I must admit, with the ongoing search in the wintry Atlantic for the missing crew of the capsized Miss Ally, this beer and the poignancy of its brand takes on a whole new relevance these days. If one ever needed shelter from the storm, À l’abri de la Tempête, this crew certainly needs it. My…
“Corne de Brume” (Scotch Ale), À l’abri de la Tempête
Here’s a brewery, À l’abri de la Tempête, that I’ve been tantalizingly saving to re-explore since I tasted one of the most striking beers of my life: that beer was La Belle Saison. Based on the two I’ve now tasted, this is an amazing brewery and one which is all the more impressive owing their location. The…
“Imperial Black IPA” (Imperial Stout/IPA), Brasserie DunHam
Nothing says “winter beer” like a foot of falling snow and commute both ways through the inanity of people who refuse to admit that “all season” tires were invented for Florida – except perhaps another delicious entry from Brasserie DunHam. Some of you will remember a previous post on DunHam’s “Black IPA” which elicited quite…
“Déesse D’Ham-Sud” (Extra Pale Ale), Les Brasseurs du Hameau
If ever a beer looked poured as it does in the bottle, this is surely the one. And, yes, it is a beautiful label – thoughtful, modern, and not overly designed. The beer looks pale, even without pouring it, and with the “Zen” language on the label, you’re expecting calm – like some Aphrodisiac blonde…
Le festibière d’hiver … the Winter BeerFest
So, a week late isn’t too late, right? As you may have recalled from a few posts leading up to it, January 24-26 was Le festibière d’hiver … the Winter BeerFest. This was Gatineau’s follow up to their inaugaral winter event a year ago which I didn’t find out about until too late. This year,…
“Colonel Cornwallis” (IPA), Bilboquet Microbrasserie
Here’s a beer I first tasted on tap in fall at the Chelsea Pub and which I wanted to give another whirl from the bottle this time. The other reason I pulled this tonight is because it is not coincidentally the first beer I recognized as being sur lies – and whence I first questioned “what does…
“India Pale Ale” (American IPA), Microbrasserie La Chouape
Sooner or later, we were going to have to tackle the question of what the heck is sur lie (which translates as “on the lees” in English). You’ve undoubtedly seen in as I have on some European labels and it is an even more common description on the labels of Quebec beers. So, what does it…
“Cascade India Pale Americaine” (American Pale Ale), Brasseurs Illimités
An interesting tale of two beers, same family, same brewery, but very different. Right from the pour, the differences sprang (see previous post “IPA Classique”). Cascade is as pure a filtered beer as you’ll see and it fills the glass with a deep, reddish brown … almost a dark “apple juice” in colour. The carbonation…
“IPA Classique” (India Pale Ale), Brasseurs Illimités
Here’s a very good brewery from Quebec that has provided a number of interpretations on the “pale ale” and this is but one of their half-dozen creations. As such, it seemed right to start with their “Classique.” A first taste reveals a ton of carbonation which was only accented more by how relatively little carbonation…
“St –Ambroise India Pale Ale” (IPA), McAuslan Brewing
Ok – so enough with winter beers for a bit, or at least until I attend Festibière d’hiver (WinterBeerFest) next weekend. We’re back to tasting new IPAs. Here’s a beer I picked up awhile back as well when, as I previously mentioned, I went in search of St-Ambroise Citrouille (Pumpkin Ale). I have long been…