January 2011 Archives

I'm a big fan of the recent trend of breweries to experiment with aging some of their stronger beers on wood (especially the BrewDog Paradox series) and was happy to find an end-island display of St. Ambroise Stout Impériale Russe from McAuslan Brewing at La Trappe à Fromage in Gatineau (5,99$ + deposit and taxes).

Their Oatmeal Stout is nothing short of phenomenal so I had big hopes for this one as well. The initial aroma upon opening the bottle did not disappoint, but I found the taste to be too dry and roasted bitter for my palate.  My wife (a professed lover of stouts but not necessary of wood-aged beers) quite liked it so I might be missing something that I shouldn't.
I'm going to age my remaining two bottles for a couple of years before I make my final judgement on this one.

Microbrasserie Charlevoix has long been one of my favourite breweries, primarily for the interpretations of class Belgian abbey styles in their Dominus Vobiscum series.  I recently purchased the latest addition to their Double IPA series, Vache Folle Centennial Double IPA, from Brouhaha in Gatineau (4,99$ + deposit and taxes).
Recommended

I've always had a soft spot for breweries in Peterborough, first Kawartha Lakes and then Olde Stone.  Luckily, the city is lunch stop on the trip from home to see my parents so I get to stop by The Publican House Brewery 2 or 3 times a year to pick up some of their wonderful Square Nail Pale Ale.  A friend and aspiring homebrewer stopped by over New Years so we cracked a growler that I picked up at Thanksgiving.  This is a wonderful American Pale Ale, generously hopped with an appropriate amount of Cascade.

Recommended.