Beer of the Week - Soeur Catherine from Petit-Sault Brewers

Teena was in New Brunswick last week and brought me back a couple of bottles of Soeur Catherine from Petit-Sault Brewers, who brew out an old police station in Edmundston, New Brunswick.

The brewery officially opened its doors on July 27, 2014 by tapping its inaugural keg outside the doors of the brewery. Although it is André Léger, Mychèle Poitras and André Morneault who run the brewery, they do have the support of 80 local investors. Now that's community spirit!

Petit-Sault Brewers wanted to do more than just brew beer. They also wanted to tell local stories. For instance, Soeur Catherine is named after a real teacher from the area, Sister Catherine. According to a September 13, 2015, article from The Guardian, "People that had her as a teacher remember her as a very bitter person," said Leger. "Having an IPA named after her was very natural."

And how is the IPA?

First off, I like the stubby bottle and the label. They're both fun.

When I snapped the cap off outside, I found the aroma leaped out into my nose. It was quite citrusy. The beer poured amber in colour with a white head. Lots of lacings line the inside of the glass as I slowly make the beer disappear.

This IPA has a very nice bitterness. Although it was bitter citrus that greeted my nose, the hop bite in this is quite piney ... and extremely enjoyable! It starts with a hop bite that increases in intensity right into the very long finish. This is an extremely well-done ale that I am quite enjoying.

I'm glad Teena brought me back two. Going to have the second while I BBQ.

Thanks Honey!

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 314
Breweries 282
Countries 45

Email. Snail Mail. How About Beer Mail!

Teena spent the last two weeks in New Brunswick on business. In her travels, she found some interesting beer to pick up and bring home for me. The problem was it wouldn't fit in her suitcase along with two weeks worth of clothes.

So what did she do?  She wrapped them up, boxed them and mailed them home. The package arrived at our door today, beating Teena home by a couple of hours.

So, what did I get?

There was one can of Blueberry Ale from Gahan House in Charlottetown P.E.I, two Maybee Brewery IPAs, two Black Banks Cascadian Dark Ales plus two Reanimator Dopplebocks from P.E.I. Brewing, and finally two Soeur Catherine IPA from Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault Inc.

Teena arrived home as I was writing up this post and had in her suitcase a 750ml bottle of North Shore Regiment Barley Wine from Distillerie Fils du Roy Inc.

Thanks, Honey! So many great beers to try!

Beer of the Week - Picaroons Yippee IPA

Good friends of mine, Jim, my old fencing coach from Beaches Sabre Club, and his wife, Wendy, an excellent fencer who kicked my butt on a regular basis, decided to move to Fredericton, New Brunswick, to develop a Sabre fencing program there. Jim now coaches at Damocles Fencing Club.

Pictured below right is Jim, who coached the Canadian sabre contingent at the 2007 Commonwealth Veteran Fencing Championships in Toronto. Jim is at the right, flanked by George, myself and Zolton. Wendy is pictured below to the left at the 2009 New Brunswick Provincial Championships where she came home with a Silver medal.

Meanwhile I had discovered that there was a craft brewery located in Fredericton, Picaroons Brewing Company, and they had an ale they called Yippee IPA. I love IPAs, and love the name. You have to love a fun name like Yippee IPA! So a few months ago, I asked if they had room on their next trip back to visit if they would bring me a couple of bottles.

Just before Christmas I got a Facebook message from them, wanting a bunch of us to get together and the happy news was "Gord, we brought beer!" It was so nice of them to remember.

I was surprised that the Yippee IPA comes in a 500 ML bottle. It also had a stronger alcohol content than I expected weighing in at 6.5% APV. Interesting to note that on the bottle and website it states "This beer may change from batch to batch as we explore the various interpretations of the style." Most companies strive for consistency. Picaroons plays with the recipe. Whether this is good or bad, I don't know but if it constantly is improving, then this is a good thing.

It poured a cloudy brown, suggesting that is unfiltered with some remaining yeast left in the bottle. Nothing on the website says that it is unfiltered or bottle conditioned but the cloudiness tells me that it was not filtered and this is definitely not a bad thing.

There is an instant of maltiness on the first sip and a hint of yeast, which was quickly overpowered by a dry hoppy bitterness. I can only describe it as a thicker tasting ale, which leaves with a long pleasant dry bitter finish.

I love IPAs and love this one.

Yippee for having friends willing to haul beer across three provinces for me, along with all their Christmas presents, clothes and, of course, fencing gear.

Thanks guys!!

Beer of the Week- Pump House Fire Chief's Red Ale

PUMP HOUSE FIRE CHIEF'S RED ALE LCBO
6x341 mL bottle
Price: $ 12.95
5.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : 3
Made in: Moncton New Brunswick, Canada
By: Pump House Brewery Ltd.

LCBO Tasting Note: Deep tawny reddish hued Irish-inspired ale with a lingering nut-like maltiness. Very lightly hopped with a pleasant estery fruitiness expiring to wonderfully smooth finish. Slainte!

This week for the BOTW, I wanted something Canadian. Problem is that there usually is a great variety of Ontario beers and ales to choose from but rarely, except for some Quebec breweries, is it possible to find something Canadian from out of the province.

So yesterday I was surprised and pleased to find 6-packs from Pump House Brewery, located in Moncton, New Brunswick. There were two different offerings from the company, a Blueberry Ale and Fire Chief's Red Ale. Not feeling adventurous enough to by six of the Blueberry, I choose the Fire Chief's Red Ale.

Originally opened as a brew pub by the local Fire Chief Shawn Fraser and his wife Lila, the brewery has been in operation since 1999. They are quite successful having opened a brewing/bottling facility outside of the downtown area. In 2005, they were named Canadian Brewery of the year.

They also have opened a gausthaus/restaurant on the brewery site called the Barn Yard BBQ, which, of course, serves their beer on tap. They call themselves the the only authentic Southern BBQ in Moncton and the menu looks very appetizing.

The Fire Chief's Red Ale pours a nice red colour, as the name indicates, and with a lasting head. The flavour of the malt comes through but does not overpower. It is a very well balanced ale with a pleasant finish that made me happy that I still had five more of them in the fridge to follow.