my Chouffe tulip)

L: mildly-murky (or just dark) ruby liquid; lots of tan-tinted foam on the pour... the head slowly settles out, leaving a thin but steady collar; scant lace

S: dark dried fruits (cherry, cranberry), vaguely vinous, subtle hint of chocolate caramel... honestly, it smells like one of those Belgian noel ales... alcohol fairly well hidden, those there is a mellow boozy edge accenting the aromas... overall intensity and expression is relatively excellent

T: oh yeah, that's on point, wow! definite presence/note of honey threading down the center... big malty foundation and vinous for sure; booze has little bite, but it seems to low-key electrify the expression of flavors... I'd day the balance/contrast of the malts/sugars is what's on point: dark dried fruits, chocolate, nutty granola; at first, I was going to say it's lacking a little bit of nuance, uniqueness, but it slowly proves itself to nail all the basic requisite characteristics

F: medium-full bodied with a mellow viscous drag in the finish; the booze certainly lends a little warmth, but is otherwise remarkably quiet, perhaps buried under the malt muck... delicate carbonation, but hardly still; the body has a slight oily texture... difficult to improve upon how deceptively light and sluggable it is

O: pleasantly surprised and delighted... did not notice the BB date until just prior to opening it; only its clarity seems to have taken a noticeable hit... I wish I would've grabbed more cans; I know a few people who would enjoy this (1902)

 

 

MacKroken Flower from Le Bilboquet,. Bought a 473 ml can

Look: Dark colour but ruby on the light. Good white lacing.

Smell: Honey, caramel, floral, vanilla, banana, spicy. very smooth smell.

Taste: Honey rum, caramel, toffee, vanilla, banana, dark chocolate, lots of sweetness.

Feel: Medium body, light carbonation, no alcohol burn at all, super easy drinking, goes down super smoothly, feels like a 5% beer. Its absolutely fantastic the smoothness of this beer. Just messing a bit of carbonation and it would have been perfect. Even after 10 min drinking it, you have like a banana sensation pair with a coffee that you would have drink

So overall would I recommend it ? Absolutely

Would I buy it again ? Yes, but in special occasion to make it special

 

 

500mi bottle at Las Buenasaniseed, honey rum, varnish Pulgas.
Pours a dark brown colour, with some red tones when holding to the light. Medium off white head with medium retention, lots of bubbles and good lacing.
Aroma of caramel, varnish, honey rum, aniseed. There's some bitterness from some spice I can't remember now. Fennel?
Medium body, creamy texture, good carbonation. It end sweet and finishes bitter.
Taste is similar to the aroma, but honey is more present, as well as bitterness and alcohol.
Great well balanced beer.

 

 

Deep ruby in the glass, dark but filtered, and topped with a finger and a half of beige head.

It smells rich toffee, candy, creme brulee, brown sugar, and banana candy. Vanilla, and an evident alcohol presence.

Rich and sweet, scotch, brown sugar, and smooth caramelised sugar.

Medium, soda like body, with moderate carbonation.

Got this in St. Jean Port Joli, Quebec, drinking on Walkers Point. Muskoka. Great taste, all round good, strong beer.

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance - This beer pours a beautiful dark brown color, its almost blakc but the brown shines through the edges in the light. It poured with a 3 finger mocha colored head which has now faded after 6-8 mins but left a nice ring of bubbles

Aroma - Honey is the first thing that hits your nose and it does so magnificently, It is followed closely by rich sweet caramel than decadent toffee and a rich creamy coffee note. This has to be one of my top 3 scotch ale aromas.

Taste - Again I get that honey up front and its the same honey flavor you get when your mother would give you honey and tea as a kid when you had a sore throat. Than I get that rich sweet caramel again, Like a werthers original has been dropped into my glass. the toffee is the same as the ones you get on halloween, and that rich milky coffee finishes the flavor with a light bitterness to balance the swreetness. This is a sweet beer none the less!

Feel - This beer is medium bodied and has a mixed feel of luscious velvet and soft cream on the tongue. wow.

Overall - This stands out as one of the best scotch ales I have ever tried. The only beer I am considering close to this is the 2015 st ambroise scotch ale and it was a limited run. This is definitely the best year round scotch ale I have yet to try. It is extremely sweet but not overwhelmingly so and all the flavors come together to offer an experience next to godly. Cheers!

The color is dark ruby brown. Light passes through the edge of the glass. Small had that settles to rim bubbles. Some spots for lace.

Sweet dark pale malt aroma.

Thick, rich sweet start to the taste. I'm reminded of molasses and straight sugar to this beer. There's little hop, naturally, which makes the finish rich and candy-like. Lots of toasted notes. The aftertaste is short lived but full of flavor. The body is very thick, and without much carbonation, comes across syrupy.

From the 500ml bottle, undated.
L: Pours a rich caramel with crimson hues. A lush (fat) finger-and-a-half head of whipped foam slowly subsides to leave thick lacing around the glass with wandering puffs of creamy froth.
S: Raw sugar and flowers, grass and orange peel.
T: Honey cakes, caramel and dried fruit, whiskey and dark chocolate. Starts honey-sweet-raisins and ends with earth and wood smoke.
F: Round, mouth-coating lushness stops just short of being syrupy.
O: Nails the style dead-on! The high abv is completely obfuscated by the sweet, musty, earthy malt and complex, fruity top-notes until you try to stand up. Hits the spot on a raw November evening in front of the wood stove.