February
15
Talking Valentine’s Day Beers on CBC Montreal’s Radio Noon with Shawn Apel
Click below to listen to the radio spot
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February
15
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This Saturday, @bbascanada is throwing their very first anniversary party! Check out the details on their Facebook event page. I had a chance to dive into a few of the exclusive beers ahead of time. Read about them for the first time at www.beerism.ca (link in bio). #brasseriedubascanada #lostabarnacos #doublelostabarnacos #beerism #gatineau #gatineaunightlife
Berlue Rose from @dunhambrasserie is a blend of mainly Berliner Weisse and barrel-aged saisons, with some apple saison and a touch of beet beer. It’s a collaboration with the good folks at @pubpitcariboumtl .
The nose carries strong bretty aromatics, releasing dusty phenols, alongside oak funk, and general vinous aromatics. Cider-like apple layers and tart grapefruit rinds add fruity dimensions to this exceptionally inviting nose.
The beer is tart up front, bordering on sour, but also balanced and quite juicy. Tannic grapefruit rinds meet lots of stone fruits and orange juiciness. There is a lovely sharp tang, like biting into an underripe tangerine. This is mixed with hints of passion fruit. It’s a touch vinous and tannic, with some white wine layers as well. Everything is in balance here. Perfect acidity, dryness, tannins and juiciness. Brilliant Stuff. #dunham #brasseriedunham #berluerose #beerism #sour #barrelaged
The time and the space from @smallponybarrelworks is a blend of dark and golden sour beers, aged on oak with raspberries, blueberries, and vanilla. This is the second bottle to come from their Culture Club membership program, which you can read all about on their website.
Off the bat the nose is heavy on the vanilla, with lots of candy-like confectioners sugar. Rich macerated berries come through next, delivering juicy acidity in the backdrop.
Just like the nose, the vanilla dominates, providing a biting candy essence that’s almost earthy. Next comes a big blast of raspberry and blueberry juiciness, which is immediately cut by a dry acidity. The fruit profile is robust and has a wonderful layered berry profile, matched very well against a restrained but still very apparent acidity. The barrel lends tannins and light spicy components as well.
Overall, although well executed, the vanilla is far more aggressive than I would like. It dominates my palate on each sip, and I have a hard time getting around it. That said, as it warmed, the vanilla integrated much better and started to grow on me. As well, I ate some sharp cheddar alongside, and wow, amazing paring. I’d love to try some strong creamy cheeses with this fruity bad boy. #ottawa #kanata #sourbeer #barrelagedsour #blueberry #raspberry #beer #beerism
Halloween has passed, but there are cans of Knightmare from @4originesbeer still available if you want to keep the celebrations going. Knightmare is a porter brewed with pumpkin, spices, and lactose. Pumpkin beers get a bit of hate, and although I’m generally not a fan, I also feel that giving them the Nickelback or Guy Fierri treatment is a bit much.
The nose is all spice, with some big cinnamon-forward pumpkin spiced aromatics mixing with subtle chocolate and candy. The palate matches, but the spices are subtle and integrate more harmoniously with the rest of the beer’s profile. There is a luscious body here (from the assistance of lactose), but it drinks extremely light, with a crushability that would allow you to have several of these no problem.
Cinnamon is at the front, followed by a Mexican hot chocolate vibe from the dark roasted malts (minus the heat). It’s dry, and surprisingly clean. Over time the lactose starts to make itself more apparent, and although dry, it gets a bit sticky on the last few sips.
Like everything I’ve had from 4 Origins, Knightmare is balanced and very drinkable. You do need to dig pumpkin spice though, or this ain’t for you.
Mroczny Pan is an Baltic porter, aged in bourbon barrels. It’s a collaboration between @dunhambrasserie and a polish brewery called @browar_widawa .
The nose throws out some ashy roasted notes, complimented by bourbon-induced vanilla aromas, and some red berries. Light espresso and dark chocolate lend to the complexity as well.
