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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Earlier in March, @brasseriechamplibre had a bottle and can release. Of the bottles released, one was the third take on their coffee infused imperial stout. Usually Déjeuner en Paix is barrel-aged, but then blended with a fresh beer. This time, they selected their best bourbon barrels and sent it straight to bottles with a new coffee called “black honey.” The nose is a massive blast of coffee richness, with loads of perfect bourbon goodness. Dark chocolate, vanilla and oak compliment the intense coffee, with sweet vanilla in the background. Wow, incredible nose.
The palate matches, with some brilliant coffee flavours - the intensity and shear richness from the beans are incredible. That said, the beer itself is a touch thin on the malt spectrum, delivering a pretty dry and ashy profile, which is further augmented by the oak tannins.
The bourbon notes are very nice, carrying a lovely vanilla profile and rich layers of barrel. Tasty stuff. #champlibre #brasseriechamplibre #stout #ris #bourbon #beerism
La Poudre Jaune from @lagabiere came out a little while back as a one-off, but has now graduated into a regular item - which is great. It’s a low ABV dry hopped sour, perfect for the - cross our fingers - hot weather to come.
The nose bursts with dank hops; lots of sour candy, grapefruit, and lemon zest comes through, lending component to all the grassy juicy funk. The palate matches. It’s light and tart, with some nice sourness. It’s very easy going overall, and drinks incredibly well. Dank hops, citrus, and huge tropical fruits (like pineapple and mango) make up the flavour profile.
For a beer under 4%, La Poudre Jaune carries a rich flavour structure that is quite impressive. One of the better examples of the style in Quebec, and will be perfect for the summer. #lagabiere #beerism #lapoudrejaune
Right here is a collaboration between one of my local beer shops @thebarrelbox and a new to the scene brewery on the West Island of Montreal called @louksbrew
This is Rosemary’s NEIPA - a New England IPA brewed with rosemary. It pour our murky and a dark burnt orange colour. Strawberry and rosemary are up front, backed by some rather malty aromatics. It’s mostly pine from the cascade - the citra is lost.
On the palate the beer is malt forward, coupled with lots of overripe strawberry, piney herbal notes, and light caramel sweetness. The balance between sweetness and bitterness is on point, but the levels on both of those ends are too aggressive for the style (from my experience). I’m not sure I’d categorize this as a NEIPA given the rich maltiness, piney cascade profile, and the very dark orange (bordering in brown) colour. It’s also not remotely tropical - a standard for today’s NEIPA.
That said, this is a fun and balanced beer that showcases (probably) my favourite herb in a way that’s not too overbearing - a challenge with spice adjuncts. The rich malt backbone and herbal layers made this beer go extremely well with my meals - especially grilled meats! And despite my “criticisms” above, it is quite enjoyable to drink. I recommend hitting the Barrel Box to give her a try. #neipa #rosemary #beerism #thebarrelbox #louks #louksbrewery
This tasty @microriverbend Cameries infused Berliner Weisse landed on my doorstep a few weeks ago. It’s bursting with juicy haskap-induced jammy fun, delivering notes of black current and cherry. It’s dry, tannic and tart, but not that sour - providing a drinkability that screams for days on my deck in the sun. This was a fun treat. #riverbend #microriverbend #haskap #cameries #beerism
@smallponybarrelworks charmed us last year with the first edition of their Culture Club, a program that provided its members with exclusive barrel aged sours that were produced in small numbers. In this article, I examine three of the four bottles released last year. Check it out at Beerism.ca (link in bio). #ottawa #ottawabeer #613beer #kanata #beerism
A few weeks back @brasseriechamplibre released “Saison Lactée”, a Saison brewed with buttermilk, a well as hay grown on their farm. Yes, you read that right. Although buttermilk is an odd addition to a beer, I was definitely excited to try it regardless.
The nose delivers lots of fresh fruity esters, carrying mainly pear and melon. This is followed by some light clove phenolics and what I could only describe as fresh cream. The palate is nice and subtle on all fronts. It’s fruity and spicy, carrying fresh cantaloupe and pear, coupled with light flavours of white pepper and cardomon pods. The texture is really nice, providing a silky mouthfeel against a very soft but pleasant carbonation. The head retention is off, but that’s likely from the buttermilk. In the finish, there is a light dusting of fresh hay, carrying a earthy farmhouse vibe.
