The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 9: Mons Abbey Witte, Belgh Brasse

Beer # 308 Mons Abbey Witte

Brewery: Belgh Brasse

Type: Independent Microbrewery     Est.: 1999

Location: Amos, Quebec, Canada

Beer Style: Flavoured Belgian Wheat

ABV: 5.0%      IBU: ?

Format: Cork Stoppered Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 750 ml

Cost: $8.00 CAD     Purchased At: The Beer Store

Twitter: @BelghBrasse


Off to Quebec tonight for a double tasting, this beer and it's sister product (coming up in the next post) hails from a Belgian brewer that moved to a small town in Quebec. The water for this beer is drawn off of the Abitibi Esker, so it is ancient, crystal, clear, glacier water. The witte is one of the four mainstay products of Belgh Brasse (The others are Dubbel, Blonde and Quadruppel all under the Mons Abbey name). Mons, isn't actually an Abbey, well certainly not here in Quebec. Abbey just means it is brewed in the Belgian Abbey Style, Mons is the town in Belgium that the brewer, Jean-Louis Marcoux, is from. The list of awards this beer has won is far too long to be detailed here. If you want they are listed on the product page here check them out. And let's check out the beer.

Onto our beer...


Pours a cloudy light gold with a bright white head made up of tiny bubbles. Aroma is certainly not confined to the glass. Just walking across the room from my photography table to my computer desk the room was filled with aromas of orange peel and coriander. A fact that is only doubled down as I put my nose in the glass. Nose is intense coriander, and bright green herbals. orange peel backs it up with soft notes of toasted wheat. Very faint hints of florals in the background and the scent of a freshly opened bag of baking flour. First sip is a soft well balanced wheat beer with smooth orange note (no bitter pith taste!).  Coriander's intensity stays on the nose, however it dances across the tongue very gently only to serve as counterpoint to the earthy wheat and the bright citrus. Mouthfeel is light and airy. One of the most balanced beers I have ever tried. Aeration bring out the yeast and more of the orange peel.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6  EXCEPTIONAL
Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Cheer: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:

This is a fantastic witte beer, one suitable for anytime drinking, let along at Christmas. I would be just as happy sipping this on a patio mid summer. But the easy drinking warm aromas make this a win for Christmas too. Put this until the mistletoe for guaranteed kisses (Kisses not actually guaranteed...).

Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 281 Lawrence of Arabica Coffee Orange Porter Amager Bryghus

#281 Lawrence of Arabica Coffee Orange Porter
Collaboration with 18th Street Brewery


Amager Bryghus

Kastrup, Denmark
Independent Microbrewery
Flavoured Porter
7.0 % ABV 32 IBU
500 ml Brown Glass Bottle
$6.30 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @18thStreetBrew


It's been a while since I had a beer from Amager in Denmark. They tend to be quite good. However I didn't originally pick this up because it was from Amager, I didn't even know it was a collaboration until I logged in on Untappd. I was initially struck by the artwork on the bottle, and I'm a sucker for good ( read: bad) puns. So basically I bought it because it was punny. Tonight's offering, aside from being the aforementioned collab between Amager Bryghus of Denmark and 18th Street Brewery of Hammond Indiana, Is a coffee and orange peel infused strong porter. 

Onto tonight's tasting...

Pours an inky black/brown with a thin dark chestnut coloured head. Aroma is smoky, slightly tarry, with chocolate, coffee, molasses, and charcoal. First sip is a deeply roasted malt with strains of dark coffee and espresso. A slight charred bitterness, with light hints of citrus and a minute sparkle on the back of the tongue. As the beer warms a nice woodsy whiskey flavour. The orange is more evident at warmer temperatures. Aeration bring out smoky wood, and charcoal campfire coffee, and hints of vanilla.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  5/6  PASS
Experience:  5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

This is a wonderful beer. very flavourful, aromatic and complex. This sultry smoky deliciousness is exactly what a porter should be. The coffee and the orange are light enough to compliment the dark roasted malts, and not too heavy as to hijack the taste profile. Well balanced and worth a try.


CJT


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Beer # 58 Great Lakes Orange Peel Ale

Orange Peel Ale

Great Lakes Brewery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Independent)

Flavoured Ale 5.3% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650ml

 $4.95 (Canadian) At LCBO.

Great Lakes Brewery still stands out in my mind to this day as the best beer tour I have ever had. I was escorted around the brewery by a fellow who I wish I could remember the name of. We climbed up onto all of the equipment. Tasted beer out of the finishing tanks. The gentleman was very knowledgeable, impassioned, and caring about his job and his product. It is something that has remained with me, a benchmark in my mind. People who care about their beer, make the best beer. Tonight's offering is one of the beers from Great Lakes seasonal staples. The others being Green Tea Ale, Pumpkin Ale and the previously tasted Winter Ale.  On to the tasting.


Very light copper in colour with the scarcest hint of orange. White head with small bubbles fairly long lasting. Aroma is orange peel and essential oils, some spice, cloves and cinnamon. First sip gives us a very light ale. Orange is in the background, some medicinal hops, slightly tangy or bitter finish not unlike the zip of fresh orange zest. The style of beer is pale ale. The website claims that there is five malts and five hops in the mix as well as honey and orange peel. The body of the beer is very thin, but refreshing.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

                                                                                                               

Cost:  5/6  PASS

Colour:  5/6  PASS        

Beer Style:  4/6 SO-SO  

Re-Order:  5/6 PASS   

Experience:   5/6  PASS

Final Thoughts:
A very good tasting beer, however, very thin. The body is lacking and thus brings the beer style score down. Suitable for our hot summer patios with perhaps a nice BBQ, mind you... not many beers don't go well with BBQ! Tomorrow we will travel down to the States to try another orange flavoured beer that I was very excited to find here in Ontario!
Cheers
CJT