The BeerCast

Beer fans are no strangers to hyperbole – particularly the dedicated masses that record their thoughts on ratings websites. As regular BeerCast readers might be aware, every so often I join in with a RateBeer tasting group hosted by Edinburgh tickmeister Craig Garvie. Usually we gravitate (pun intended) towards the stronger or rarer brews, as is the norm for Raters (about whom, you can read my thoughts here).

These hard to get hold of beers often score higher, for a variety of reasons (scarcity being just one). The other night, however, we entered the complete unknown, as Craig slammed down his De Molen tasting flute and proclaimed to have had “the best thing to have ever passed my lips”. Which, coming from a man who has slipped almost 8,500 things between them* was quite something. Even more so, as it wasn’t actually a beer we’d been drinking.

The grandly titled La Face Cachée de la Pomme Neige Recolte d’Hiver is a 9% ice cider, of all things. I don’t think we’ve ever featured cider on the BeerCast before (other than when whining about alcohol taxation). I’d never even heard of the frozen variety. If my French is up to it, the producer loosely translates as ‘The Hidden Face of Apples’, and they put out their ‘Neige’ brand of iced ciders from Quebec, growing the fruit in Montérégie.

The inventive chaps leave the apples on trees throughout the summer heat (cooking them) and then winter (freezing them), before picking in a single week in January. This seriously concentrates the sugars – if wasps got hold of the juice there would be carnage. After pulping, the resulting liquid is fermented for eight months before being boiled. The final product – which retails in the UK at £45 for a 375ml bottle – is known as ice cider (or apple ice wine).

Ratebeer accepts ratings for cider – and indeed has a distinct category for ice cider (of which, La Face Cachée de la Pomme have the three highest ranked). The Winter Harvest that we tasted is top of the pile, and utterly adored, judging by some of the other raters (the post title comes from a reviewer in Orlando). Other comments – “Perfection in a bottle”, “Liquid heaven”, “Every sip I take, I cannot help but smile”.

Justified? Well, yes and no. It is lovely – we drank it at room temperature so it was brilliantly sweet. It smelled almost exactly like an apple Danish pastry, with a slight spiced hint of something mild and warming coming through. Sweet, apple honey syrup is the best way I can sum it up. There was a touch of Botrytis on the finish, giving a sweet honeysuckle ending – it really reminded me of a dessert wine, or as us trendy drinkies now call them – stickies.

Sticky is probably the best adjective to describe it – like an apple strudel you struggle to finish, having taken too large a piece. It was lovely, no question – although it did remind me of a decent dessert wine or fruit liqueur. Tough to pigeonhole, it should probably be considered as either of these styles. Beer drinkers might not normally lean towards dessert wines – but a few sips of this “orgasm in a glass” would seem to push them in the right direction.

* steady

Our latest BeerCast podcast sees the second part of our Quebecois beer extravaganza, thanks to the return of outposted panellist CraigAS. Recently relocated to Yorkshire from Montreal, he supplied us with some attention-grabbing brews from Canada. This second part sees our panel sample four beers, many from the same breweries as our first edition. We begin with Joliette microbrewery L’Alchimiste’s L’Écossaise Scottish Ale (5.0%), an interesting prospect for our Edinburgh-based tasters. We then try another Unibroue beer – Raftman (5.5%), brewed to honour the hardy woodsmen of Canadian history. Next we go for a new addition, McAuslan’s St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout (5.0%), before ending the episode with a bang, and the challenging Dieu du Ciel! Péché Mortel (9.5%). This isn’t a peach beer, but a coffee-infused Imperial Stout, and demands serious attention. As with our first Quebec episode, the panel consists of CraigAS, Grooben, Richard and Shovels.

1. L’Écossaise (5.0%abv)
L’Alchimiste, Joliette, Quebec.
341ml glass bottle

L’Alchimiste are a fine example of the flourishing microbrewing scene in Quebec, having sprung up in the city of Joliette, 50km northeast of Montreal. Founded by Carl Dufour in 2001, they produce a decent number of regular beers, two of which we were brought over by Craig. Last time we sampled their 6.1% bock – this time we drink their 5.0% Scottish style ale. L’Alchimiste are fairly typical in Quebecois brewing, in that they style beers by colours, with a Blonde, Brune and Ambrée. Their Scotch Ale is the brune of these, with that characteristic heavy dark colour and sweet, malty flavour.