From the flavour profile to the mouthfeel itself, there is something so solf and creamy about this beer. The dairy addition gives it an hard to describe component. And it certainly doesn’t taste like the cloying sweetness of lactose sugar. Think about when you’re whipping cream straight from the fridge, that fresh and inviting aroma that hits you as the blades spin - that’s what it makes my think of. It doesn’t taste “milky” or “buttery” in any sense.
Kudos to the folks at Champ Libre for doing something so very different and making it work. @alexganivetb #champlibre #mercier #brasseriechamplibre #beerism #buttermilk
A few months ago @microlecastor dropped two variants of a beer called Saison Macérée. Both were wine barrel-aged saisons. The first is “Marc de Raisin”, which had Chardonnay pomace added.
The nose is a bright mix of fruity esters, delivering pear and apple, but mainly green grapes. A Bretty funk comes next, carrying dusty notes, but there is a bit of earthiness here as well that must be from the pomace. Inviting nose though.
On the mouth, an earthy and almost peppery note is quite apparent, adding a sort of spicy mustiness next to that tangy and fruity backdrop. It’s largely apple cider meets white wine, with hints of balsamic. The beer is not sour, but there is a tartness here alongside oak tannins. The whole thing finishes quite dry and the beer is pretty drinkable as a whole.
@lagabiere has decided to create a new series of one-off beers that will be released each month for the next year. The series is called “Balade en Radeau” and this is the May iteration: a blackcurrant sour. Each beer will be completely different, and will be produced in small numbers.
The nose carries a huge fruit presence, delivering all kinds of big blackcurrant aromatics. There is a stewed strawberry thing happening here as well. It’s fresh, but smells rich and full of depth.
The palate matches, carrying a nice mix of jammy blackcurrant layers. It’s tart - and I could even say sour - but the sweetness of the fruit keeps the acidity in check, making the beer quite balanced overall. There is this zesty quality here, with bright accents that remind me of strawberry, alongside the usual earthy blackcurrant pepperiness that comes off almost smokey. This jammy sour really hits the spot. I’m impressed. Definitely seek her out. #lagabiere #baladeenradeau #beerism #blackcurrent #sourbeer
@biereboreale decided to release a couple of tweaked editions of their standard and session IPA under the title “Brassin Très Spècial”. This idea from brewmaster ( @gabdulong ) was to create more contemporary versions of these beers, carrying a lighter malt bill and more fruity hops.
I started with the IPA. The nose is a fruity cocktail of tropical delights mixed with subtle earthy and grassy hops. This plays well against light caramel malts. The flavour profile is similar, once again providing aggressive fruity hop notes. There is less caramel maltiness from what I remember from the OG, and certainly delivers more of a bright nose. It’s definitely leaning more now towards being a Vermont inspired “aromatic” IPA. It’s dry, balanced, fruity, and well done. I quite like the new take on this reasonably priced classic. #biereboreale #boreale #ipa #brassintresspécial #beerism
This is Ol’ Keeper from @microlecastor - an old ale, initially fermented with English ale yeast and then re-fermented with Brettanomyces inside Brandy Barrels.
The nose delivers a whole slew of layered aromatics. Dusty Brett funk combines with a slight balsamic note, providing rich cherry sweetness. Lots of brandy and oak come through as well, alongside deep caramel, raisins, and fresh figs.
Up front on the palate comes caramel richness, mixed with a subtle tartness, and lots of tannic oak. The Brandy adds layers of rich fortified wine-like vibes, carrying vinous notes, dried fruits, and lots of cherry.
The Brett dries everything, and there is a nice tannic layer that helps cut any sweetness that much more. Sometimes these malty wild beers can be such a mess, but this is complex, layered and just damn delicious. I enjoyed this far more than I anticipated. #lecastor #microlecastor #microbrasserielecastor #oldale #brett #brettanomyces #beerism #barrelaged
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