BEAU’S ~ IRON SHIRT

6.8% from Vankleek Hill, Ontario

Iron Shirt was a Beau’s Fe’brew’ary release. It is a collaboration with Montreal’s Brasserie et Distillerie Oshlag. The collaboration, one among many, is a celebration of Canada’a 150th birthday. The beer is a pale ale brewed with ice wine vidal grapes that has been aged on oak spirals that have been soaked in Oshlag’s hopped vodka. Sampled on draught the beer poured a hazy bright yellow gold with a good white head. The lasted a while before leaving scant lacing on the glass. The nose had bright citrusy notes, along with grape, apple (and orchard fruits), malts, a hint of resin and a touch of oak. The flavour is crisp with notes of grapes, fruit, woodsiness, malt and a balanced citrus and pine hop bitterness. The finish is dry with some lingering bitterness. The body is medium and the carbonation was average to lively. An interesting brew.

HERBE À DÉTOURNE ~ BRASSERIE  
DIEU DU CIEL!

This brew is a boozy Belgian tripel made with new world hops (citra). Sampled on draught this beer pours slighty opaque golden orange apricot with an average white head that left sticky lacing as it receded slowly. The nose has lots going on: stone fruit (peaches) tropical fruit (pineapple and mango), spice (pepper and clove), floral notes, candi sugar, citra hops and alcohol. The taste follows the smell, with lots of bitter citra hoppiness as a first impression. After the first impression, notes of tropical and stone fruit, Belgian yeast phenols and esters, and spice, abound. The finish is dry with a little lingering bitterness and a warming booziness. The bitterness next to the fruity sweetness make for interesting and complex flavour combinations. The body was medium with a slightly syrupy mouthfeel, and the carbonation was very gentle. I guess you could call this hybrid beer a new world tripel. Definitely worth a try – a really interesting complexity of flavour compliments and contrasts happening here.

10.2% from Montreal, Quebec 56 IBU

SAISON DU PARC ~ DIEU DE CIEL!

Saison Du Parc is a new summer offering form one of my favourite Quebecois breweries. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a very pale yellow (with hints of green) with a modest white head, which left great lacing. The nose contained lots of citrus (lemon and grapefruit) along with light grains, hay pepper, a little funk with a hint of sourness. The flavour followed with notes of light grains, grapefruit and lemon, hay, and sourness with a grassy hoppy bite. The finish was bitter and very dry at first though the initial bite of the hops dissipated a little as the beer progressed. The body is light and the carbonation is moderate. This is drinkable and refreshing but a little bold in the hops department for a saison. Not a disappointment but definitely not DDC’s best.

4.2% from Montreal, Quebec

DÉESSE NOCTURNE ~ DIEU DE CIEL!

STOUT WEEK -
Déesse Nocturne (translates to 'night goddess') is a lesser known stout from Brassiere Dieu De Ciel. (Makers of Aphrodisiaque and Péché Mortel) Sampled on draught with nitro, the beer poured almost black with a dense off white head. Nice lacing was left as the foam receded. The aroma was intense blend dark roasted malt with hints of chocolate and a touch of coffee and smoke. There is no obvious bitterness on the nose. The stout is a dry (very similar to an Irish Stout) with little sweetness, lots of coffee, unsweetened cocoa and dark malts abound. A nice hop bitterness and tastes of burnt toast finish this quaff. The mouth feel is silky and smooth; the nitro gives it a compact head, but offers littler effervescence throughout. Another very drinkable, delicious offering from Dieu de Ciel.

5% from Montreal, Quebec

ST-AMBROISE CREAM ALE ~MCAULSAN 

Sampled on draught with nitro. The beer poured a cloudy light copper gold (the colour of rich honey) with a lasting off white head. As the head slowly dissipated it left a good amount of lacing. Visible carbonation was low and the bubbles were fine. The aroma was light with fruity notes, citrus, malts, grains and a hint of hops. Taste was much the same, with caramel, malts, some spice and a touch of sweetness. It finished with a mild hop, and a clean malty finish. The beer had a velvety mouthfeel. This brew is most drinkable. The balance of the yeasts, hops and nitro carbonation are well balanced and give it some dimension.

