LAlchimiste India Dark Ale

[1486-20080601] Tap. Sweet caramel and toasted grains aroma. Clear, dark brown amber body with a quick bubbly off-white head. Bit of caramel malt and lots of toasted grains in the flavour. Medium-full body is a bit astringent. Good.
(@ Mondial; Montreal, QC)

Draught @ Mondial 08’. This selection had been a holdover form last year according to the brewer at the both. Dark and complex. Wood and an unusual sweetness that I could not place. Too much in int to really get my head around.

2008-06-01. Very dark brown body with a modest tan head. (3+) Mild roast aroma, dark sweet malt, light toast. (6+) Fairly bitter flavour, melange of hops and roast bitterness, touch of leafy resin. (6+) Average palate. Seems to play in the same park as DDC’s Penombre but less successfully so. Okay but not something I would choose again. On tap, Mondial, Montreal, Thanks Geoff

Sample, at the Mondial de la bière 2007, savoured June 1 2007; eye: nice creamy head, dark brown, no effervescence, opaque; nose: hops, roasted malt; mouth: roasted malt, hops, long finale in roasted malt-hops, light acridness, light astringency, harsh and creamy texture, mild acridness; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Échantillon, bue au Mondial de la bière 2007, savourée le 1er juin 2007; oeil : belle mousse crémeuse, brune foncée, pas d’effervescence, opaque; nez : houblon, malt torréfié; bouche : malt torréfié, houblon, longue finale en malt torréfié-houblon, légèrement âcre, légère astringence, texture râpeuse et crémeuse, âcreté moyenne; en résumé : bien

Sampled on tap at le Saint-Bock. Pours a clear brown color with a medium offwhite head. Aroma of burnt caramel with earthy, spicy hops. Flavor of burnt caramel with toasted malt and spicy, earthy hops, it finishes dry and bitter. The hops remind me of Goldings. The body is light to medium and the carbonation is moderate. The brewery did a valiant effort on this beer, but it fails to excite me.