It was really hard to shop for this beer.
One of the bad things about working from home can often be that you don't get to meet face-to-face with your co-workers. You don't get to go for coffee together or have impromptu chats in the corridor.
That's not so bad for me. I tend to shy away from people, in general. I've given up coffee, and when I'm walking along a corridor, it's always to get from A to B. In the office, I'm basically a bit anti-social, just wanting to get my job done and then get the hell out of there, to explore my own interests.
But the bad thing about not going into the office for me has been that since the pandemic changed my work habits, a new building went up on the street where my work is located. And it's a brewery.
I knew Brasserie du Bas-Canada from when the family and I ventured out east, to the Maritime provinces. Passing through Québec, on the south shores of the St. Lawrence River, we stopped at a shop in Drummondville that sold soup, sandwiches, knick-knacks, and craft beer, and I picked up a few cans from this brewery, which I believe originated in Montreal.
There are now two locations in Gatineau: one, as I said, is on the street where my company is located. You have to drive by the brewery to get to work and pass by it again on the way home.
Last week, I did venture to the office. Not to work from there or meet with any co-workers, though I did see one and said 'hi.' I went to the office to collect the last of my personal effects, some pictures that I had, hanging on walls in a gallery that fellow photographers and I had created several years ago.
I timed my visit to be after I had finished work for the day, when I knew that few people would be in the office. I also timed my visit to coincide when Bas-Canada was open.
The brewery has a quaint taproom with low lighting and cozy tables, as well as a bar. Not being familiar with their current lineup and all but having forgotten past brews I have tried, I gave their menu a look, and I was immediately lost.
It was though I got stabbed right in the heart.
The only beer available were several types of IPA and double-IPA. And not knowing one DIPA from another, I blindly chose one IPA and one DIPA. For today's review, I opened the IPA.
Brasserie du Bas-Canada
Gatineau QC
Appearance: a pale, hazy, creamy orangy-yellow, with a thin, white foamy head that almost immediately disappeared and left an effervescent lace on the surface.
Nose: ripe, almost sweet tangerine and grapefruit, with an essence of lime. The aroma is beautifully inviting.
Palate: bitter grapefruit and pine, with a touch of guava in the finish. The piney bitterness burns the back of the throat and leaves a medium finish. Though there's a high amount of alcohol, you can't taste it (trust me, that's a very good thing).
Overall impression: of course, this is not a true IPA. Not in appearance, nor smell, and very little on the taste. It's more of a New England IPA (NEIPA) or east-coast IPA. It's hazy, it's tropical, it's juicy. Yes, like a classic IPA, it's bitter, but that's it.
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Yes I did. Would I drink it again? Yes again.
Would I buy it again? Hmm...
You see, the menu at Brasserie du Bas-Canada was awash in various iterations of IPA. So many that I didn't know which one I should choose. I ended up selecting Droit au Cœur (Straight to the Heart) because I wanted a classic IPA, and now I'm disappointed that this was not one.
If you're going to only label the beer as an IPA, it had better be a classic IPA. I will rate it accordingly.
Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺 + .5
If you like hazy, juicy ales, this is a good one. Go for it. If you want a true IPA, go elsewhere. Yes, this is a harsh judgement but I rate low when a beer doesn't deliver what it advertises, no matter how good it otherwise is.
Sorry, I don't make the rules (actually, for Beer O'Clock, I do).
I'm almost looking forward to the next time that I have to go into the office. Sometimes, my work involves going in and seeing physical devices, things that can't be shared over a computer or Internet connection.
And when I do go in, I'll time it so that I can pay another visit to Brasserie du Bas-Canada.
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment