Review: La Corriveau Oatmeal Stout (Bilboquet Microbrasserie)

You already know it.. I'm very biased towards Québec beers, so much so that 5/6 of my top Untappd beers are Unibroue. When I get the chance to try something I've never had from Québec, I can NEVER say no! La Corriveau is an Oatmeal Stout by Bilboquet Microbrasserie out of Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, a community just SLIGHTLY larger than Brandon, Manitoba. I love Quebec for the fact that nearly every town ranging from industry town, to farm town to city has their own local beer - not as in "we drink Club/OV in this town!" but as in it seems that every town has their own microbrewery, I love it!

I'm quite a bit of an amateur when it comes towards Oatmeal Stouts, I can only count two or three on the top of my head that I remember trying (Samuel Smith's, St Ambroise..) so the opportunity to try an oatmeal stout.. from Quebec!! makes me excited.

Appearance: Pours a thick, dark, chocolatey, (not quite molasses) typical stout with not much foam, but the foam it does have reminds me of caramel.

Aroma: Mhmm! This here is an oatmeal stout! Popping off the cap of this beauty gave off a huge whiff of oatmeal, chocolate, roasted espresso beans and even more oatmeal. This is very much comparable to the aroma of a St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout. In fact, I almost opened one of my final remaining bottles of St Ambroise, but decided against it as, hey, I haven't tried THIS oatmeal stout yet! Not as pungent as a St Ambroise, but still quite similar.

Taste: While creamy to the palate, it's stronger (quite bitter) than most stouts I frequently drink, it has a strong alcohol taste to it that hits the tongue immediately. It's a very strong acidic yet creamy taste that's a combination of roasted oatmeal & espresso, a hint of dark chocolate and malt. Quite thick, and frankly.. I'll be tasting this beer for days, it's that strong. Honestly one of the strongest stouts I've had. I like it!

Overall Thoughts: Comparing it from previous experience, all I could really compare it to is Samuel Smith's and St Ambroise, and all I remember right now is St Ambroise, I can tell you this is really a kicker in the jaw for flavour compared to St Ambroise, considering La Corriveau is only 5.5% ABV, you would think it would probably be even stronger. I hope to have this again one day, the 500mL bottle is something I love about Quebec's beer industry, perfect size for a beer for just yourself and the label is pretty appealing yet simple!

From the label: Hanging from the gallows, La Corriveau watches you as you are savouring this black beer with espresso and dark chocolate aromas. Its deep colour is topped with a rich and unctuous cream that hides a sharp bitterness worthy of the gloomy ideas that haunted this legendary murderer's mind.