The palate begins with a rich silky body, while still feeling smooth and drinkable if compared to Dunham’s usual imperial dark ales. It’s quite exceptionally fruity, carrying lots of cherry and some tart berries, which I believe stem from the roasted malt and slightly tannic oak. The barrel is apparent, delivering vanilla and leather flavours, but it’s not overly present, just applying enough to add complexity to the whole thing.
At 10% ABV, it does carry a slight sharpness, but it integrates extremely well, complimenting the overall profile. This is highly drinkable and lovely. One of their better dark beers of recent years. #balticporter #bourbonbarrelaged #bourbon #dunham #brasseriedunham #beerism
As I reach further into the cellar I realize that I have to do a better job at keeping track of just how old a lot of these bottles are. This is Big Worse from @mikkellerbeer - a red wine barrel-aged barleywine that I’ve probably had since at least 2011 or 2012 (I think I got this off @bunnytremblay ?). Anyway, although it is extremely old, the massive 12%+ ABV kept it in check. The bitterness is subdued and the overall profile is more sherry-like than beer at this point, but it was still pretty tasty none the less. Expect more cellar experimentation soon! #cellarbeer #agedbeer #oldbeer #mikkeller #beerism #bil #barleywine #barleywineislife
Today is @dunhambrasserie ’s fall bottle release! I hope those who made it are having good times. Make sure to get your hands on No Gogosse, a collaboration between Dunham and the highly acclaimed @brasserieauval . It’s a “no nonsense” blend of mix fermented saisons – and it’s definitely up my alley.
The nose is an amazing mix of dusty phenols, delivering earthy and musty aromas that are complimented by green apple and pear essence. Light honey notes come through as well, alongside hints of field berries.
The palate matches, carrying lots of dusty Brett layers alongside some lovely crisp white fruit and honey. There is a tart finish that cuts everything nicely, as well as rich tannins that dry the palate after each sip. The subtle tang of it all really brings out lovely fruit notes, while the oak brings in leather, vanilla and those serious tannins. If you’ve had Auval’s Saison Espinay and you’ve had Dunham’s slew of bretted saisons, this is exactly what you’d expect – and I wasn’t disappointed. #dunham #brasseriedunham #auval #brasserieauval #beerism
Right here we have @4originesbeer ‘s Saison Des cônes! A saison brewed with orange tea. I’m a little late on this one as I’m not sure if they still have stock, but it’s certainly still drinking well, if not better. The nose is musty and earthy, with some nice fruity layers of pear and orange. Light herbal hop notes come through as well, with with gentle white wine notes.
The palate matches, deliverIng rich and earthy saison phenolics, but with a solid malt base. It’s tangy and herbal from the Mandarina Bavaria hops, which also provides notes of white wine and orange peel - this of course is further complimented by the addition of orange tea. The finish is sharp enough, delivering some buttering hops and light tannins from the yeast. Really Great stuff here. #microbrasserie4origines #beerism #orangetea #tea #saison #montreal #pointstcharles #thepoint
October is here and the cold is approaching - but that also means that it's time for the latest Fall Bottle Release from @dunhambrasserie - I got my hands on the bottles ahead of time. Visit Beerism.ca (link in bio) to read my thoughts on this amazing release! #dunham #brasseriedunham #wildbeer #beerism #ris #imperialstout
Once again It’s that time of year to start pulling out big and bold beers from the cellar. This 16%ABV imperial stout called “Horizon Tokyo black” from @nogneo @brewdogofficial and @mikkellerbeer has been in my basement for about five years or so. The extremely high ABV helped it hold up well, but after pouring it out, it really needed to breath for about 15 minutes. Lots of sherry notes were tempered by the remaining sharpness, with far less roasted flavours than when fresh. I’d say it was a successful experiment, but was likely better a couple years back. #oldbeer #mikkeller #brewdog #nogneø #stout #beerism
Categories
Beerism
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- Brett Never Sleeps: A Beerism and Brouerie Sutton Collaboration (100% Brett Brut IPA!)
- My Thoughts on Brasserie Dunham’s Foudre Unis 2018
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