What They Say – “Bière ronde et moelleuse dégageant au nez comme en bouche une note de pain d’épice. Son amertume très faible en fait une brune facile pour les néophytes de la bière. On découvre en finale des arômes subtils de caramel, mariés à la douce chaleur de son alcool.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Craig – Very fizzy and quite sweet with a slight sourness to it 8
Richard – It’s very sweet and molasses-y but I like it 7½
Shovels – It tastes a bit like a watered-down Old Peculier 6
Grooben – More in common with beers from the North of England 6

2. Raftman (5.5%abv)
Unibroue, Chambly, Quebec.
750ml glass bottle

Unibroue’s motto is ‘Drink Less…Drink Better’, which seems to imply they like adding unusual ingredients to their beers and ramping up the alcohol. This is true in part, as they specialise in Belgian-style ales – their most notable (and best-selling) being La Fin du Monde, a 9% tripel first brewed in 1994. However the ’Drink Less’ part is offset by the hefty 750ml corked bottles used for their bottle conditioned beers – but we’re not complaining. Last episode we tried their witbier Blanche de Chambly, and this time we sampled Raftman, brewed in honour of the brave men who tamed the Canadian wilderness in the name of expansion and settlement.

What They Say – “Launched in March 1995, Raftman is a beer with a coral sheen that is slightly robust. It combines the character of whisky malt with the smooth flavours of choice yeast. It has a subtle and exceptional bouquet that creates a persistent smooth feel.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Craig – The first time I didn’t like it, but it grows on you 7
Grooben – Don’t like it much, the extra whisky flavour is horrible 5
Richard – Tastes like a tart witbier with whisky malt added to it 5
Shovels – It’s very sharp and tastes mostly of vinegar 4½

3. St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout (5.0%abv)
McAuslan Brewery, Montreal, Quebec.
341ml glass bottle

McAuslan opened their operations at the start of 1989 in the St-Henri borough of Montreal. They took their location as name for a range of beers, being sited on Rue St Ambroise. After debuting with St Ambroise Pale Ale a month after they opened, they have steadily added more to their portfolio, including in December 1991 St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout. They were founded by Peter McAuslan – yet another who followed the career path from enthusiastic homebrewer in the 1970’s to brewery owner in the 1980’s. Today they employ over forty people and have won many international brewing medals.

What They Say – “Brewed from 40 percent dark malts and roasted barley, this intensely black ale carries strong hints of espresso and chocolate. Oatmeal contributes body and a long-lasting mocha-coloured head to this well-hopped beer.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Craig – It’s not messing around – it’s pretty smoky 6½
Grooben – That’s the stoutiest stout that ever stouted 6
Shovels – It’s a beer for the evening – the whole evening 5
Richard – Too strong and one-dimensional for me, I like the subtle nuances of a stout 4

4. Péché Mortel (9.5%abv)
Dieu du Ciel!, Montrel, Quebec.
341ml glass bottle

Dieu du Ciel! are an apostrophe-friendly brewery who have micro-brasserie bases in St-Jérôme and Montreal. Their downtown brewpub is apparently unassuming on the outside, but showcases an astonishing range and variety – their online beer list has almost ninety entries. They concoct everything from old-world style saisons and IPA’s to truly fascinating brews containing ingredients such as Morel mushrooms, Hibiscus flowers, Absinthe, and Hemp (not all in the same one). Thinking outside of the brewing box seems to be par for the course as Dieu du Ciel! – who else could come up with Premiere Neige, an aniseed and nutmeg whit? After loving their rye beer infused with peppercorns (Route des épices), we now move on to the awesome Péché Mortel, a viscous Imperial Stout infused with coffee.

What They Say – “The Péché Mortel is an intensely black and dense beer with very pronounced roasted flavours. Fair-trade coffee is infused during the brewing process, helping to intensify the bitterness of the beer and giving it a powerful coffee taste. Brewed to be savoured, we invite you to drink it with moderation.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Craig – First taste is burnt coffee, the next is paint stripper 2½
Grooben – It’s a bold experiment that has backfired completely 2
Shovels – Like eating coffee beans with a tequila on the side 1
Richard – It’s about as unpleasant a beer as I’ve ever had 0

Panellists – (from top left) Shovels, CraigAS, Grooben, Richard

BeerCast panel verdict
L’Alchimiste L’Écossaise (27½/40)
Unibroue Raftman (21½/40)
McAuslan St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout (21½/40)
Dieu du Ciel! Péché Mortel (5½/40)

