Throughout our trip in the Laurentians—it's hard to believe we've already been back for more than a month—DW and I managed to find lots of great places with fabulous craft ale. And while our vacation was about kayaking and exploring this beautiful region of Québec, we didn't think it was going to be a beer road trip.
And yet, it kind of turned out to be one.
From our first night out, away from our campsite, we found lots of microbreweries and pubs that sold local craft beer. And on one night, in Tadoussac, after a fabulous dinner at an upscale restaurant where we both decided that we didn't want to drink alcohol, we still managed to find some interesting beer after our meal.
Earlier in the day, after some kayaking in Baie Tadoussac and the mouth of the Saguenay River, DW and I got cleaned up and went for lunch at Microbrasserie Tadoussac, overlooking the bay and next to our hotel. There, we shared a pizza and a sampler of their brews.
We were going to pick up an interesting gose that we tried but unfortunately, they were sold out of the cans. Our server told us that the local grocery store carries it, so that's where we went after our dinner outing.
Sadly, while the store had lots of their beer, as well as a couple of brews from La Souche, they didn't have the Krill gose that we wanted. But while we were searching, we did decide to pick up a couple of cans from other microbreweries and bring them home.
DW picked up a sour ale from La Souche, which I'm hoping she'll share and let me review. I saw an interesting beer from a brewery on the northwest shore of the St. Lawrence, across from the island of Montréal.
What caught my attention was that the beer was a mango IPA. It was also low in alcohol for an IPA. All too often, as I stated in a past review, Québec brewers tend to put out brews with high alcohol levels: it's nice to see the opposite of that.
I absolutely love mangoes so I grabbed a couple of cans, finally opening one this week.
Simple Malt Brasseurs
Saint-Eustache QC
Appearance: a dense, apricot-pink colour that was like a pale ruby grapefruit juice. The fizzy, white head settled within seconds to a fine lace, and then just tiny pearls that churned at the surface.
Nose: fresh oranges and mangoes.
Palate: a light, watery start that has the lightest body. On the first sip, I could have been convinced that this was actually a non-alcoholic beer but on the next sip, a bitter grapefruit rind came through with just a hint of orange and even fainter mango. The finish is medium, with the grapefruit rind lingering whilst all other characteristics fading away.
Overall impression: after my first sip, I was sure that I wasn't going to like this IPA. It didn't look like an IPA with it's hazy fruit-punch appearance. The lack of any sustained head seemed a bit of a concern. The fruity nose was nice but didn't stand out. And when it initially tasted like a non-alcoholic beer, I was sceptical as to whether I'd even finish my pint.
But after a few mouthfuls, the grapefruity-mango flavours grew on me. The bitterness was IPA if not the body. While I don't think this is a particularly good IPA, it's a nice, light, fruity beer. I won't likely purchase it again but I'll enjoy the second can of what I have.
Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺
I still have a couple more brews from our vacation to share with you, so stay tuned.
Cheers!
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