Review: Microbrasserie de l'île d'Orléans' Monseigneur d'Esgly

In less than 3 weeks from now, I'll be in Quebec City, sipping on ales, porters, witbiers, and maybe even a lager or two (eep!).. oh and you can't even dare forget all the poutine and queues de castor I'll be eating!

I thought it was a good time to sample some great beers from la capitale nationale region, tonight's review is by Microbrasserie de l'Île d'Orléans which is situated just outside of Quebec City in the St Lawrence river. Île d'Orléans is a very popular tourist destination with having lots of museums, restaurants/bakeries, wineries, fruit stands and yes, even microbreweries! I'm tasting Moneigneur d'Esgly double/imperial stout - it comes out at 7.5% ABV so stronger than the average stouts that we're all used to.

Appearance: A thick slurry that looks like thick motor oil that's been left out in the cold Manitoban winters, quite thick. Dark like black coffee, a bit of a crême brûlée-coloured head, creamy, and slightly foamy.

Aroma: Roasted malts that gives it off a coffee aroma with a bit of dark chocolate sweetness to it. A strong alcohol presence stings my nose, a bit of molasses - overall.. it's your standard stronger stout (good thing).

Taste: This is not your father's beer! A very roasted-up-front flavour, tastes like freshly brewed black coffee with some dark chocolate in there. The roasted malts hit my tongue even before my brain can even comprehend what it even is, it's strong.. stronger roasted flavour than most stouts I've had. It leaves a bitter yet tingling aftertaste sensation on the tongue, so this will be hard to get off the palate.. not that anything's wrong with that :P

A slight smokiness in the beer is hitting the back of my throat, though nowhere near as smoky as say.... a Lava Stout, or ANY actual smoked beer, really.

Overall Thoughts: Do you love a rich dark roasted stout that is more roasty than sweet or creamy? This will be up your alley if you say yes. At 7.5% ABV, stronger alcohol presence than most stouts out there, but doesn't taste like it is that strong (but it does smell it). It comes in a 500mL bottle - which is what I wish microbreweries would do for "single serving" beers out west.. maybe one day.

From the label: une bière à l'orge torréfié qui porte le nom de Mgr D'Esgly... vous avez quelque chose à vous faire pardonner? Curé de Saint-Pierre et premier évêque d'orgine canadienne, il savait remettre les paroissiens sur le droit chemen. Des péchés?.

Bière noire - extra-stout forte à l'orge torréfié

www.microorleans.com/#/bieres/monseigneur-desgly