Hops:  Cascade, Willamette, Golding

5% from Montreal, Quebec 35 IBU

APRICOT WHEAT ~ ST. AMBROISE

This apricot wheat is lovely!  Sampled from a tin, the beer poured deep golden amber, with moderate carbonation and white head that dissipated quickly.   Apricot was the show stealer on the nose.  The smell was that of sweet real apricots, with touches of wheat and malts; little hoppiness was detected.  I thought this beer was beautifully balanced.  This ale was not as sweet as it smelled, A malty breadiness started the beer, followed by a slightly bitter hops (Wilmette and Golding) and a long apricot finish.  This would be a beautiful summer beer!

5% from Montreal, Quebec                         15  IBU

CITROUILLE ~ ST. AMBROISE

Citrouille or the Great Pumpkin Ale (in English) is a fall offering made by one of Quebec’s earliest microbreweries. The beer pours deep coppery amber with moderate carbonation and a finger of off white head. Many spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger) dance around my nose complimented with caramel toasted malts (blonde and caramel malts) and pumpkin. The beer taste much like it smells, it has a sweet malty backbone, with notes of pumpkin and spice. The beer is not overly spiced or overly sweet, and has a nice crisp finish. Hop (Cascade and Wilmette) finish is subtle. Over all a very enjoyable pumpkin beer.

5% Montreal, Quebec IBU 18

L’OURS ~ LE TROU DU DIABLE

L’ours (meaning bear in French) is a sour ale/wild ale from Quebec.   It is a mixture of twenty per cent rye saison, aged in oak barrels of Banyuls for two years. (Banyuls is a fortified aperitif/dessert wine made from old vines grown on terraces on the Catalan Pyrenees and Roussilion county of France).  The other 80% is a young saison.  Each cask will be different, some with more intense notes.  I am not sure which assemblage, as it wasn’t indicated on the draft tap.   The beer is a clear blonde, nicely carbonated, but had little head.  Lots of alcohol on the nose – almost cider or wine like.  Ripe fruit, spicy yeast and funky brett make up the aroma.    Taste had a complexity and many subtleties.  It had qualities of both a young and aged beer.  Lots of ripe fruit flavours, but also a subtle rye, spicy yeast, some barnyard funk and touch of wood.  I really enjoyed this and will go back for another. 

6.5% from Shawinigan 10 IBU

PÉCHÉ MORTEL ~ DIEU DE CIEL!

Péché Mortel  means Mortal Sin in French.  It is a wonderful intense coffee stout created by Dieu de Ciel! in 2001. I cannot say enough good things about this beer.  It dances in your mouth!

It pours a very dark and opaque with a dark brown foam.  The nose is full of coffee, chocolate and roasted malts.  The flavour is a romance with my taste buds: espresso coffee, rich expensive dark chocolate and roasted malty goodness.  It is beautifully balanced and has a smooth creamy mouth feel that lingers on your tongue. 

Péché Mortel  is Imperial Stout, originally brewed for Russian royalty.  Like an IPA they were more heavily hopped then their English counterparts in order to survive the journey.  The bitterness does not distract from this beer at all.  At almost 10% this is a beer to end your evening with, a real treat!

9.5% from Montreal, Quebec

ROSEE D’HIBISCUS ~ DIEU DE CIEL

Seasoned Wheat Beer.  Rosee d’Hibiscus starts off as a wheat beer, during the brewing process Hibiscus flowers are added giving the beer a lovely fragrance and a slight acidity.  It pours a rich pink, has a lovely tartness and a flavour all its own.  I often drink this as a refreshing summer beer.

5.9% from Montreal,Quebec
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