Anyway, we tried this Boreale Blonde at a little patio bar downtown. The first place we went to didn’t actually serve food, they were just a bar… that was open early on a Saturday. So we ended up having a warm-up beer before this one (some generic beer if I remember correctly). Alright, so Boreale Blonde, the beer is brewed by Les Brasseurs du Nord in Blainville QC. We only tried this one, but the brewer has about 6 beers in total, all under the Boreale brand.

What they say:

Refreshing and flavourful, Boréale Blonde is an excellent introduction for newcomers to specialty beers. Its crisp velvety taste harmonizes the bitter notes of the hops with the mellowness of the malt.

Drinking. The official (and possibly only) pastime of Alma.

Our Take:

SW – Krissy is drunk already. This should be interesting.

KT – We have only spent an hour in Alma and we are already like the locals. Most of them are probably still hungover from yesterday.

KT – Tastes kind of like the Chaupe blonde beer we had earlier in the week. Not as good though.

SW – It’s good. Lot’s of flavour and good amount of carbonation. I don’t find it distinct though. It just comes across as generic lager to me.

KT – It’s just a nice blonde beer. Better than generic, has a little something something.

SW – I would like to point out that there are 4 patios directly across the street from the church. Plus a bunch more around the corner. Classy place this Alma.

KT – People just drive around in circles downtown. I guess there is nothing else.

SW – There are so many options of where to drink but this may be the Hamilton of Northern Quebec. Look at these locals!

KT – Maybe Chicoutimi is the Hamilton of Northern Quebec. My dad has been there.

SW – We’ll find out tonight! (It wasn’t by the way, Chicoutimi is very nice and bigger than expected.)

KT – I think it is the Elliot Lake of Northern Quebec. So pretty naturally but….

SW – *unimpressed stare*

Our Scores:

KT – B     SW – C+

Drink Again?

Yes.

“A brewery has launched a low alcohol beer called Nanny State after being branded irresponsible for creating the UK’s “strongest beer”.

Scottish brewer BrewDog, of Fraserburgh, was criticised for Tokyo* which has an alcohol content of 18.2%.”

Awesome. How far did they go… 1.1%. Not something I am too interested in actually drinking but I love the idea of launching a protest product.

“However the name of the beer proves that once again this company is failing to acknowledge the seriousness of the alcohol problem facing Scotland.”

Jack Law
Alcohol Focus Scotland

What’s next? Alcohol free whiskey? Sober Irish people? Americans with a taste for self-deprecating humour?

For more cool and original beers that I hope to someday try, check out the BrewDog website.

View from the Patio

What They Say:

Inspired by the traditional beers of Bavaria, Belle Gueule Rousse blends velvety aromas and flavorful Munich malt. Cold fermentation and aging result in a beer of distinction, smoothness and balance.

Our Take:

SW – That’s good. Not strong flavoured but great aftertaste. Taste even better a few seconds after drinking.

KT – It does. Has tang after the initial drink. I like it!

SW – Good carbonation. Not too much but quite a lot.

KT – Malty. It is balanced, whatever that means. This is a beer that makes you just sit back and enjoy.

SW – It’s a good good girlfriend drinking beer because it can be enjoyed slowly. Keeps me out of trouble that way.

Our Scores:

KT – B (Not quite “Ka bow” enough to get that plus)   SW – B+ (yes it is)

Drink Again:

Yeppers.

http://lucidbrewing.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/beer-geek-craft-beer-gatekeepers/

I think we may be! (Don’t tell Krissy)

What they say:

Tremblay is a pale lager made from an all malt grist. The golden color, subtle bouquet and satisfying taste are the result of a delicate balance between malt and hop. Tremblay is a complex blend of fine aromas.

Tremblay on the patio at Illes de Repos.

Our Take:

SW – That is carbonated. Especially after all that flat Export yesterday.

KT – I know it’s a blonde beer but I find the taste a bit weak. Weaker aftertaste and even foretaste.

SW – It’s a good easy common beer. Could serve it to anyone, no one would hate it.

KT – No one would remember it though. I don’t really like it.

SW – Bottle says subtle bouquet and satisfying taste. Maybe a little to subtle.

KT – And not too satisfying.

Our Scores:

KT – C-     SW – C+

Drink Again:

Sure.

mmm... fresh pie

What was less impressive was the restaurant selection in Dolbeau-Mistassini. We biked into town to go to a restaurant and after checking out some very sketchy local places we eventually settled for Mike’s, which is a fairly prominent Quebec chain. They seem to be pretty much everywhere. Not a terrible restaurant chain I guess, but the beer selection left something to be desired. In the end, we figured if you are in Quebec you might as well review what everyone is actually drinking. In this case, Molson Export. The beer was so boring we didn’t actually discuss it much.

Nothing says Northern Quebec like a semi-cold Molson Export at Mike's Restaurant.

Our Take:

SW – Cheap. That’s a plus.

KT – Fits the decor of this town.

