À l’Abri de la Tempête Corne de Brume

Brewed by À l’Abri de la Tempête
Style: Scotch Ale
L’Étang du Nord, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Canada

Serve in Thistle

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Je l’ai attendu pour qu’elle soit moin froide pour bien découvrire ses qualités. Je n’ai jamais goûté celui de 4-Temps, mais j’ai une bonne idée. Elle na pas de collet, pas grave. Couleur rouge Toscan (merci Prismacolor!). Délicieuse arome de scotch et de caramel. Elle forte, mais tu ne la goût pas, scotch, cacao et des petits fruits sauvages. Déjà (avec la mien) quatre évaluation de 4 points et plus, j’espaire que cela met les Iles-de-la-Madeleine sur la carte, du moin de la bière.

Pours a good looking reddish brown color, it’s close to ruby, the head is thick, but diminishing, and bubbly with a light brown hue. The aroma is very pleasant and appealing, there’s a lot of berries in there with a thick, rich caramel malt, I couldn’t find any trace of alcohol at all, which is a promise of a sturdy body. The hops seems to play the part of a supporting actor. As soon as I take a sip of this beer I think that everything will be different from now on, the legend is back. The flavor is very well balanced, it’s not assertive but not subtle, berries, caramel malt, delicate roasted malt and very delicate and shy alcohol vapors live in a perfect harmony, the sweetness is very present but it’s just right. Again the hops play the supporting actor role. The palate is very smooth, like a big pillow in a liquid form resting on my tongue. The body has a medium to full thickness, the texture is creamy and the carbonation is gentle. Woof, I didn’t think that Corne de Brume would reappear, and that it would make me fall in love again but it’s there and my heart is going wild. This feels like an opera dedicated to malt.

Clear, deep mahogany, well supported by copper and garnet reflects. The head, surprisingly dark, a profound beige, clings to the glass nicely. Intensely fruity, well extracted malt with supporting smokiness and well toasted breadiness create a charming medley for the malt addict. Gently toasty. Grapes, figs, cherries all carry their shift to protect each others’ backs. Heading toward roastiness at times, but stops before reaching the nut factory. Velvety texture, remarkably round for a filtered beer, focused cerealic malts, not too one-sided sweetness. Characterful, straightforward scotch ale goodness, that avoids the earthy/woody nuances that might have been interesting, but stays fine-tuned upon toffee oriented flavors. Faint support hops. That’s certainly gonna be popular in Quebec, I’m anxious to see what our unbiased friends from.. (well I can’t say Vermont if they’re to be unbiased), but from elsewhere think.

UPDATED: AUG 25, 2009 June ’09 batch:
Smoky, salty notes are more apparent, and the fruitiness has subsided. A classy sipper every way you look at it.

Newer batch (released in early 2009), on tap at Vices et Versa.
This tastes very young. Lots of raisiny esters tend to override the caramel depth. The body is also not as cushiony as it could be (which is one of the main problems in the last two batches, imho), and this time on tap, carbonation seems zealous. Overall, this was fun to try and very cleanly brewed, this is still leagues away from the Corne de Brume of old. I used to be so excited about this beer’s release, but the last two vintages have been outright forgettable...and at that inflated price, I don’t even feel like buying one single bottle to see how it develops. Points dropping once again...

New 2007 batch, in 330ml bottles with the same label as their Écume:
Such a disappointment...A leaner body with a distinct lack of caramelization proposed roastiness and prominent leafy hop bitterness. Biscuity maltiness and light red fruit in a clean and very drinkable with very little residual sugars and an overly bitter finish. This is not going to develop residual sugars with time, so it will surely not bloom into the masterpiece that was the 2006 batch. Aroma was not more enticing than the flavor profile either. This is a mere 3.3/5 and thus a shocker of a let down considering what’s been brewed before.

First batch bottled at the new Iles-de-la-Madeleine brewery 񢉖) bottled in 500ml bottles:
Any first impressions?
-Inspiring head retention, even in a chalice, over the clearest but darkest ruby.
-Humble berries in caramel sweetness form a delightful aroma which isn’t up to par with the old Corne de Brume Ɣ-Temps’s) version, but which is nonetheless enticing.
-The apotheosis of a red fruit ester and caramel maltiness osmosis cannot help but spell Scotch Ale luxury.
-A velvet glove massages the tongue and palate languorously; or was that the malt?

What if you dig deeper?
-Alcohol is only faintly apparent in the nose, and slightly warms in the back. It is aptly concealed.
-Delicate roasty whispers rise in the last half of the sip.
-There is amazing control and modesty in here, just pure malt flavor for the malt lover, but never exaggerating.
-Carbonation is so perfect, it is forgettable.
-Grassy hops support serenely.
-Succulence and cleanliness rarely meet so unequivocally.

What about its complexity?
-This Scotch Ale is as beautiful as a fresh strawberry. It isn’t the most complex in the world, but do you look for complexity when you bite into a ripe strawberry? You look for the bursting skin, the flowing juices which will satisfy the most innocent and deepest desires. The malt (and thus the body) of this Corne de Brume will answer these marvelous prayers. To the glory of the malt!

Bottle; 2006 vintage. 4.4/5