Benelux Grande Armada Réserve

Brewed by Benelux Brasserie Artisanale
Style: American Strong Ale
Montreal, Canada

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

A hazed brown ale with a thin lacing moka head. A pleasant vinous aroma, caramel, maple, licorice, herbaceous, and smooth. In mouth, a licorice malt with British hops, very rich and smooth, burned caramel, quite good. On tap at brewpub, 5th Anniversary party, April 30 th.

A nice choice to bottle. Double brown ale, whisky and some smoke, in the taste and aroma. Deep brown colour with very soapy head. Dangerously drinkable, Liam’s bottle. Above average mouthfeel.

My Bottom Line:
Pepper pervades this Barrel-Aged Imperial Brown Ale, tightly tied to wooden tannins, alcohol heat and chestnut-like residual sugars, building a perfectly-rendered, powerful sipper.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A creamy veil of foam covers the misty mahogany-hued brown.
-The whisky notes offer coconut, vanilla and subtle bananas. Jack Daniels?
-These barrel flavors aren’t too intense (if you like them, that is), but they remain predominant in the nose and flavor profile.
-The moderate alcohol heat is levelled with the residual sugars.
-Light roastiness can be found once in a while.
-The prickly carbonation makes this feel quite drinkable despite its potency.
-Red fruit appear upon warming.
-It might be a tad too barrel-driven for my tastes, but it remains very enjoyable throughout.

Bottle.

2012-07-29. Hazy dark brown, modest beige head. 3+ Aroma is dominated by bourbon and a modest wood character, light alcohol and vanilla. 7+ Flavour is similarly bourbon dominant. Quite sweet, lots of vanilla and bourbon character that is dried out and balanced a bit by the woody tannins, and warming alcohol in the finish. Alcohol is less prominent on the tongue than it could be given the strength, but fairly warming in the throat. Sweet malt has light fruity character to it, and while the base beer does come through - more so than in many barrel aged beers actually - it is primarily in a supporting role, with the barrel character dominating the overall impression. 7+ Smooth medium to full bodied palate has a modest carbonation and suits the beer very well. This is pretty well done. It is a big boy, with a healthy amount of alcohol and bourbon. I like it, but you have to be in the mood for that to fully appreciate it. Bottle cellared for 9 months, via trade with CFrancis

Bottle 341 ml 26.4 Plato
Aroma: strong cask aroma, alcohol warmth, vanilla. Citrus with slight hop nose. Quiet fresh. 7+
Appearance: dark brown with medium light top. Some lace noted.
Body/Flavour/Palate: medium plus bodied with soft approach. Easley noticeable warmth of alcohol. Slight bitter notes. Pleasant hefty brew to have.

In short: A corpulent BA barley-wine-ish beer with a nice woody barrel dryness
How: Tap at brewpub
The look: Cloudy mahogany body topped by a long-lasting small beige head
In long: Nose of nice whisky, a bit of booze and all kinds of sweet stuff (caramel, maple syrup, etc.). Taste is rich caramel, whisky, vanilla, sugar pie, some fruity notes with fruits of all kinds. But what really helped that beer was its strong woody character that added a dryness in the finish. I prefer the regular Grande Armada but this is a nice twist on a personal favorite of mine. Drank this beer and many many others at the pub 5th anniversary party. Got drunk again and did stupid shit. I’ve now reached the point where I spend most of my monday mornings avoiding people who might ask me about my weekend.

Bottle thanks to Dany. Pours reddish brown. Nose/taste of cherry pie, sherry, chocolate, toffee and caramel. Lots of sherry in mouth feel. Possibly some fig. Some warming alcohol in finish.

[4629-20120729] Bottle. Toasted fruity caramel malt aroma. Murky, dark brown body with a medium-lasting creamy off-white head. Lots of roasted caramel cream and heavy malt in the flavour with a long aftertaste. Full body. Quite rich and interesting. (7/3/7/4/15) 3.6
(w/ jercraigs)

En fût. Verre de 12 oz dégusté directement à la brasserie lors du party 5e anniversaire. Arôme: Odeur de caramel avec une pointe de vanille. Apparence: La couleur est brune avec une très faible densité de bulle. Présence d’un mince col mousseux et d’une large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de caramel légèrement fruité avec une pointe d’houblons et de vanille. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement onctueuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Présence de caramel en arrière goût. (Rating #3642)

Bottle: Poured a deep brown color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma consists of balanced bourbon notes with vanilla coming through nicely and some notes of semi-sweet malt. Taste is also a well balanced and easily drinkable mix between some bourbon and vanilla notes with light traces of sweet malt. Hops presence has totally disappeared with the barrel aging. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Nice beer and something I could drink more often.