For the past few BeerCasts we’ve concentrated mostly on domestic UK beers – so it’s high time we jumped overseas again. Our Canadian correspondent CraigAS has recently moved back home after several years in Montreal, and of course brought back a clinking suitcase. In fact, he carried over so many local ales that we’ve had to split them into two podcasts – as a result, BeerCasts 38 and 39 are special episodes on unusual offerings from Quebec. This first part sees our panel sample three beers from the francophone province, beginning with Unibroue’s Blanche de Chambly (5%). We then move on to Montreal brewpub Dieu du Ciel’s Route des Épices (5%), the first peppercorn beer any of us had ever tried. We ended the episode on a stronger note with La Bock de Joliette (6.1%) from another popular Quebecois micro-brewery, L’Alchimiste. On the panel with CraigAS were Richard, Grooben, and Shovels.

1. Blanche de Chambly (5.0%abv)
Unibroue, Chambly, Quebec.
750ml glass bottle

Unibroue’s motto is ‘Drink Less…Drink Better’, which seems to imply they like adding unusual ingredients to their beers and ramping up the alcohol. This is true in part, as they specialise in Belgian-style ales – their most notable (and best-selling) being La Fin du Monde, a 9% tripel first brewed in 1994. They were started a year before that by Quebecois brewer Andre Dion, and were eventually bought out by Canadian giants Sleemans in 2004 (who were themselves gobbled up by the bigger fish of Sapporo). Almost all of their beers are bottle conditioned – and they take their work very seriously, as proven by a five page tasting tutorial on their website. Blanche de Chambly is Unibroue’s Belgian-style witbier, and was the first they produced, hence the fact that it’s named after their hometown.

What They Say – “Blanche de Chambly is only partially filtered, retaining its natural cloud of yeast that is characteristic of the original white ales brewed during the Middle Ages. The aroma is lightly fruity with a hint of citrus, and the taste is subtly spiced.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – It is a bit spicey – as a wheatbeer you can’t fault it 7
Shovels – It smells and tastes like a general wheatbeer 7
Craig – It smells stronger than I remember and is very cloudy 6½
Grooben – Lighthearted and lemony by Unibroue’s standards 6

2. Route des Épices (5.0%abv)
Dieu du Ciel!, Montrel, Quebec.
341ml glass bottle

Dieu du Ciel! are a punctuation-friendly brewery who have micro-brasserie bases in St-Jérôme and Montreal. Their downtown brewpub is apparently unassuming on the outside, but showcases an astonishing range and variety – their online beer list has almost ninety entries. They concoct everything from old-world style saisons and IPA’s to truly fascinating brews containing ingredients such as Morel mushrooms, Hibiscus flowers, Absinthe, and Hemp (not all in the same one). Thinking outside of the brewing box seems to be par for the course as Dieu du Ciel! – who else could come up with Premiere Neige, an aniseed and nutmeg whit? This time we sample Route des Épices, a black rye beer infused with black and green peppercorns.

What They Say – “The Routes des Épices is a rye beer in which pepper has been added during the brewing process, lending it wonderful peppery flavours and aromas. The beer also reveals flavours of malt, fresh cereal, chocolate, caramel and a hint of fruit. In the aftertaste, the pepper flavour is once again revealed in full strength and it leaves a pleasing spicy tingling sensation on the tongue. A nice balance is attained between its spiciness and its multitude of other flavours.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Craig – I admire it’s bravado – it’s pretty smokey 8½
Richard – Very unusual and warming with that pure peppery kick 8
Shovels – It’s a wintry beer that tingles the top of the mouth 8
Grooben – I can’t believe how peppery it is, it’s so original 7

3. La Bock de Joliette (6.1%abv)
L’Alchimiste, Joliette, Quebec.
341ml glass bottle

L’Alchimiste are another example of the flourishing microbrewing scene in Quebec, having sprung up in the city of Joliette, 50km northeast of Montreal. Founded by Carl Dufour in 2001, they produce a decent number of regular beers (albeit way behind Dieu du Ciel!), two of which we were brought over by Craig. This episode we sample their 6.1% bock – the traditional style of German strong dark lager first brewed in Einbeck. L’Alchimiste are fairly typical in Quebecois brewing, in that they style beers by colours, with a Blonde, Brune and Ambrée. Their bock is the latter of these, with that characteristic heavy golden colour.

