February
15
Talking Valentine’s Day Beers on CBC Montreal’s Radio Noon with Shawn Apel
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February
15
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The latest edition of @microbrasserievoxpopuli 's "Vox Stout" is brewed with chocolate. The sharp dark cacao layers work beautifully against the lactose sugar. It's rich, but highly drinkable, and super solid all around. #voxstout #voxstoutchocolat #chocolate #milkstout #beerism
If you have a chance to head out to @dunhambrasserie this weekend for their bottle release, definitely grab Jane Doe #8-my favourite of the lot. Jane Doe (Assemblage Hors-Série) is a series of barrel-aged blends that always have a fruit component to them. This is the 8th in the series. Its base starts with a barrel-aged guava Berliner Weiss, which like most of the beers in this release, is blended with l’Orange de Dunham and a Foudre-aged rye Grisette.
The nose is a burst of acidic fruitiness, with guava, tangerine and some light melon at the front. Subtle vinous oak flavours meet some fuzzy peach candy. There is also a light bretty dustiness speckled in.
The palate begins with a punch of acidity, which is balanced against some amazing sweet fruitiness. Tons of juicy guava, clementine and some bitter orange rinds make up the juicy fruit profile. Yet, although fruity, the finish is bone dry from the acidity and oak tannins. It’s sour candies galore (orange jolly ranchers?), with peach and guava bursting forth.
Overall this is excellent, with everything in perfect balance. There is a nice clean aspect to the beer, while still being juicy, jammy, and very sour. #janedoe8 #horsserie8 #dunham #brasseriedunham #beer #sourbeer #guavabeer #guava @eloideit
This coming Saturday is @dunhambrasserie 's 2018 May bottle release! I had a chance to dive into several of these bottles ahead of time in order to give you my impressions. What are you most excited for? Visit Beerism.ca for the article (link in bio). #dunham #wildbeer #wildale #sours #sourbeer #brasseriedunham #easterntownships #easterntownshipsquebec #stout @eloideit
Double Menton from @memphre_fabrique is a double IPA that made a triumphant canned return recently. I was very excited to revisit it in its new format. The nose is a bright mix of zesty citrus, with some tropical undertones. Some pine and general juiciness comes through as well.
The palate matches, with an incredible balance. Upon my first sip, I was expecting a bit more punch. However, instead of being disappointed over not getting that turbid intensity, I’m impressed with it’s subtlety.
Virtually no alcohol is present, and it drinks smooth and easy. Tropical fruits meet lots of citrus and general orange tang, with a clean feeling that flows super well. It’s impressively dry, but not too bitter. #Delicious #doubleipa #hops #memphe #magog #swagog @davidplasse @toddeliciousss
If you didn’t see the announcement, @microbrasserievoxpopuli just dropped the first barrel-aged offering from their new “Vox Dei” series. This here is Anna Assemblage 2018. It’s Anna (their dry-hopped Tripel), aged 13 months in Chardonnay barrels with a “farmhouse” yeast and it’s then blended with Vox Pop IPA.
The nose is a blend of vinous wine-soaked oak and rich fruity hops, delivering vanilla accents alongside stone fruits, like plums and apricot. Some light phenolic funk compliments the fruitiness, adding more layers to this already rather complex nose.
The palate matches, carrying some serious dense fruitiness. Marmalade and baked peaches are at the front, with mango and light citrus following in the finish. There is certainly a sweetness here, but the oak tannins and subtle Chardonnay tartness really keeps everything in check, while the balanced but apparent bitterness cleans everything in the finish. There is layer upon layer here and as it opens, with the hops coming through that much more on the nose.
Overall, Anna Assemblage 2018 is rich, sweet, and even a bit sticky. That said, everything works in balance, with just enough bitterness and vinous complexity to balance the sugars, providing a tangy ruby-red grapefruit finish that is simply delicious. You can enjoy this fresh to get the brighter citrusy hop layers, but I think it will also age gracefully, perhaps creating a beer that is bursting with rich stone fruits and light sherry notes.
Look for it where you buy your bottles! #anna #barrelagedblend #tripel #dryhoppedtripel #hoppytripel #voxpopuli #microbrasserievoxpopuli #beerism @yannrodrigue @caro_tv
This Brett Imperial Stout from @suttonbrouerie was aged in Ardbeg Scotch barrels from the Islay region, which are known for their intense peat-forward flavour profiles. I expect some serious smoke on this one.
The nose is a rich mix of dark-roasted malts, backed by some very apparent peaty scotch smokiness. Some chocolatey aromatics mixed with the campfire, which rounds things out nicely.
