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• 

  Quebec: La Courlieu, Naufrageur, Carelton-sur-mer

  Posted: March 20th, 2010, 6:58pm CET by Alan McLeod

  This Belgian pale ale from Quebec's Atlantic coast pours a burnished gold... or is it deep amber? I was at the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa yesterday just before I bought it and had a good look at a lot of good looking gold. It's actually much more orange than gold is. Anyway, the froth and rim is sustained by some fairly active carbonation.

  It smells of allspice and barley candy. The malt is cereal grainy with some apple notes and maybe even a tiny bit of cocoa. It is heavily leaned upon by anise and pepper spininess along with a good measure of black tea hoping giving a dry mouthfeel. Some serious questions from the few BAers who have had it but this may have more to do with the decision to transport the beer in growlers the 1,000 km from Gaspe to Gatineau and the resulting opportunities for bottle variation. Interesting to note, however, that four of the brewer's six beers get BAer approved grades of rate B+ or A- so that would not seem to be a general problem. Anyway, I like it plenty but would think anyone who is not into star anise might find it a bit hot. Good NCAA support fluid.

• 

  Again - Where Is The Voice Of We The Drinkers?

  Posted: March 20th, 2010, 2:34pm CET by Alan McLeod

  I was going to post this as a comment at Lew's blog but it is really a tangent to his post about new board members being elected for the US's Brewer's Association. Question: do we have an issue with what the BA does as, in Lew's correct observation, an industry lobbying group in the awareness that "we" the drinkers are not distinctly represented in the dialogue? Is there something about the Brewers Association and other craft brewer marketing efforts that inhibits the development of a consumer's advocacy group?

  Without suggesting an intentional effort or any sort of "gotcha", I do think there is at least some passive effect. Note the BA's motto: "a passionate voice for craft brewers" - is that always in line with being passionate for craft beer? And, really, can't we just "like" stuff? How many six packs of better beer are you going to sell in a corner store if you go around insisting the prospective buyer summons up "passion" for your product?

• 

  Quebec: A Name Change At Marche Omni in Gatineau

  Posted: March 20th, 2010, 2:00am CET by Alan McLeod

  

  Had a mad dash up to the nation's capital the last few days during which I forced 6 members of my family to sit in a parking lot while I hit Marche Jovi in Gatinueau for a quick buy. I was disconcerted to see the new awnings and name - Marche Omni - and feared beer was not going to be the focus it had been. How wrong I was. There is an additional 25-30% shelf space with new brewers and new brands well represented that are practically unknown a few miles south and west into Ontario. I picked up beer by:

  • Microbrasserie Charlevoix from Baie-Saint-Paul including their well loved double and a Vache Folle ESB,
  • Trois Mousquetaires out of Brossard including a six of their basic blond beer. You can tell a lot about a brewery based on how they treat their moneymaker as opposed to their show pieces.
  • Brasseaurs Illimites based on St. Eustache - a six of well made and well priced Simple Malt Cascade IPA at $11.99,
  • A growlers of La Courlieu, 5.9% Belgian blond ale from Microbrasserie le Naufrageur out of Carelton-sur-mer in far eastern Gaspe,
  • a couple from Microbrasserie de l'Ile d'Orleans from oddly enough l'Ile d'Orleans,
  • A 9% strong ale from Microbrasserie le Grimoire from Granby called L'Infernales,
  • one from Le Bilboquet of St.-Hyacinthe, an IPA named after General Cornwallis whose statute I used to pass on undergrad pub crawls...or was it?
  • Microbrasserie La Chouape of Saint Felicien near Lac Saint-Jean, and
  • another, an IPA, from Microbrasserie La Barberie from Quebec City.

  And a bunch more, too. It is a fine collection and, as I said, one that continues to grow under the same ownership that oversaw the shop under the old name. As I packed the van, Marcel, the man in charge whose last name I really need to remember was looking out the window. He had looked pretty busy and I was borrowing time from three generations of the clan but I waved and he waved me back in. He had a couple of bottled set aside he wanted me to try, two special releases by Microbrasserie Charlevoix including a 2009 Dominus Vobiscum Hibernus that I am eager to try after reading the RateBeer comments. Marcel showed me where he would be adding even more space in April, a cross between geek and businessman who knows he is leading the area on a good idea. Like always, petty keen service and one that seems to have a good grasp on the bottles to highlight and the ones that don't continue to get shelf space. Happy to shop there and will again.