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Le Mondial de la Bière 2002 - June 2002The last time I was at Montréal's Mondial de la Bière, the weather gods were singularly unco-operative. The location was the old port of the city, where extremes in climatic conditions are felt all too severely, and conditions on the opening day were nothing if not extreme. Wind and rail buffeted the tent so badly that at one point I feared I was about to be a part of a 'Wizard of Oz' re-enactment. When the sun came out and burned hot and bright the next day, the cement steamed.Thankfully, circumstances were much more forgiving this year. Not only was the weather more hospitable, so was the location -- the newly renovated and restored Windsor Station. So rather than the wind kicking up the swirling sands of the old port, the atrium of the station provided all weather comfort while the courtyard offered a partially covered open-air venue that was more than conducive to beer sampling. And, it deserves to be noted, the bathroom facilities were by far superior to any I have encountered at any other beer festival, anywhere. Adding to my delight was the fact that the Mondial featured a great selection of brews, many new to even a jaded old beer scribe like myself. The 'Petit Pub du Mondial de la Bière' offered a wide selection of Canadian, American, French and English ales and lagers, some familiar and others not, including such choice pours as Dogfish Head's Raison d'Etre from Delaware, Fuller's London Porter from England and the terrifically hoppy yet still balanced Hop Infusion Ale from Pennsylvania's Weyerbacher Brewing Company. The other booths, featuring individual breweries, sharing brewpubs or importing companies, provided a wide selection in their own right. Unibroue, the now-famous Belgium-influenced brewery from Chambly, Québec, brought three new beers to the show: A granny smith apple-ish Éphémère aux Pommes, which was already proving to be a crowd favourite two days into the fest, the spicy Fringante, and the dark, intense and fabulously complex Terrible. Québécois neighbours Les Brasseurs du Nord countered with a wonderfully chocolaty Boréale Noire, which struck me as significantly improved from the last time I had tasted it, and Les Brasseurs RJ showcased their under-licence Blonde d'Achouffe, a beer related to, but not the same as, the southern Belgian La Chouffe. The resurrected Ferme Brasserie Schoune, another Québec brewery, had a number of beers on offer, but many seemed to be MIA whenever I wandered over to the brewery's booth to try them. I did try a rather anemic Blonde au Miel ('Honey Blond'), a more convincing, allspice-ish Ambrée ('Amber') and a Gueuze that offered plenty of barnyard in the aroma but little structure or lambic character in the taste. On the big brewery front, I sampled the new Molson Smooth Dry. I must admit that I could form no real like or dislike for this beer, mainly because had so little flavour. The festival's high point, as far as I was concerned, was provided by the tiny Montréal brewpub Dieu du Ciel. Among the eight or nine beers they brought to the Mondial were a somewhat tannic but enjoyable cask-conditioned ESB, their classic smoked malt beer, Charbonnière, about which I've raved previously, and a masterfully improvisational La Route des Épices, a brown ale flavoured with black peppercorns. The nose on the latter was pure black peppercorn, while the body provided a delicious mix of black pepper spice, soft plum fruitiness and notes of chocolate and caramel. On the finish, the black pepper returned big time and left a soft burn on the back of the palate. This was the kind of beer I love, one which provokes the imagination while satisfying the tastebuds. My four-ounce taste prompted me to wonder what the beer's effect would be over a full pint, whether the spice would prove too strong or remain interesting and enjoyable. To answer that question, I paid a visit to Dieu du Ciel's Laurier Street location the next evening am pleased to report that my pint proved just as delicious as was my sample. (The Mondial de la Bière continues June 1 and 2 at the new Windsor Station in Montréal. For details, please visit their webite at www.festivalmondialbiere.com)Feature Articles
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