Benelux Grande Armada Réserve

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

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

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Aggressive notes of bourbon and vanilla strike hard at first, both in the aroma and taste. Once the bourbon leaves your nostrils, a most interesting rich brew deploys its subtilities, like dried fruits, brown sugar, hazelnuts (seemed more noticeable in the aftertaste), leather and a well balanced citrusy and leafy hoppiness. Strong notes of alchool and bourbon come back over and over again to make it all in all pretty boozy-boozy-bop---zidibop... I’m so sad and lonely... Nevermind. So, this is a great beer; not amazing but close to it.

Bottle 341 ml [2011]. Appearance: Pours copper/amber with a medium beige head. Beautiful lacing. Aroma: Aroma is strong but not agressive. Vanilla, wood (oak), whisky and malt. Taste: Wood (oak), vanilla, caramel, whiskey, fruits. Warming alcohol. Overall: Wow! Great beer! Incredible balance, nice complexity, alcohol/wood presence is just perfect.

Bottle 341ml. [Bottled 19 april 2011] Pours dark amber, with biege head. Some lacing. Aroma is of malt, vanilla, wood. Taste is of malt, warming alchool, oak, caramel. Full bodied, incredible balance. A very good beer.

a strong barrel tatse with a malty strong feel , not to bitter , it’s a round beer with a greath liquory mouth feel .

Bouteille 341ml. De couleur brune foncée et semi-voilée. Nez d’alcool boisé et liquoreux (fût de whisky), de vanille, de caramel toffee, moyen de fruits sucrés (prunes, moyen de cerises au marasquin, notes d’autres petits fruits), léger de chocolat (style gâteau fôret noire) avec de faibles notes de malt fumé et de houblon herbeux. Ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture liquoreuse. Moyen goût fruité (prunes, cerises, notes de raisins et de fruits confits) accompagné d’un goût de vanille et de faibles notes fumées lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute rapidement un goût de caramel aux petites notes rôties et un léger goût de chocolat et des traces de mélasse sucrée et de sucre brun. Parallèlement, l’on retrouve un moyen goût d’alcool liquoreux, boisé et réchauffant (fût de whisky) jusqu’en finale où s’y rajoute une légère amertume de houblon herbeux. Post-goût long, légèrement amer d’alcool liquoreux et boisé (fût de whisky) avec un goût fruité (moût de cerises, pelures de prunes), des notes rôties et de houblon herbeux.

Pours a very dark brown with a thin almond top. Aroma is intense whiskey, so much that it overpowers the malt. Lots of vanilla as well which fights with the whiskey. Taste is overpowering whiskey and vanilla. I would really like to have the whiskey as a secondary flavour rather than the one that runs you over. Almost tastes like I’m drinking the whiskey straight.

Bouteille 341 ml. 11.9%. Couleur brun voilé, mousse beige fugace. Arôme de whiskey, malt, céréales. En bouche, douceur, porto, chocolat, alcool, fruits rouges mûrs. Finale avec un peu d’amertume.

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.

Bottle. Very dark but clear red-brown color with a thin mocha head with average retention and nice lacing. Aroma is dark fruits, dark malt, brown sugar, wood, vanilla, alcohol, strawberries, sweet cherries and caramel cake. Flavor is dark fruits, wood, vanilla, bourbon, wood, herbal hops, caramel, warming alcohol and a bitter finish. A bit too much wood to be enjoyed in quantity but still a very good beer. Full body.

Pours a rich, dark, semi-opaque burgundy with very little head. On the nose are dark fruits, plums, cherries, violets, vanilla, caramel, toffee, cocoa, herbal hops, and anise. Has an oily mouth feel, with medium carbonation. Taste-wise, a dark fruit and violet sweetness comes in first, riding a wave of smoke, bourbon, vanilla and oak; some herbal notes as well, fading to plums, rich dark chocolate, Scotch whisky, nuts, oak, and ash. Has a very pleasant dry and woody finish. A delicious, fruity, sweet and complex brew which packs quite a kick at 11.9%. A perfect beer for the whisky lover.

Forget where I had this. Probably at the brewpub. Amber brown with a medium, sticky, beige head. Lots of fresh west coast hops in the nose, and a nice caramel note as well. Not too sweet. The oaky vanilla matches the hops nicely in the flavour. Nice bitterness, but it doesn’t linger. A little thinner than it should be. Nice beer, though.