What They Say – “La Bock de Joliette développe au nez des effluves douces et épicées. C’est une bière qui possède beaucoup de corps, développant en bouche des arômes chauds et maltés. Le doux parfum floral du houblon compose, avec la chaleur de l’alcool, une finale longue et moelleuse.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – It’s not something you can power through 5
Craig – I remember enjoying this more than I currently am 4½
Grooben – Too vinegary on the palate for me, it’s not nice 4
Shovels – Sharp vinegar cutting through it, it’s not really enjoyable 3½

Panellists – (from top left) Shovels, CraigAS, Grooben, Richard

BeerCast panel verdict
Dieu du Ciel! Route des Épices (32/40)
Unibroue Blanche de Chambly (26½/40)
L’Alchimiste La Bock de Joliette (17/40)

Montreal Beer Festival: 28 May – 1 June 2008

No this isn’t part two of a two-part report for which I have forgotten to submit the first installment. I headlined last year’s report “Sacre Bleu!” and just couldn’t resist employing the Hot Shots reference. Far from being Part Deux, this is in fact my third trip to the Montreal Mondial de la Biere, now in its 15th year. Arriving about 8pm on a Thursday night wasn’t exactly the best strategic move my friends and I have ever made. There was a fairly long queue to get in, but it moved quite rapidly and the anticipation no doubt improved our experience.

The Gare Windsor was, to use an East Midlandsism, rammed.

Moving through the inebriated post-work throng with beers in both hands proved difficult and I can only conclude that its far better to go early on a Saturday, as we did last year. A lunchtime tipple in less-packed surrounds is far easier on the trousers.

First up was a Gingembre beer from Le Bilboquet, a brewery I hadn’t heard of. I dunno about you but I prefer my ginger beers to taste of ginger, which this one did, but only just barely. Disappointed, I barged on through the crowds.

I made a bee-line for the stall of Montreal Brew pub Dieu du ciel, who rarely let me down. Upon glancing at the blackboard, I noticed a beer called Penombre (“Penumbra/Shadow”, 6%), which was described as a Black IPA. A black IPA? C’est ridicule, non? Handing over my hard-paid-for coupons, I was rewarded with a glass of something that looked very much like a stout. Thinking these daft Quebecois had mixed up their beer categories, I gave it a shot and found the visual and taste centres of my brain suddenly quarrelling. All was in uproar. Penombre has a very traditional IPA flavour to it, not what you expect from something that looks like flat Guinness. The extra hops barrel through and lend it a very pleasant bitterness. Quite the revelation and one I’ll be looking for in the supermarché locale. Dieu du ciel also do an interesting burnt-coffee-tinged Imperial Stout called Peché Mortel. However, don’t (as my unfortunate friend did) buy this if you are expecting a peach-flavoured beer. Peché Mortel means “Mortal Sin” and you will be punished for your mistake! It is not for the faint of heart.

One of my favourite Quebec breweries is L’Achimiste, in Joliette, QC. They produce the yummy Ecossaise, whose praises I sing at every turn. Bock de Joliette (6.1%) is their take on a German Bock.

Nobody is quite sure of the origins of Bock beer. Some writers believe the name Bock came from the shortening of Einbeck thus “beck” became “bock.” Quite how or why this transliteration should occur is anyone’s guess. Others believe it is more of a pagan or old world reference coming from the fact that the beer was only to be brewed during the sign of the Capricorn goat. What is known is that in Ye Olde Medieval Times German monasteries brewed and drank a strong beer primarily for its nutritional content during their Lenten fasts (perhaps marketed under the slogan “Bock is Good for You”). Bock thus became a symbol of better times to come and the impending end of winter.

The modern version of Bock is bottom-fermenting lager that generally takes extra months of lagering (cold storage) to smooth out. Bock beer in general is stronger than a typical lager, more malty and dark amber to brown in colour. The bitterness produced by the hops can be strong, but should not get in the way of the malt flavor. Most are, therefore, only lightly hopped.

I found L’Alchimiste’s Bock very drinkable. It is richly amber in colour, with a very pleasing caramel and butterscotch flavour and a long aftertaste. I am now in possession of a crate of the stuff! Hurrah!

This year’s beer festival included a stand of French brewers, no doubt reflecting a desire to forge links between French Canada and French er… France. I only had time (and coupons) to sample one beer from the Old Country. Fourche du diable (“The devil’s fork”, 5.4%) from brewery Le Rouget de l’isle, turned out to be a refreshing, spicy lager. Whether I will ever have the opportunity to try it again remains to be seen.

