01-30-2008, as IPA #2 Appearance: Pours a hazy copper with a tinge of ruby with a 2 finger head. Smell: Dry hops aroma, aromatic with mild bitterness. Taste: Hops are alive & fresh tasting, true to label, definite pleasant aftertaste. Think there’s some berries hidden in there. Mouthfeel: Malt-like feel, hops glide easily & there’s a certain earthen quality. Though slightly bitter, very smooth on the palate.

Bouteille 341ml. De couleur ambrée foncée et voilée. Nez de houblon citrique, légèrement hebreux et terreux, malté de caramel toffee, fruité (agrumes, traces de prunes rouges) ainsi que quelques notes épicées (poivre). Moyennement ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture légèrement crémeuse et huileuse. Goût plutôt amer de houblon moyennement citrique et aux notes terreuses (qui dure toute la gorgée, avec des petites notes herbeuses) avec un léger goût fruité (agrumes, traces d’abricots et de prunes) ainsi que des traces d’épices (poivre) lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute un goût malté moyennement sucré de caramel doux avec des petites notes de biscuit puis on assiste en finale à un regain d’amertume de houblon plus herbeux et asséchant. Post-goût assez long et un peu sec, moyennement amer de houblon citrique et herbeux aux faibles notes terreuses avec des notes fruitéess (zeste d’agrumes).

Vintage bottle. Still relatively clear amber coloured beer with a thick white head and quite carbonated. Slightly acidic aroma of mainly hops. It has a nice hop flavour with quite some bitterness. Could not find a best before date but it is at least 5-6 years old.

UPDATED: DEC 7, 2011 Originally rated December 2005. Purchased at the Dépanneur de la Rive in Cap-Rouge, Quebec. Pours a hazy caramel-amber colour with a tanned creamy head. Retention is quite long and lacing all around glass is great. The aromas are of caramel and molasse with hop in the background. The taste starts bitter, but gets more bitter in the finish to come back down to the starting point in the aftertaste. Coffee and notes of nuts lingers also in the aftertaste. Nice and smooth. Also in the flavours is burnt wood, oranges and butterscotch. A very nice complex brew.

Bottle- A slightly hazed orangey amber with a nice creamy foam. Zesty nose of citrus and fruit, piney hops, perfume. Tastes sweet, of caramel malts, grapefruit and lemony hops, a bit bready with cookie dough. Creamy and hoppy finish. Good stuff.

UPDATED: SEP 3, 2009 Bottle. Not quite sure how old this is, but it is quite old. Appearance is deep brown with thin head. Aroma: first impression was minty, fresh citrus a bit of herbs, eucalyptus freshness. Then we found some fresh vegetable and fruit aromas plums, beets, carrots and tomatoes. Taste is slightly roasted, cocoa powder and brown sugar. Watery at first but with a persistent finale, not too enjoyable. This beer is well past it’s prime.

Bottle from Bonisoir in Montreal. Pours a deep hazy brown with a fairly hefty tanned head. Loads of malt, bordering on barley wine aromas, with touches of plum and fruit. First impressions are that there is something odd going on here, as this is darker than pretty much any IPA I’ve seen, and comes out smelling like something full of malt, and not too heavy on the hops. Medium to thick body (especially for an IPA), and very malty, but not overly sweet. Finishes with a good amount of bitterness. I really have no idea what to make of this… it’s not really an IPA in my book (and blind I’d never peg it as one). More like a hoppy brown ale. Marginally drinkable (though I dumped about half of the bottle), but I certainly wouldn’t repeat this one.

341ml bottle 2.99$ at Grand Duc. Poured dark amber-mahogany. One half inch creamy head. Aroma is quite sweet, faint hops, hints of maple syrup (??). Taste is quite sweet, caramel, hops.enjoyable bitterness. Not quite crisp as I like my IPAs so far. Nonetheless a really nice beer, quite drinkable and well made. Rating #104

341 mL bottle. A little dark for the style, and quite hazy. Nice foamy head, though. Aroma has loads of sweet caramel malt and light C-hops. Somehow, it smells creamy. The flavour is big, with caramel and piney hops from start to finish. Feels thin, but tastes full. It is better cold; it becomes a little too sweet when it warms. Excellent IPA.

UPDATED: SEP 18, 2009 ANGLAIS: To me, it is Québec best IPA. This is so smooth and caramelised, with a delightful thick texture and a power bitter long lasting finish. Hard to find (Peluso, Grand Duc, au moins) expensive, but Lord it is worth it! Added: Ages badly, beware! FRENCH: 2,79$ à la Saucisserie de Bois-de-Filions, j’ai pris ce qui restait, va voir ailleurs! La mention "avec arrière-goût, avec goût", quelle belle façon de se moquer de la réussite des majors qui sont parvenus à faire croire à tant de gens qu’ils brassent (manufacturent) de bonnes bières. Mais en tant qu’authentique snob de la bière, laissez-moi vous dire que ÇA, cette IPA, est vraiment une bonne bière. Bièropholie brassent, à mon avis, les meilleures IPA au Québec: celle-ci, la Cascade et la Golding. Des trois, c’est cette IPA que je préfère. Arôme intense, particulièrement agréable, goût puissant de malt caramélisé, où la domination de l’amertume du délicieux houblonnage amènent les fans de bières "avec arrière-gout" dans un autre monde, et la texture est onctueuse. C’est vraiment une excellente bière. Et cet arrière-gout qui persiste... Wow ! Ajout: Le vieillissement sied mal à cette bière; à bon entendeur...