Charlevoix Vache Folle Centennial Double IPA

Formerly brewed at Microbrasserie Charlevoix / Le Saint Pub
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Baie-St-Paul, Canada

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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(500ml bottle) Pours a hazy orange body with a moderate cream head. Aroma of perfume, soap, bread, and grass. Flavor of citrus, grass, light bread, grass, and caramel with a dry, bitter finish.

A dark orange amber ale with a thick light moka head. In aroma, pungenat and super pleasant floral c-hops, resinous and funky, spot on. In mouth, a smooth biscuitty malt with resinous pinhey hops, white grapefruits, a bit of treacle, quite well balanced, yet rich and enticing. Bottle from Peluso, 5.29$ for 500 ml.

Another great addition to their DIPA series, courtesy of Luc, given in person. Pleasant pine and mint and malt aromas, great lacing that graces a tremendously drinkable DIPA, even at its abv. Drying aftertaste, however a will crafted enjoyable. Was expecting more citrus in taste, and more of the same aromas. Creamy mouthfeel, though stings the tongue.

My Bottom Line:
Coniferous hop bitterness seals this Double IPA, balanced out by suave caramelized cereals and light alcohol warmth.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sturdy head of foam remains atop the translucent amber.
-The hops are a tad cheesy in the aroma; if there is one thing I would like to see changed in this Double IPA series, it is the aroma profile. It is never blooming or engaging, as is typical from the style.
-Citrusy hop angles diversify the flavor profile.
-The mouthfeel is as slick as any other Charlevoix brew. Real professional.

Bottle.

2011-09-10. Hazy orange, nice modest white head. Pleasant hoppy flavour, lots of nice citrus, orange, tangerine. Modest bitterness throughout. 8+ aroma is modestly alcoholic, modest hops. 7+ Average to medium bodied palate. 3+ Bitterness and alcohol grows a bit as you go. Very nice. Bottle via cfrancis

In short: A well balanced, easy to drink, caramelized and coniferous IIPA. Good beer.
How: Bottle 500ml. Consumed relatively fresh, 2 months after it was bottled
The look: Clear golden body topped by a small off-white head
In long: Nose resinous hops with a wooden signature (not just coniferous) and a bit musty. Taste has a solid caramelized malt backbone, moldy notes, tree bark, a slice of cheese cake, some citrus fruits, a lot of resinous coniferous hops. I’ve often complained that the Vache Folle lineup of IIPAs were too malt-heavy for their own good but here the sweetness and 9% abv do not steal the show. Not at all. That beer is actually very easy to drink for a 9% IIPA. Another single Hop IPA. There is now so many single Hop IPAs that I’m thinking about opening a Hop IPA dating line.

Bottle, shared with Parksy. Medium orange amber, low, thick, off-white head. Aroma is very sweet caramel malt, creamy undertones, matched with piney coniferous hops. The palate is equally balanced between sweet caramel malts and coniferous foresty hops with undertones of orange and hints of spices. The aroma and palate are the same as all of the beers in this series, in the sense that sweet malts play an equal, if not bigger role, than the hops. I’m okay with this, but I can see some die-hard hopheads being turned off. This was one of the best of the series for me.

Bottle shared by Glouglouburp. Pours clear gold. White head. Nose/taste of hops, florals and caramel malt. Some honey. Dryish finish. Medium body.

[3953-20110909] 500mL bottle. Orange grapefruit hops aroma. Slightly hazy, brown orange body with a long-lasting creamy off-white head. Delicious bitter orange peel flavour has a lingering citrus hop aftertaste. Medium body. Very tasty! (8/5/9/4/18) 4.4
(w/ jerc, others)

Bouteille de 500 ml achetée chez La Barik (Trois-Rivières, QC). Arôme: Odeur d’agrumes avec une pointe de caramel. Apparence: La couleur est orangée avec une moyenne densité de bulle. Présence d’un moyen col mousseux et d’une large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût d’oranges avec une pointe de pamplemousse et de caramel. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement huileuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût houblonné. (Rating #3530)