The camping season has FINALLY started and we’re celebrating it as it should be with three great suggestions from Sylvain Bouchard, beer sommelier.
See also: Original and colorful beers that everyone will love
1- Miss Manon, Brasserie La Mouche, Natashquan
5% alcohol. /Flight.
Price: $6.49 / 500ml
Serve at a temperature between 4 and 7 degrees Celsius
The first beer comes from one of the province’s easternmost breweries, La Mouche Brewery in Natashquan on the north coast. Whether it’s because of the hordes of mosquitoes attacking campers, or because many of them take advantage of the fly-fishing opportunity while camping, a name like “La mouche” fits the “camping beer” theme perfectly. The beer, named “Miss Manon”, is inspired by German Hefeweizen, a wheat beer that is smooth and with very little bitterness.
Veiled beer of golden color, slightly topped with a small collar. On the nose we easily perceive the spicy notes of cloves (thanks to the phenols) and fruity notes of banana (thanks to the esters), typical of it due to its German yeast. In the mouth we immediately find the same aromas, followed by wheat notes that provide a nice acidity and freshness. The whole thing is, as befits the style, slightly bitter. Thanks to the fermentation in the bottle, the perlage is lively and even spicy. Sweet, low alcohol, tangy and refreshing, brings lots of sunshine because that’s what it is, a camping beer.
2-Road Beer, La Souche Microbrewery, Stoneham
3.5% alcohol. /Flight.
Price: $5.49 / 473ml
Serve at a temperature between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius
Treasure! We can go. The tank is full. The image of a family car loaded like a camel on the way to the campsite is synonymous with summer vacation. And this is exactly the picture that the La Souche de Stoneham brewery presents to us with their Bière de Route, an English mild ale with Wulong tea.
Orange colored beer with a rather thin neck. On the nose it is a more floral tea that first greets our nose, followed by butterscotch and finally the fruity notes of the tea. In the mouth we find a caramel malt without the usual sweet taste. Wulong tea, on the other hand, brings notes of pear and apricot, but also an excellent typical dryness (astringency). The obvious English yeast (pepper notes) makes sense in this set. It is dry rather than bitter and has a rather lean body. For lovers of typically English beers: refreshing, light, balanced and low in alcohol, too bad it can only be a road beer in our dreams!
3- Talk, Talk, Talk, Microbrasserie Jackalhop, Plessisville
3.8% alcohol/vol.
Price: $5.49 / 473ml
Serve at a temperature between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius
More than any other summer activity, camping offers you an opportunity to get away from it all. The long days outdoors with relatives and friends offer the ideal setting to discuss all topics. It’s easy to talk when camping. The guys from the Jackalhop microbrewery in Plessisville in the Bois-Francs region offer an IPA session with only 3.8% alcohol called “Parle parle, jase jase” that will guide you through the long oral exchange.
Light blonde beer with an impressive haze character and a rather thin neck. The nose is fruity (tangerine, pineapple, mango) thanks to modern hops used in dry hopping. It smells like sun! On the palate, the coveted fruity character of NEIPA is hidden behind a surprisingly rich texture for so little alcohol. A very lively (!) liveliness, which is rather rare for this style, and a low 3.8% alcohol content convey a feeling of very pleasant lightness. You say camping beer?!?