SW – With this beautiful downtown?

KT – Hopefully the food will come quickly to mask the taste of this beer.

SW – It’s not gross, I just don’t know why anyone would chose to drink this regularly.

KT – It’s a bit gross. You are lucky I wasn’t here when you ordered it. Used to like it in school, but that might have been Rickards.

SW – It’s better when it’s really cold I think. My roommate used to buy this and it wasn’t this bad. Maybe they make it worse so Quebecers will like it. Either way, light flavour, no personality, very thin head, a bit of lingering aftertaste and a gold colour. Not very distinctive at all.

Our Scores:

KT – C     SW – C

Drink Again?

When necessary.

http://wisdomofbeer.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/poor-man%E2%80%99s-beer-review/

Summed up perfectly with this:

“Consensus: Budweiser is like a tall, ice cold piss in a glass. But at least it was cold.”

I would have choosen the Canadian given those beer options but it would have only faired a little better in the review. Remember, friends don’t let friends drink Bud.

La Chouape Mascot. Fits the feel of the brewery pretty much perfectly.

Up Next: Biere Aux Bleuets Sauvage (Wild Blueberry Ale)

SW – Delicious. I can actually taste the blueberries a little bit, mostly in the aftertaste. Not cloudy like the last blueberry beer we had.

KT – Don’t like it. I have to really imagine the blueberries to taste them.

SW – I think it might be a bit gross if they over fruited it though. I think the hint of blueberry is the point.

KT – It’s not too bad, easy to drink. I just don’t feel inspired to have it again. Catchy as a seasonal beer.

SW – I think the girl working the bar said it was only available in the summer.

Our Scores:

KT – C+     SW – B+

Drink Again:

Yes for Shane. No for Krissy.

Finally: La Chouape Noir a l’Avoine (Dark Oatmeal)

SW – It is a bit sweeter than expected. Definitely some coffee flavour in there.

KT – This is so dark. You’d think it is a knife and fork beer… and it probably is.

SW – Strong flavour and aftertaste. I really enjoy this. It’s overpowering in a good way.

KT – I am breathing oatmeal out my nose.

SW – You are right, it even smells pretty strong. Thick like oatmeal, before Krissy drowns it in milk.

KT – I think you would get hammered off half a glass.

SW – Giggity Giggity!

Our Scores;
KT – B-     SW – A

Drink Again:

You better believe it.

Enjoying a tasting platter at La Chouape. Yum!

First up: La Chouape Blonde “Biere Blonde douce, avec gout que rappelle la cereale.”

KT – Fabulous. I think easy going keg beer but it has a twist.

SW – Good. Very light but not watery. Definitely has a nice flavour.

KT – No apple juice or piss here.

SW – Great aftertaste. It does have a bit of a grainy flavour but without a strong hops flavour.

KT – If I weren’t on my bicycle I would by a summers worth anyway.

SW – The biggest weakness for this beer is how small the glass is!

KT – Rule #1 – never listen to cabbies.

SW – On a non-beer note this pub setting is fantastic!! I would hang out here if it was near my home.

Our Scores:

KT – A (almost A+)     SW – A-

Drink again:

Definitely

Luckily we ordered a couple full sized pints after these little samplers. Taste the quebec goodness.

Next Up: La Chauape Blanche

SW – Has orange and corriander but not as strongly flavoured as many of the other wheat beers.

KT – Fabulous for a white beer. Aftertaste doesn’t linger, which is a good change.

SW – I would like it more if it wasn’t right after that fantastic Blonde beer.

KT – It’s nice. I would drink it again.

SW – Simple flavour, they aren’t trying to hard to put it right in your face. Everyone seems to be making a wheat beer these days, but most of them overdo the corriander and citrus flavour. This beer lets you discover it on your own.

Our Scores:

KT – B+     SW – B+

Drink Again:

Yep

What They Say:

White ale based on Lac-Saint-Jean blueberries, its fruity taste is designed to please everyone, especially in summer. Brewed with genuine fruit, it has a fragile constitution and requires cold storage to preserve its refined taste. At the risk of seeming iconoclastic, try it with a few ice cubes and watch it develop a new personality… 5 %.

Our Take:

SW – I can tast a little bit of blueberry. I think?

KT – You would have to come right out and tell me it was blueberry. Nice taste but it’s a bit flat.

KT – *BURP* *burp* Maybe not so flat.

SW – No head. Not like the BJQ at all. I like it a little but, but that could just be the afternoon of cycling talking. This is a light beer with a bit of sweetness. Not as fruity as I was expecting. I think you only get a hint of blueberries in the aftertaste.

KT – Really do enjoy it. Wonder how it is made.

SW – It is cloudy and definitely not filtered.

KT – Extra chunky. *burp* Really sweet flavour now, wonder if that was the beer or the burp.

Our Scores:

KT – A-     SW – B-

Drink Again?

KT – Yes    SW – Yes (but not regularly)