Photo: À l'abri de la Tempête.
Like many of the world's finest epicurean delights, the secret ingredient in the microbrews from Quebec's À l'abri de la Tempête is salt. The brewery is located on Les Iles-de-la-Madeleine, a 50-mile-long archipelago of untamed beaches in the Atlantic Ocean. The sea breeze leaves its traces in the locally sourced barley, imparting a delicate salty profile.
"It's a signature for all our products," says head brewer Jean-Sébastien Bernier. Despite À l'abri de la Tempête's watery locale and diminutive size, it's made waves with its smoky, spicy Corps Mort barley wine and its standout, the Corne de Brume ("foghorn") Scottish ale. Unlike the average North American Scottish ale, which overdoses on sugar to even out a heavy booze load, Bernier naturally takes his cues from overseas.
"When you taste the classics from the Old World, they are more on the dry side," he says. "We put in lots of work to keep that dry, caramel-bitterness and alcohol well balanced."
His efforts have resulted in a grade-A ale. The Corne pours a gorgeous copper-amber, capped by fat beige foam. Take a sniff, and you're greeted by sweet, earthy smokiness, alongside raisins and prunes. But it drinks dry and creamy: layers of toffee and caramelized sugar are restrained by a slight bitterness, keeping the Corne from a candy-like fate -- and hiding the heady, 9 percent ABV.
Who knew it took a Canadian to make a perfect Scottish ale?
Which Scottish ales do you enjoy? Spill some in the comments.