Pub Broadway, in Shawinigan, QC is a brewpub that produces its own interesting line of beers. Mary Poppins (7%) is described as an English Brown Ale and since I’m English, I thought it only right that I should verify its Englishness with an English set of taste-buds. Tasting very much like a Newcastle Brown, it is definitely the closest thing I’ve had to a proper English pint in all my time in Montreal. I can only hope that somewhere in Montreal stocks it, or it’s a long trip out on Interstate 40 for me.

La Sein d’esprit (“The centre of spirit”? Please correct my franglais) is a 5% German white beer. Wiess beers are brewed with a significant proportion of wheat and it is common for them to also contain malted barley. The addition of wheat lends these beers a light flavour and pale colour. Wheat beers are usually top-fermented (in Germany, home of stringent noisy-neighbour regulations, they have to be by law!). Pub Broadway’s version was not bad at all and had a pleasant fruitiness, but it wasn’t nearly as good as their Triple Belgian La Tchucké (7%). Worth every bit of the 4 coupons charged for it (okay… I admit my friend used his Powers Of Marketing to argue them down to 2 coupons since that was all we had left. Cheers Aaron!), La Tchuké is a rich flavoursome Belgian triple ale that had us oooing and aaahing with all our might. The term ‘triple’ comes from a naming convention used by Belgian Trappist breweries to describe the strongest beers in their range, however, the name is now used by a number of brewers around the world to describe a strong ale. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what the name is a reference to, but I’m sure it’s something hilarious in French. Answers on a postcard, please.

Finally, Broadway’s Black Mama raised several eyebrows when we saw both the retro 70’s blaxploitation poster and the description “Black Lager.” Schwartzbiers are dark lager beers with an opaque, black color. They are bottom-fermented and should have and a full, chocolatey or coffee flavor. If you can get past the borderline-rascist name for this one (the reasonably-accommodating les Quebecois strike again), it really is rather good.

And that was the 15th Montreal Beer Festival for me. At that point I was dragged off to see the excreble Sex in the City movie before I lost my sense of sight entirely. It was only fair, really. I forced the missus to see Indiana Jones…


A la prochaine mes amis!

BeerCaster MrB marches dans la pub

L’Isle Noire

Named after a Tintin book in which our hero travels to Scotland in search of a legendary ape (no, I am not making this up), l’Ile Noire is a “Scottish” pub in the heart of Montreal. If you’re lucky (or unlucky depending on your point of view), you can catch live bands composed of ancient bearded soaks playing fiddly-widdly Celtic tunes – and if you’re really lucky/unlucky, a bagpiper or two.

L’Ilse Noire boasts 140 brands of Whisky – its primary attraction for me. On the beer front it stocks local tipples from Ste-Ambroise to Belle Gueule and ex-pat favourites such as Guinness and Killkenny. With its extensive whisky menu and my favourite Quebecois beer, L’Ecossaise, on tap, The Black Isle has become a fairly regular haunt of mine.

Unfortunately, for all the quality produce behind the bar, L’Ile Noire can feel a little Disney-esque. The walls are painted to look like a medieval castle, with lamps that look like flaming torches. One wall shows a mural of rolling Scottish hillsides and, bizarrely, a cannon – presumably pointing towards England. Now, I don’t know about you, but after 6 years of living in Scotland I don’t think I ever drank in a castle. Or a dungeon. Or, indeed, anywhere with a cannon.

Last Friday night I was musing on the theme park aspects of this ex-pat haunt while enjoying a 12 year old Bowmore and a pint of L’Ecossaise. The two very attentive (and very French) waiters were wearing Jacobite Highland Dress and, though the drink-fueled haze, I suddenly noticed something odd about them.

They had their kilts on the wrong way round. With the pleats at the front. Both of them. It just seemed to sum up the whole North American Heritage Industry beautifully.

Whisky Cafe

If you care more about your whisky than you do about “authentic” atmosphere, check out the Whisky Cafe. With over 150 brands of whisky, including the ones that you could only ever afford to buy by the shot, Whisky Cafe is a real afficianado’s dive. If whisky isn’t your thing they stock ports, sherries, rums and crap beer. To be honest, if you intend to drink beer, don’t go. They also have one of the few remaining cigar lounges since the smoking ban was introduced.

The decor is ultra-contemporary and includes the most interesting toilets in Montreal. Really. Check them out.