The palate is rich and robust, carrying a luscious mouthfeel and perfect carbonation for the style. Like the nose, the peaty scotch is the star here, lending an ashy, freshly stomped-out campfire flavour to go alongside the stout attributes.
This beer is dry, but there is just enough maltiness to balance the slightly astringent barrel characteristics that lend an almost chemical component to the finish. There is a lingering hop bitterness to go alongside everything, leaving a relatively clean finish. You certainly need to enjoy smokey beers to like this, but if you do, it’s a treat for sure. #suttonbrouerie #ris #stout #imperialstout #russianimperialstout #islay #scotch #islayscotch #scotland #beerism #sutton #barrelaged @patroy55
Ralph Merry from @memphre_fabrique dropped for the first time in 2016. It’s a bourbon barrel-aged Scotch ale, and people (including myself) fell in love with it. Let’s hope the 2017 edition is just as lovely.
The nose is a huge bourbon blast of vanilla, mixed with some rich caramel, toasted grains, oak, and maple sugar. The palate starts with a big luscious body, followed by some sweet essences of brown sugar and taffy. That said, it’s exceptionally dry and drinkable.
Light dates and figs come through, alongside several vanilla-focused bourbon layers. The finish is quite bitter and slightly tannic, carrying a ethanol spirit-like astringency that cuts through any sweetness.
As expected, the balance is on point, with just enough barrel to counter the rich flavour profile. Ralph Merry 2016 was an amazing treat, and this batch is as well. #memphremagog #memphre #lamemphré #scotchale #bourbon #bourbonbarrel #barrelaged #beerism @davidplasse
I was lucky enough to get a can of Starring Moutere from @btpbrewing - a juicy and hazy NEIPA to kick off the summer (thanks for the can, @bernylatreille ) This was legitimately excellent and I really hope it's available on lcbo shelves this summer. #BTP #beyondthepalebrewing #hazy #haze #hazyipa #neipa #hops #ottawa #ottawabeer #613beer
Right here we have P-Nut Buster from @pubbrewskey - a peanut butter Oatmeal milk stout. I know, right?
The nose is a mix of peanut butter and Nutella, alongside chocolate whoppers and general candied chocolates. Oddly, although that description sounds awful, it's pretty inviting.
On the palate, it's peanut all up in your face. Then follows some sticky sweet viscosity from the lactose, lending a chocolate candy layer. Lots of peanut butter and fudgy wafers come next. Oddly It's actually not that sweet despite the lactose; I think this is partially due to an astringency that I seems to stem from the peanut extract(?). It's a bit odd, but not quite off-putting.
Considering how off-the-wall this is - and also that I don't love adjunct stouts or lactose all that much - this was actually pretty drinkable and enjoyable. That said, you definitely want to know what your getting into before riding this dragon. P.S. this squirrel was hand made by @caleblatreille himself! #squirrel #peanut #peanutbutter #pnutbuster #brewsky #pubbrewsky #beerism #peanutbutterstout
What we have here is Jam Hands from @smallponybarrelworks In Ottawa. It's a blend of golden sour ales, aged in oak barrels with raspberries. The nose is all jammy Raspberry sweetness, with bright fruity essences as well. The aromatics are rich, intense, and just so incredibly zesty. My mouth is puckering from just smelling it.
The palate matches the nose, throwing all kinds of bright fresh raspberries at me with every sip. There is a rich jammy quality as well (hence the name), lending layers of cooked fruits to the whole thing. The acidity is ample, but not overbearing, adding a nice sourness that drinks easy enough. There are hints of acetic notes, but it's all very subtle. And it works well.
Jam Hands is the fifth bottle from Small Pony, and it is also my favourite to date. It will be returning this summer, so visit their online store to have it delivered to your house when available (Ontario addresses only). And while you're there, check out their Club Membership, totally worth it in my opinion. #smallpony #smallponybarrelworks #sourbeer #raspberrysour #sour #barrelagedsour #ottawa #ottawabeer #beerism
Categories
Beerism
- A Preview of Brasserie Dunham’s May 2018 Bottle Release
- Sutton Brouërie Brews Some Big and Burly Brett Beers to Finish off the Winter
- Microbrasserie La Memphré Continues to Bottle Some Brilliantly Balanced Beer
- Half Hour on Earth is Releasing a Steady Flow of Barrel-Aged Sours
- Brasserie Harricana Nailed 2017 – An Interview with Head-Brewer Francis Richer
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