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Saison Duval – Brasserie Auval

Saison – 6% – De Val d’Espoir, Gaspésie, Québec.

Saison – 6% – From Val d’Espoir, Gaspésie, Québec.
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 = 3.9/5

Bright dark straw color with storming activity. With the yeast pour it gets deep cloudy with floating detritus. Creamy and frothy white 2-3 finger head, lasting around 15-20 minutes, with generous legs and swirl reaction. Flavors of lemon, orange, pineapple, wheat, brett yeast, and floral hops. Slick and silky medium to full body with a zesty sharp crisp. Medium strength finish, moderate straw and barnyard effect, some honey with flowery hops and a tropical feel. Soft dryness but a prominent maillard sensation. More hoppy and floral than usual, less of a « cheesy » wild profile. As more yeast is poured it gets more citrusy and lemony. This is a cross Saison/IPA. Very well rounded and highly fresh, though slightly too much sugars. Overall high quality craft.

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Pale Ale Américaine – Brasserie Dunham

Pale Ale Américaine – 5.5% – From Dunham, Montérégie, QC.

American Pale Ale – 5.5% – From Dunham, Montérégie, QC.
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4 = 3.91/5

Veiled and cloudy dark straw color, almost golden, with lots of activity. Thick foamy, almost creamy, light beige 3 finger head, lasting around 10-15 minutes, with average legs. Flavors of sweet grains, caramel, orange, grapefruits, wheat, Wild yeast, herbal and floral hops. Slick and smooth full body with prickly carbonation and a sharp crisp. Medium to strong strength finish, moderately tropical, slightly leafy and piney but more flowery, with a light straw and bardyard effect. A bit spicy in a coriander kind of way. Very close to an IPA in style, even closer to Belgian IPA so I’m not convinced about calling this an American interpretation. Although it’s highly refreshing and well polished, highly drinkable and pleasant. Really good balance. Overall high quality craft.

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Transylvanian Pale Ale – Microbrasserie Kruhnen

Pale Ale Transylvanienne (IPA Rousse), 7%, de Blainville, nord de Montréal.

Transylvanian Pale Ale, 7%, from Blainville, north of Montréal.
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4 = 3.93/5

Clear, slightly veiled, dark amber color with tons of activity. Gets cloudy as more yeast is poured. Thick foamy and frothy, a bit creamy, beige 3-4 finger head, lasting around 15 minutes, with good legs and lacing. Flavors of roasted grains dominant barley, clove, pears, caramel, mint, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and herbal hops. Soft and smooth medium body with a light crisp. Strong strength finish, lightly earthy and quite leafy, thick lingering bready malts on the tongue. Lots of sugars with high bitterness. As more yeast is poured you get more fruit effect of estery orange peels and grapefruits, kinda Belgian? Still feels more like a cross English IPA and spicy red ale, some autumn drinking qualities and halloween themed. The freshness is alright but effectively robust so it lacks accessibility. Though the flavors are well balanced still making this an enjoyable brew. I dig the complexity and interpretation. Overall very good quality craft.

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Blanche Beaumont – Brasserie Auval

Ale de blé Américaine, 4.9%, de Val d’Espoir, Québec.

American Wheat Ale, 4.9%, from Val d’Espoir, Québec.
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 = 4.04/5

Dense hazy and cloudy dark straw color with lots of activity. Extra foamy, bubbly and frothy, 4-5 finger sparkling head, lasting around 15 minutes, with faint legs but decent swirl reaction. Flavors of sweet grains dominant wheat, lemon, pineapples, passion fruit, wild yeast, floral hops. Slick and smooth medium body with light prickly carbonation but a good crisp at the end. Light to medium strength finish, a bit of straw and thick wheat feel, highly flowery with dry hops, kinda noble like a hoppenweisse but also similar to a table Saison or rustic pale ale from the light bardyard feel. Quite fresh and filling. Overall very good quality craft.

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Solstice d’Hiver – Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

Vin d’orge Américain, 10.2%, de Montréal, Québec.

American Barleywine, 10.2%, from Montréal, Québec.
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4 = 3.86/5

Aged around 6 months : Deep murky dark brown color with a copper hue and lots of activity. Light creamy and bubbly beige 1-2 finger head, lasting around 5-10 minutes, with poor legs but strong lacing yet wild swirl effect. Flavors of walnuts, dark berries, prunes, liquorice, vanilla, toffee, cinnamon, dark grains dominant barley, and herbal hops. Slick and oily medium body with a light crisp. Strong strength finish, quite alcoholic and whiskey like with a slightly leathery feel. Thick ester fruits, leafy and earthy. Very lightly sour from the aging, so it did age well, it’s not really vinous but more boozy and less fruity. Rich and powerful, yet the balance is good, ending with a nice barrel feel. It’s the bold type of barleywine for real cold times. Could easy fit as an appetizer but would really appreciate a big portion for warming sessions. Easy to down and still highly enjoyable. Overall high quality craft.

