A heavy dark body with a thin tan head. The nose reveals the dynamic arrangement of the taste of this excellent Imperial stout -- classic coffee and chocolate with a lovely complementary rye infusion. The taste combines these three elements to exceptional effect -- a wonderfully warm and soft chocolate/roasted coffee body extended and complimented by the rye casking. A touch of vanilla adds to the taste. Some casking overpowers the taste of the beer. This rye selection warms and builds on the tastle of this classic Imperial Stout and makes it an unusually successful casking experiement. I’ve bought every bottle of this limited edition that I can lay my hands on. Another great success from Microbrasserie Le Castor, who are fighting their way into the top 4 micros in Quebec.

Le Castor Grande Reserve Catherine Rye BA Russian Imperial Stout 11% Deep black with ruby highlights and a thick tan head. Super cocoa aroma, the fairly full bodied and velvety smooth beer oozes cocoa goodness and I’ve gotta say this is one of the smoothest BA RIS I’ve ever had. The finish gives you the oaky rye bite which is nice. This wowed many and solidified my opinion of Le Castor as the most underrated brewery in Quebec if not Canada. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Sample, at the Festibière, savoured on January 31 2014; eye: black, opaque, no effervescence, tiny ring of beige head, light lacing; nose: bourbon, roasted barley, coffee, chocolate, light woody, soy sauce, light vanilla, alcohol, burnt barley; mouth: bourbon, roasted barley, coffee, chocolate, light woody, soy sauce, light vanilla, alcohol, burnt barley, alcohol warmth, pepper, finale in bourbon with presence of roasted barley, full body, below-average carbonation, mildly sweet, lightly bitter, lightly alcoholic texture; overall: quite fine FRANÇAIS Échantillon, lors du Festibière, savourée le 31 janvier 2014; œil : noire, opaque, pas d’effervescence, petit anneau de mousse beige, légère dentelle; nez : bourbon, orge torréfiée, café, chocolat, léger boisé, sauce soya, léger vanille, alcool, orge brûlée; bouche : bourbon, orge torréfiée, café, chocolat, léger boisé, sauce soya, léger vanille, alcool, orge brûlée, chaleur d’alcool, poivre, finale en bourbon avec présence d’orge torréfiée, corsée, carbonatation sous la moyenne, moyennement sucrée, légèrement amère, texture légèrement alcoolique; en résumé : très bon

A deep dark stout with a thin brown head. In aroma, superb vinous chocolate malt with loads of alcohol, bourbon, woody character, dark fruits and licorice, very nice. In mouth, a nice bitter chocolate with licorice, alcohol warmth, bourbon barrel, vanilla, floral hops, very good. On tap at Festibiere d’hiver 2014.

Bouteille 660ml. Couleur noire opaque, mousse moka foncée disparaissant rapidement en laissant un anneau. Arôme de malt torréfié, chocolat noir, boisé, caramel salé, réglisse léger, café froid, cendre, alcool. Goût de malt torréfié, vanille léger, boisé, alcool en fin de bouche et épices en arrière-goût (Rye?). Carbonatation moyenne-faible, corps moyen.