The countdown has begun for December 25 and here at Volume by Alcohol we decided to spread the cheer in a more adult fashion, a Beer Advent Calendar. Every day we will count down to December 25 with one unique beer, since we’ll be enjoying these brews on the actual date of the calendar we will post about them on the following day. These will not be extensive beer reviews but more of a snap-shot. Hopefully you will find these helpful and can locate some of the beers we will be discussing at your local bottle shop or pub!

Day 2: Microbrasserie Charlevoix’s La Vache Folle | ABV: 9% | Style: Imperial Milk Stout

Beer Advent Day 2- Microbrasserie Charlevoix’s La Vache Folle – Photo credit: Lindsey Scully

La Vache Folle translates to (if Google Translate is right) “Mad Cow”, which is fitting is you look at the beer label and catch the cantankerous bovine. Microbrasserie Charlevoix is located in Quebec, Canada and has been creating beers since 1999.

La Vache Folle truly has a dairy smell to it, similar to if you took a whiff of your morning glass of milk just with an alcoholic kick to it. La Vache Folle also has a subtle tobacco aroma too, not in a foul-smelling sense but more so of roasted charcoal.

The beer poured very dark brown, almost black with a light tan head. The head originally was very creamy and frothy and was approximately two fingers in depth, a few minutes after pouring it thinned out to a very small layer that topped the beer.

La Vache Folle has a roastiness to its flavor. It mixes a bit coffee and chocolate to the middle of the sip, the sweet lactose (sugar derived from milk) hits you at the beginning and then in the end you will get the bitterness of the darker malts and hops. There is also hints of toffee, oak, and nuts while drinking this beer.

The delightful part about drinking a milk stout is the mouthfeel. While the ‘milk’ part of the beer comes from the use of lactose to sweeten it, it still takes on a creamy taste and texture to the beer. While La Vache Folle is a sweet stout it is not overwhelmingly sweet, the bitterness of the coffee flavor balances it out nicely.