Brasserie Des Rocs Triple Impériale
Best by 2008, Sampled September 2005 This beer is incredibly well carbonated, which produces a pale tan colored head that is two fingers thick and a layered lacing as I drink from my glass. The beer is a hazy amber color that shows ruby highlights when held up to the light. The aroma is rich and malty, and I mean rich and malty. Notes of concentrated caramel, rich toffee, a backdrop of fruits like cherry and fig. What an olfactory experience, definitely take a minute to enjoy the aromatic notes coming off this beer. The beer is quite dry up front, almost surprisingly so, but it quickly moves to a full sweet flavor that dominates the beer through to the finish. There is a nutty, almond note here, think of Amaretto, that really comes out with the sweetness. I also get hints of cherry, vanilla, toffee, caramel, clove. The finish has a light astringency to it that is quickly followed by a light bitterness that makes a faint attempt at balancing the sweetness. This beer is definitely quite rich, and actually has quite a similar flavor profile to the other beers I have had from this brewery. It is perhaps a bit too sweet though, which seems to drown out what might otherwise be a pretty complex beer. Though it is certainly is drinkable, almost as an after dinner desert.