Mar 25, 2011

A L’abri De La Tempête Corne de Brume

Corne de Brume label

I’m not entirely sure when or where I picked this beer up. It might have been on a trip to Kybecca in Fredericksburg, VA last month. At any rate, this 9% ABV oak aged Wee Heavy comes from a brewery I hadn’t heard of before out of Quebec — an area from which I’ve been seeing more and more highly crafted artisan beers.

I’ve had a few Scotch Ales/Wee Heavies in my time, but it’s never been a style that I have really explored before. And I know that putting anything and everything on oak seems to be a trend the past couple of years, but if this is direction that breweries could potentially take this style of beer, I’m all in. Corne du Brume (translated as “foghorn”) is a deliciously rich beer that I wish I had purchased more of.

Appearance

Copperish in color this beer sits in the glass with a brilliant, garnet edge. The tan head faded to a patchy ring.

Aroma

This beer smells amazing. Hints of oak, vanilla, subtle sugars, wafts of banana, booze and a slight level of spicy hops all come together in a fairly complex nose.

Taste

Wow. Banana and vanilla come in quickly up front then fade through an oaky presence into a light hop bitterness in the warming, boozy finish. The sticky malt sweetness and medium bodied slickness along with the higher ABV make for a beer to be enjoyed slowly. This is a brew to savor and relish all the complex nuances it has to offer.

Overall

I’m not entirely sure how large of a brewery/brewpub Brasserie A L’abri De La Tempête may be or how their other products have faired, but I love what they are doing with this particular beer. Corne de Brume is a unique take on a Wee Heavy. It’s a rich, complex and thoroughly wonderful drinking experience.

Rating:4/5

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