Grande Armada Réserve
Benelux - Bières & Pubs in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada 🇨🇦
Strong Ale Regular|
Score
7.09
|
|
Appearance - 5 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 18
A solid, well laced off-white head on a dark mahogany body. The nose is compelling, featuring bourbon, oak, vanilla and malt. The barrel-aging is the lead feature in this version the Grande Armada. It works, though. The bourbon and vanilla from the nose are front and centre in the taste profile, underpinned by oak, a slightly sour dark berry mash, cherries, leather, roasted malt and apricots. It is difficult to gage the hop presence through the strong competing tastes, but it is there to some extent - certainly not hoppy to the level of the classic 2011 version of this brew. Less sweet than several recent Grande Armada editions with a mid-range density and smooth, rich mouth feel. Some challenging elements but they sustain in a nice balance. Should age well.
Earlier Rating: 10/1/2015 Total Score: 4.5
A triumph in American strong ale brewing. The bourbon, vanilla, dark fruit and earthy hops work beautifully with a strong malt base featuring caramel and some roasted nuts. All in impeccable balance, especially after aging in the bottle for a year after the 6-month barrel aging.
Earlier Rating: 10/1/2015 Total Score: 3.1
A real disappointment after the triumph of the first Grande Armada offering. Plain and simply too sweet and lacking in challenging undertastes. Cloying and one dimensional.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Whoa this was a big beer! One of the most complex of the weekend, there is so much going on here. The first thing that hits your nose is the barrel. Huge notes of whiskey, oak, vanilla. But then the ripe dark fruit comes through, raisins, plums. Then you get hints of coffee, and molasses. The mouthfeel is thick and viscous, and it just coats everything. The finish is quite warm and boozy, with a big oaky vanilla finish, with a rich sweetness of molasses, and toffee. Quite the sipper.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6
Le Bourbon se marie allègrement avec un caramel doux et des arômes de cassonade, de sucre à la crème. Une mousse beige et crémeuse s’attarde longuement sur un liquide brun aux reflets roux légèrement voilé. Le Bourbon est dominant en bouche et amène une chaleur persistante jusqu’en finale. Le caramel et la cassonade y sont beaucoup plus discrets; totalement dominés par l’alcool. Légère amertume d’écorce de noix ou de terre en fin de bouche encore une fois dominée par un alcool fort et épicé. Le corps est moyennement rond et l’effervescence moyennement douce. Le Bourbon est beaucoup trop dominant et nuit à la complexité aromatique et gustative.
Earlier Rating: 1/26/2014 Total Score: 3.9
Évaluation no. 112 Août 2011. Au nez, les malts sont très présents avec beaucoup de caramel. La couleur est brune et la mousse est faible. En bouche, le whisky est très présent, avec le caramel qui explose. Le bois de chêne vient rajouter en finale. Très bonne complexité des saveurs. Le whisky et l’alcool sont cependant trop présents.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
Benelux Grande Armanda 2015 10.5% Imperial Brown Ale BA in Bourbon Deep brown-red in color with a wispy beige head and a potent bourbon aroma. Medium to full bodied with lots of boozy caramel flavor. Not too complex but a tasty big boozy beer. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Brown bottle, 500 ml, batch 2016-77, purchased at Broue Ha Ha, savoured on March 2 2018; eye: dark brown, opaque, ring of beige head, no lacing; nose: oak, whiskey, malt, light brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla; mouth: oak, whiskey, malt, alcohol, light brown sugar, metallic, alcohol acridness, bourbon, vanilla, finale in whiskey with metallic presence, medium-full body, below-average carbonation, lightly sweet, alcoholic texture; overall: fine
FRANÇAIS
Bouteille brune, 500 ml, lot 2016-77, achetée chez Broue Ha Ha, savourée le 2 mars 2018; œil : brun foncé, opaque, anneau de mousse beige, pas de dentelle; nez : chêne, whiskey, malt, alcool, léger cassonade, bourbon, vanille; bouche : chêne, whiskey, malt, alcool, léger cassonade, métallique, âcreté d'alcool, bourbon, vanille, finale en whiskey avec présence métallique, corps moyen-corsé, carbonatation sous la moyenne, légèrement sucrée, texture alcoolique; en résumé : bien
Earlier Rating: 7/24/2011 Total Score: 4
Sample, Mondial de la bière, savoured on June 8 2011; eye: mahogany, clear, no effervescence, tiny ring of head; nose: oak, malt, whisky, alcohol, light candied fruits, light Cherry Blossom; mouth: oak, malt, whisky, alcohol, light candied fruits, light Cherry Blossom, light hops, finale in malt-whisky with light presence of Cherry Blossom, full body, good carbonation, rather sweet, liqueur-like texture; overall: quite good FRANÇAIS Échantillon, Mondial de la bière, savourée le 10 juin 2011; œil : acajou, limpide, pas d’effervescence, petit anneau de mousse; nez : chêne, malt, whisky, alcool, léger fruits confits, léger Cherry Blossom; bouche : chêne, malt, whisky, alcool, léger fruits confits, léger Cherry Blossom, léger houblon, finale en malt-whisky avec légère présence de Cherry Blossom, corsée, bonne carbonatation, plutôt sucrée, texture liquoreuse; en résumé : bien bon
Oakes (33493) reviewed Grande Armada Réserve from Benelux - Bières & Pubs 8 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Medium brown. No much head. The aroma has some sticky brown sugar malt. Nutty, sweet sugar and nutty, has a complex character.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
650mL bottle, pours a deep dark brown with a reddish tinge and a small off-white head. Aroma brings out light bourbon upfront, followed by red berries and toasted caramel. Flavour is along the same lines, with earthy bourbon barrels, toasted malt and a touch of caramel. Earthy, lightly smoky, and bready on the finish, with a decent alcohol tinge. Not the most cohesive and complex BA beer, but it's reasonably done.
Earlier Rating: 6/30/2015 Total Score: 3.2
22 oz. bottle, pours a murky dark amber brown with a large white head. Aroma brings out whiskey barrels, light smoke, and bready malt. Flavour is fairly aggressive, with lots of smoky whiskey barrels. Not a whole lot else here. The carbonation is really aggressive, a little too much so. The carbonation detracts a bit, but this is quite nice for what it is.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5
660ml (lol) bottle (thx, Alex L.!) at Matt's. Pours a dark amber with a tan head. Aroma is fruity and malty with bourbon notes. Similar taste. Good one! P.S. Do not overcold this stuff.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
Tasting at Matt’s; version 2014; 10.5% ABV
Brown color with huge compact head. Strong aroma of marzipan, bourbon, dust. Too high carbonation, having a negative impact on the mouthfeel; dark caramel flavor, some malt, too much whiskey and boozy notes, maybe rye, and some liquorice.
Very messy; excessive; not bad, but very difficult to drink.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
This was their big beer of the night but wasn’t super balls-out. Really just their brown with barrel aging or something, but it doesn’t quite work like the regular armada. Pours cloudy red with ok lacing and little head. Aroma of oak, booze and tangy malt. Some fruit on nose. Finishes tangy sour. Een some florals in finish. Some barrel astringency and some sweet finish. Improves as it goes down and warms up, however. On tap at brewpub.