The Canada Break

My fellow beer lovers, we are taking a quick break from our Leinenkugel spotlight to take a look at a couple of beers that I was able to sample on my recent trip to Quebec. Now, for being our neighbors to the North, I have never really gotten a chance to sample what Canada has to offer us. While on my recent trip up north I knew I would have to get a good sampling of what Canada has to offer all of us. I tried to sample some of the common beers found in the country and try and fit in some that I have never heard. (plus it helped if it was served in the bars/restaurants that I visited) Here's a list of the five beers that I had with Banam (the mascot of the winter carnival happening in Quebec while I was there) while I enjoyed the lovely city of Quebec:

-Le Cheval Blanc Saison Réserve

-Molson Export

-Labatt Wildcat Lager

-Labatt Bleue

-La Brise Du Lac


I knew that I needed to get my hands on some of the beers that Molson and Labatt produced up in Canada but I also wanted to try some of the beers that I haven't heard of before or that were distinct to the Quebec region. On my first night I was able to sample the Le Cheval Blanc which is native to Montreal and on my last night I was surprised to be able to sample a beer from a small brewery in the region, La Brise Du lac. The others I was able to either try at a bar or buy while in the city. The first beer we'll look at is the Molson Export, labeled on menu's and what not as the Molson Ex and contains a pretty average if not a little below average ABV of 4.9%. At first glance it looks like a pretty average beer, light and golden in color and when you take your first sip, nothing really special happens. It's a pretty average beer with a pretty average taste. You get a slight bitter/hoppy taste while drinking which tends a linger on the tongue for a while. A beer that you won't say no to but definitely is not going to your first choice at local pub.

Next up is the Le Cheval Blanc Saison Réserve, which is a brett style beer (which if you are not well versed in the beer lingo makes the beer have almost a sour taste). This is not my first experience with the brett style and so I wasn't as surprised as the first time I tasted this style of beer. The beer definitely has the sour taste which comes with hints of fruit but is not as strong as others that I have had which is personally more enjoyable because a sour rotten fruit taste in my beer does not really do it for me but the Le Cheval Blanc is able to tame the taste a little making it more enjoyable. This particular brett I actually enjoyed and ordered another one with my meal. It is a beer that a newcomer to the beer tasting world should start with when experiencing this type of beer.

I'm going to group the two Labatt beers together because they are brewed by the same company, the Labatt Brewing Company. The Labatt Bleue Pilsner, was the first of the two beers that I tried from this particular brewery and I have to say I was a little disappointed. Now I wasn't disappointed because of the bad flavor of the beer, but more because I was expecting more from it. The beer is a typical pilsner type beer with a little bit of a bitter taste but nothing that makes it undrinkable. The beer is pretty comparable to the typical light beers of America like Bud light with taste and ABV being 4.9%. I was expecting a little more taste from the average Canadian beer but I guess the average Canadian beer isn't much different than our average American beer. Overall, the beer tastes okay and is something that I would drink again hanging outside with some buddies, but only if I don't have to pay extra for import costs. The other Labatt beer that I was able to sample was the Wildcat Lager which in my opinion was a huge disappointment and this time it was because of the lack of taste. The beer posts the same ABV of their pilsner 4.9% but lacks any sort of taste that the pilsner brought to the table. Where the Labatt Bleue boasts some flavor and, like as I said before, is a decent beer to drink while hanging out on a Saturday afternoon, the Wildcat Lager is a beer that is available at the "open bar" parties that your company provides because of how cheap it is and really has little to no taste. On the bright side the beer promotes having no added preservatives so I guess that counts for something. This is definitely not a beer that I would recommend and would actually recommend that people stay away as to not get a bad impression of Canadian beers.

The last beer on the list, La Brise du Lac, is definitely the best beer that I tried while in Quebec and comes from the smallest brewery as well. I was able to sample this one at a nice little restaurant called the Crazy Pig, and it had very good taste that I was extremely excited about. This beer comes from the Archibald Microbrasserie which is a micro brewery located in the Quebec region. The beer has a nice hoppy flavor that is paired really well with the slight fruit flavors that the beer has. The beer doesn't pack the punch with alcohol content with a 4.8% ABV but that does not take away from the decent taste it provides. Absolutely the best beer that I was able to sample in Quebec.

Overall I feel like I kind of let myself down with my beer tasting experience while in Canada on a number of levels. First, going into the trip I knew that I wanted to try a number of different types of beers but also sample the common beers that are produced in the country. That was my first mistake because it was like coming to the US and sampling Bud light, Miller Light, and Coors Light and realizing that they all were the same average beer. The second was not having a plan on which beers that I wanted to try prior to making the trip. Overall, I feel like I got a good spectrum of different beer flavors and different qualities why in Canada. There are some beers that I am absolutely going to make sure I have again.

Overall Scores:
-Le Cheval Blanc Saison Réserve - 5.9
-Molson Export - 5
-Labatt Wildcat Lager - 2.6
-Labatt Bleue - 4.8
-La Brise Du Lac - 6.7

BG

This was just a break in our Leinenkugel tour. Keep posted for more entries in our current Leinenkugel series. Also, let me know what you think, post your comments.