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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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 6: St. Feuillien Brune

Beer # 305 St. Feuillien Brunne

Brewery: Brasserie St. Feuillien S.A.

Type: Independent Brewery     Est.: 1873

Location: Le Roeulx, Belgium

Beer Style: Dubbel

ABV: 8.5%      IBU: ?

Format: Crown Capped Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 330 ml

Cost: $3.70 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

Twitter: @st_feuillien (French)


Off to Belgium tonight for this high alcohol Abbey Dubbel from St. Feuillien in Roeulx. Belgiam beers seems to be synonymous with Christmas especially here in the LCBO in Ontario. It's usually then when you see all the gift packs of abbey beers, and short squat little stubby-esque bottles appear. I guess it's a combination of the dark malty flavours and the higher alcohol contents. Maybe it's the rarity/gift appeal. Not quite sure, but they are here again and worthy of being included in the # 2-4 Beers of Christmas.

St. Feuillien is a fairly modern and progressive brewery that was opened in 1873, and has remained in one family for five generations. Tonight's beer, their dubbel, was awarded a silver medal at the Brussels Beer Challenge in 2012.

Onto our beer...

Pours a cloudy dark chestnut with an off-tan head made up of small and mediums sized bubbles.Aroma is spicy and rich in malts predominately wheat. First sip is licorice, molasses , some clove, mace, and nutmeg. Some sweetness, with a turbinado sugar taste. Mouthfeel is slightly thick with a light syrup consistency. Rich malts  make this beer drink like a old world style bread, crusty and dark. The finish is spicy and earthy hops, and a gentle warmth from the 8.5 % ABV. Aeration makes the alcohol pop  with warm notes of brandy and dried fruit. Lips are left very sticky. Heavy raisin on the long lingering finish.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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

Final Thoughts:

A nice, rich, heavy dubbel. And when I say heavy, I mean... heavy. I felt like a nap after drinking this beer. However, when one speaks of beer being liquid bread; this is probably the beer they were thinking about. I actually at one point wondered how I could slather some butter on it. It's a tasty beer, full of rich flavours and worthy of some rumination. Check one out when you can.



Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 284 35 & 118 Cream Ale Bushkung Brewing Company

#283 35 & 118 Cream Ale

Boshkung Brewing Company

Carnarvon, Ontario, Canada
Brewery
Cream Ale 
5.0 % ABV IBU: 18
473 ml Aluminium Can
$3.50 (Canadian) At the Brewery

Twitter: @Boshkungbrewing

Finishing up with my last can from boshkung, we end on the last core beer the rather popular 35 & 188 Cream ale. Named for the two highways that intersect in front of the brewery 35 & 118 has won two medals for Boshkungs trophy room. In 2015 they took home a silver for the Cream Ale category at the Canadian Brewing awards, in 2016 they took top spot in the same category.

Onto the cream of the crop...

Pours a light gold colour with a large fluffy white head made up of small bubbles. Nose is malt forward with lots of caramel and straw, Light hints of green hops with a good hit of bitterness. Aeration brings out tart green hops graininess, light spice, and some sweet caramel.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6  PASS
Experience: 4/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

I am disappointed in myself for leaving this one until last. Every beer from Boshkung has been delicious and fantastic. Sadly, Cream Ale is not a preferred style for me... I have never been able to get a taste groove going on them. While the style of this beer is outstanding, I can't enjoy it personally. So I have to leave this on a down note which bothers me a bit, since this is a great beer. Technically, it is crisp, flavourful, well balanced, good malt usage and just the right amount of hops. So in this one case you kinda have to ignore me and go out and try this beer for yourself. If you like Cream Ales, you will love this. I am looking forward to more great things from Boshkung, I hope I can get my hands on some of the seasonals that are coming up.


CJT

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Beer# 280 Hopsta La Vista IPA Longslice Brewery

#280 Hopsta La Vista

Longslice Brewery
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Contract Brewery
India Pale Ale 
6.5 % ABV IBU: 69
473 ml Aluminium Can
$2.90 at the LCBO

Twitter: @LongsliceBrews

Longslice brewery is a new one on me. I was initially attracted by the punny, bright packaging. Started by two brothers from Bracebridge, Jimmy and John Peat who started homebrewing in high school with their Dad... ( way cool Dad!) In 2013 Jimmy Peat took second place in the Toronto Beer Week Homebrew competition with a hybrid English Pale Ale/ American IPA. That beer would go on to become tonight's offering Hopsta La Vista. The Peat Brothers were joined by longtime friend Sebastian Lesch and on March 20 2014 Longslice Brewery was born. In 2015 Hopsta La Vista added another medal to the trophy cabinet taking home a Gold at the Ontario Brewing Awards.

They also have the most awesome retro 1990's style website that made me laugh when I saw it. Please check it out here.

Onto the tasting...

Pours a darker orange amber in colour with an off tan head made up of small bubbles.The nose is malty with a herbal hop and tea nose. First sip is strong and malty with notes of bitter greens black tea. A bit of a creamy mouthfeel. Spikes of pine and cedar with some leather in the background. The beer is viscous, almost oily and clings to the glass when swirled taking on almost a bubbly honey look cascading down the inside of the glass. Aeration gives us some malt and molasses with hints of dried fruit and very mild spice. Finish is bitter herbs and a slight marijuana feeling. 

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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

Final Thoughts:

A very good IPA Deep flavours, well constructed. Great mouthfeel, and well balanced. Definitely pick this one up, if you like full bodied IPAs this is the beer for you.

Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 278 Black Rock Dark Ale Boshkung Brewing Company

#278 Black Rock Dark ale

Boshkung Brewing Company

Carnarvon, Ontario, Canada
Brewery
Dark Ale 
5.5 % ABV IBU: 23
32 oz Brown Glass Half Growler
$7.00 (Canadian) At the Brewery Saloon

Twitter: @Boshkungbrewing


Back again to Boshkung and the second of the two half growlers I bought when I visited the bottle shop by the lake. I will have two more offerings from Boshkung coming up this week as I have to do a little housekeeping. The Fridge of Fame is bursting at the seams with craft beer (Not usually a bad problem...) and I really need to work my way through it.

Tonight's offering is a dark ale and a silver medalist in its category at The Ontario Brewing Awards 2016.

Let's see how it earned it's silver...

Pours a deep chestnut colour with a dark tan head made up of tiny bubbles. Aroma is deeply caramelized sugar, molasses, licorice, and barley biscuits. First sip is smoky rich caramel, coffee, and notes of cola and licorice. Aeration gives you more smoke and espresso, molasses, and vanilla.




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: 5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Nicely complex, lots of layering of flavours. A good beer to sit and ponder. Definitely worthy of award and praise. I would sit and sip this, long into a fall night in front of a campfire. You should too.

Cheers

CJT

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