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L’Arlequin – Microbrasserie Pit Caribou

IPA Double Américaine, 8%, de l’Anse-à-beaufils, Québec.

American Double IPA, 8%, from Anse-à-beaufils, Québec.
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 = 3.94/5

Deep cloudy, slightly veiled, golden color with hard to see activity. Creamy light beige 2-3 finger bubbly head, lasting around 10-15 minutes, with good legs and swirl effect. Flavors of pineapples, mangos, lemon, caramel, wheat, herbal and floral hops. Creamy and silky medium to full body with light prickly carbonation and a soft crisp at the end. Strong strength finish, tropical all the way, citrusy and slightly vinous, also quite yeasty and zesty with a hint of straw and bardyard effect. Robust but well balanced flavors, some English style of dry hops. Really smooth with good freshness. Overall high quality craft.

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Amiral Gin Ale – Le BockAle

Ale Épicée et Herbacée (champignons), 6.9%, de Drummondville, Québec.

Herbed and Spiced Ale (mushroom feel), 6.9%, from Drummondville, Québec.
look: 2.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4 = 4.01/5

Bottle Lot 003 : Clear golden color with poor activity. Foamy, slightly creamy, white 2 finger head, lasting around 5-10 minutes, not much legs nor swirl effect. Strong dominant sweet clove and nutmeg smell, quite unique and interesting. Flavors of flowers, nutmeg, lemon, coriander, dark berries, clove, sweet grains, and herbs. Slick and almost creamy full body with prickly carbonation. Medium strength finish, sugary cinnamon and grainy, sour dark fruits and orange, thick herbal, a bit minty with lingering leafy hops. Weird feel of old straw or forest mushrooms, hard to explain but it’s heavily vegetal, not bad at all and having lots of character and complexity! Slightly dry but still quite fresh. Overall high quality craft, it’s experimental and strange at first but I get to enjoy it. Fits well in the categories of amber or brown ale in the feel, without even being that dark.

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Patersbier – Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company

Pale Ale Belge rustique, Série Farm Table, 4.7%, de Vankleek Hill, Ontario.

Rustic Belgian Pale Ale, Farm table series, 4.7%, from Vankleek Hill, Ontario.
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 = 3.84/5

Hazy straw color with low activity. Deep cloudy with the yeast. Foamy and slightly creamy light beige 2-3 finger head, lasting around 10 minutes, with poor legs and a decent swirl effect. Flavors of lemon, sweet grains, wheat, spices, Belgian yeast, Wild yeast, caramel, and floral hops. Slick and oily medium to full body with strong crispy carbonation. Light to medium strength finish, sharp and dry, a slightly vinous with citrusy dry hops, a bit of straw and flowery. A cross between Pale Ale and Saison from hints of cheese, kinda like a Belgian rustic pale ale. The maillard effect is too pronounced and overwhelming. So it lacks a bit of complexity. Feels a bit more alcoholic, like 7%. Balanced bitterness and sugars. Still really fresh and pleasant to drink. Overall high quality craft.

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Évangéline & Gabriel – Distillerie Fils du Roy

Black & Tan en Amérique, ou un Half & Half au Royaume-Uni, ?%, de Petit-Paquetville, Nouveau-Brunswick.

A Black & Tan in America, or a Half & Half in the U.K., ?%, from Petit-Paquetville, New Brunswick.
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 = 3.86/5

Conceptualized from an Acadian Legend of Évangeline and lover Gabriel, originally created for a black and tan. Copper at the bottom, golden at the top. Clear with lots of activity. Both colors holds up very well and were truly crafted to be combined, even a swirl doesn’t mix them up. Slightly creamy beige 1-2 finger head, lasting around 5 minutes, with light legs and not much swirl effect. Flavors of spruce, mint, walnuts, toffee, sweet grains, barley, herbal hops. Slick and slightly creamy medium body with a moderate crisp. Medium strength finish, moderaty leafy and minty, rich in walnuts and cinnamon, with a hint of wood. Quite sugary but still well intensified, and the flavors are well balanced too. The combination really brings up both styles in very well made unison. Makes a nice autumn or winter brew. Évangeline’s boozy nature is gone, while the overly minty feel of Gabriel is attenuated. Would be better with a more dominant yeast profile me think, although you get an American feel to it. Overall very good quality craft.

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Docker IPA – Brasseur De Montréal

IPA Américaine, 6.8%, de Montréal.

American IPA, 6.8%, from Montreal.
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 = 3.88/5

Deep hazy dark gold color with lots of activity and a yeast cloud. Creamy and frothy light beige 2 finger head, lasting around 15 minutes, with a bit of legs, but having a great swirl effect. Flavors of pineapples, mangos, orange, lemon, soft pine, sweet grains, light caramel, and herbal hops. Slick and oily medium to full body with prickly and crisp carbonation. Strong strength finish, slightly leafy, more tropical, citrusy, and floral with dry hops. Residual notes are quite pleasant and well balanced. Nice intensity ending quickly clean. Solid IPA and American interpretation. Overall very good quality craft.