As relatively disappointing as my last few tastings have been, and with a bizarre spring storm brewing that has sucked the light out of the air last weekend, it felt right to return to Quebec and a darker brew. This is also a nuanced type of beer I haven’t hitherto tasted: Brown American Ale. I’ve…
“Twice as Mad Tom” (Double IPA), Muskoka Brewery
So here’s a lesson on the perils of impulse shopping whilst in a beer store – ok, I grant, it’s not a lesson I’ve learned nor am I likely to learn anytime soon, but in theory, there is a lesson to be learned here. A few weeks ago I went to return the empty shells of my…
“Mad Tom” (IPA), Muskoka Brewery
It is remarkable coming back to beers I know so well – I thought I knew – after starting this blog 6 months ago. In that time, I’ve sampled and really paid attention to nearly 4 dozen beers, of which 30 have been individually reviewed here. Muskoka’s Mad Tom is an IPA that I delightfully…
“Raccoon” (Imperial Black IPA), Microbrasserie Le Naufrageur
A cool, cloudy day with still lots of snow on the lawns seemed as good as any for a return to winter … and to Imperial Black IPAs. I grabbed this beautifully styled bottle Le Naufrageur’s Raccoon out of the fridge thinking at first this was an imperial stout. The capped popped, the smells immediately…
“Stout Imperiale” (Imperial Stout), Multi-Brasses microbrasserie
One of my most interesting discoveries this season of immersing myself in winter beers as a genre has been the “Imperial Stout” whose history is just as interesting a discovery (see Dunham’s “Imperial Black IPA”). While these are not beers for the faint of heart owing to their intense flavours and high alcohol levels (in this case…
“La Marée Noire” (Black American Ale), Microbrasserie Saint-Arnould
Torrefaction: “the act or process of torrefying or the state of being torrefied.” Not so helpful … humph. God I hate such definitions. Let’s try that again …. Torrefying: “to subject (ores) to scorching heat so as to drive off volatile ingredients; to roast.” Ah … there’s the ticket. “Huh?” you ask. “I read it…
“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…