Beerstitution was back in full force for Vol. 2 on November 5^th, 2014. Our host, Chris Thorne, was eager and ready to accept the prized offerings of a record 12 Beerstitutioners. The theme this time around…SEASONALS…led to a veritable cornucopia of different styles and plays on the concept. Some brought the more traditional Oktoberfest Märzens or Belgian Saisons, while others offered up some wacky one-off varietals.

A brief overview of the etymology, traditional brewing history, and recent trends, was followed by the thoughtful presentation and tasting of each individual beer. Care was taken to ensure a certain cohesion during the tasting session, with the goal of progressing through the seasons; starting with Spring and ending with Winter, while also maintaining an eye on the flavour profile of each individual beer, so as to keep the heavier beers towards the end of the session.

The beers in question were a delightful myriad bunch of awesome:

1. Âle-O-Ween | Le Trèfle Noir | Rouyn-Noranda, Qc. | 500ml format. Chris T. [host]
2. Glutenberg Solerone d’Automne | Glutenberg x F.Chartier | Montréal, Qc. | 750ml format. Corey P.
3. Résurrection de Broderus | Dunham/Kissmeyer | Dunham, Qc. | 750ml format. Daniel W.
4. Night Märzen | Beau’s | Vankleek Hill, On. | 750ml format. John M.
5. Pale Ale Lime & Framboise | La Barberie | Québec City, Qc. | 500ml format. Dave M.
6. Desérables | Le Grimoire | Granby, Qc. | 500ml format. Amadou D.
7. Sick Day IPA | Long Trail | Bridgewater Corners, Vt. | 341ml format. Stefan G.
8. Propolis | Dunham | Dunham, Qc. | 750ml format. Hugo B.
9. Oktoberfest | Brasseurs du Nord | Blainville, Qc. | 341ml format. Danko V.
10. Magouille | Brasseurs Illimités | St-Eustache, Qc. | 500ml format. Phil B.
11. Oktoberfest | Les 3 Mousquetaires | Brossard, Qc. | 740ml format. Richard K.
12. L’Érablière | Schoune | Saint-Polycarpe, Qc. | 341ml format. Chris S.

All in all, the tasting was a great success, as many Beersitutioners were exposed to new varieties of beer that were not previously on their radars. Once all of the sweet nectar was drunk and future plans of world domination were made, the Beersitutioners got down to serious business…la remise des prix. Due to the diverse nature of the offerings, it was decided that a prize would be handed out for two categories: BEST IN SHOW, as well as MOST SURPRISING.

Most Surprising:
The vote was split, with 2 one-off varietals taking home the Prize:

1. La Magouille (Phil B) – labeled as a pumpkin beer, the beer was purposely deceiving, offering only faint hits of pumpkin, without any presence of nutmeg or other fall spices.

2. Âle-O-Ween (Chris T) – a smoked Belgian strong Ale that went heavy on the nutmeg. Not the type of beer you want to go with all night, but definitely a wild take on the concept of a holiday beer. This beer gives you everything, including the kitchen sink!

Best in Show:
Again, the Beerstitutioneers were split:

1. Beau’s Night Märzen (John M) – just a clean, classic, copper coloured Oktoberfest Märzen. The very definition of a session beer.

2. Sick Day IPA (Stefan G) – the Beerstitutioneers must have still been feeling the IPA theme from Vol.1, because this beer was unanimously revered. An unexpectedly well-balanced nut-brown IPA from Vermont that you’d wanna take down all day when you call in for a sick day’.

Beerstitution Vol.2 was another raging success, as new friendships were forged, new beers discovered, and perhaps most importantly, the almighty Märzen reigned supreme (albeit with a split title)! All in all, nice work team!

Upwards and onwards to Casa Mongeau for Beerstitution Vol.3: BELGIANS!!!!

Chris T.
That Guy From Beerstitution