14 April 2007

TN: Harold & Maudite

[label]Unibroue “Maudite” (Québec) – Dark, raisined and slightly smoky, with good weight and balance, plus a peppery complexity and a long, smooth finish. (4/07)

7 comments:

Brewnoser said...

Nice beer, isn't it? I prefer the Trois Pistoles from that brewery's stable, but you can't go wrong with La Maudite.

A new Quebec Micro caught my eye, and palate this last trip up. Charlevoix. Bottle conditioned beers in 500 ml size. A line of Belgian styles, and a line of British styles. All very good.

I found the place to buy Quebec produced wine, cider, mead and beer. It is called La Marche des Saveurs and it is in Jean Talon Market, along one side of the square. All Quebecois product - cheeses and breads and maple things too. There is a great frommagerie in the market already (Hamel), and a new one just opened.

You'd like it there, and I suspect you have been already.

Brewnoser said...

Oh, that's in Montreal... guess I didn't say that.

thor iverson said...

Yes, I knew it was in Montréal. ;-)

I've been to Jean Talon, but not to that merchant, though I think I've passed it at some point. I used to buy stuff at the beer shop up the street from l'Express, but that's closed (or I can't find it anymore, if it's not), so thanks for the rec. I'll look next time, which will be...well, I don't know. Someone I know must be having a bachelor party soon...

Unibroue's pretty available in New England, so that's not really a problem. But I haven't seen Charlevoix. It sounds right up my alley.

I too prefer(red) the Three Pistols, and Le Fin du Monde as well, but I was pleased to see that this didn't show any apparent slippage, which has not been the case with all their brews.

Brewnoser said...

You would know, but someone else, maybe not. I assume I'm not the only one who reads this.

I was on a two city trip, in the Toronto areas as well, picking up some wines ordered through Vintages that a friend was holding for me.

I managed to get some of the Le Clos Jordanne wine, just the basic Village wine, but have since tasted two of the single vineyard reds. This stuff is for real. It will be showcased at some big upcoming Pinot show in San Francisco, I hear.

Beer wise, I brought back micro lagers for the summer deck. Creemore Springs and King Pils, the latter being my fave Canadian Lager in a bottle.

We can buy lots of good ale here now. But good lager is sorely missing. Only Euro versions that, since PU was redone by yeast scientists, offer very little interest and complexity any more.

thor iverson said...

I assume I'm not the only one who reads this.

You never know. ;-)

Anyway, I'm not a lager fan. Maybe a Sapporo in a sushi bar with no decent sake choices, but otherwise...ales for me, please.

Brewnoser said...

Oooohh.... That's a troll for me....
But I will not succumb. Let's just say I view that comment as similar to someone saying they like wine, just not white wine.

thor iverson said...

Obviously, my trolling skills have atrophied. ;-)

But to be even more trollish...I don't actually like beer as a general category. I like specific kinds of ale, almost all of them the styles mastered in Belgium, with some interlopers from the British Isles, and their copycats around the globe. With the exception of wits, the styles I like are almost all heavier and stronger. And I have a (perhaps unnatural to a purist) affection for ales with flavorings...and I'm not really talking about things that taste like fermented blueberries, but things like (again) wits and other spiced Belgian-type styles. I will drink and appreciate broader categories of ale, if that's what's available, but I'd rather have a Trappist than an IPA any day of the week.