Québec’s Best New Brewery?
The last couple of years have brought a dramatic uptick in Québec breweries with a specific focus on contemporary styles, with the addition of breweries like Brasserie du Bas-Canada in Gatineau, Messorem Bracitorium in Montreal, and Brasserie Sir John in Lachute, among others. In the same vein, at this point I think Aylmer’s 2020 newcomers Cinquième Baron Microbrasserie would have to be in the conversation for Québec’s best new brewery. They differ from the others mentioned above primarily in the range of their lineup. They really do have something for everyone as they span the style spectrum, from lagers to sours, big stouts, the boldest of haze and everything in between. I really wouldn’t say they have a “signature style”, because they brew them all, and nothing in the lineup feels like an outlier.
Beer branding in Québec has been on the rise as well, with Messorem being one notable standout, and Cinquième Baron being another with their own eye-catching labels featuring bold, cheerful colours and gorgeous graphic design work. Each label features something unique, usually a background image relating to the beer’s name, but the bright colours and themes always make them recognizable as Cinquième Baron.
Here’s a look at another subset of one of their recent lineups!
Petite France
Pilsener Alsacienne - 4.5%
Lots of breweries that are widely known for their more hype-heavy styles might brew a lager every now and then as a one-off, but that’s certainly not the case with Cinquième Baron. Between regular rotations of Des Moines, their delightful Helles, Two Tales Pils, and one of my personal favourites, Eye Five IPL, it’s pretty clear that they love their lagers and have no intentions of letting them become supporting players in their lineup. Well, they may have a new superstar crispy in Petite France. Brewer Mathias wanted to showcase French hop varieties from the Alsace region, which borders (and was once part of) Germany, so what he aimed to create is a hybrid German pilsner featuring Alsatian hops, specifically Strisselpalt, Triskel, and Mistral.
It pours beautifully crystal clear with a fluffy head and a nose that’s floral and earthy. It’s delightfully crisp, subtly grassy and herby. There’s an approachable bitterness, a touch of sweetness, and it rounds out with a touch of spice on the end. It has a phenomenal amount of flavour for such a light, drinkable 4.5%. They love this one so much they got a LUKR side pull tap to serve it at the brewery.
Duo Tang
Double NEIPA - 8%
Cinquième Baron brew an eclectic range of styles very well, but after tasting powerhouses like Broken Cue and Hippie Rock, it’s their double IPAs that I really drool for. Well, back in September, they brewed another beauty with Duo Tang, an 8% double NEIPA with El Dorado and Galaxy. As the label suggests, it’s an orange bomb. It’s absolutely bursting with bright citrus aromatics, giving off tons of orange and tangerine. This carries through on the palate, where there’s abundant tangy orange zest along with some sweetness giving it a real marmalade flavour. The malt bill is more pronounced than in most NEIPAs, giving it that sticky sweetness along with a slight tingle of warmth. The mouthfeel is lusciously creamy and like all of their DIPAs, it isn’t even a little boozy. When they released it, they said it was their favourite DIPA they’d made to date and I can see why!
Haka
IPL Néo-Zélandaise - 5.8%
They must have heard me talking about how I love IPLs because they made another one! They called this one a New Zealand IPL due to the hop combo of Motueka, Pacifica and Rakau. The malt profile is what comes out swinging in this with a bready, whole wheat crust vibe. In contrast to Eye Five, which has a more pronounced dankness and wet pine flavours, I found Haka to have a more subtle grassy flavour. The flavours are quite delicate throughout with some tropical accents and medium bitterness. It’s great to see this style getting so much love!
Sous le Soleil de Rio
Gose à la Lime - 5%
The next iteration of their Sous le Soleil series of fruited goses (and the last one of the year) takes us to Rio, this time featuring lime. As you might expect, with lime and salt this has a huge margarita vibe to it. On the palate there’s a zip of lime juice and notable saltiness. The malt bill is on display and performing well. The carbonation level is high, and though there’s lots of lime, the acidity is not sharp which is nice. It’s got a smooth feel throughout with balanced bitterness on the finish. I feel like I should have a salt rim on the glass and I should be drinking this on the beach!
Cinquième Baron has quickly become one of my favourite breweries in the National Capital Region. It’s clear they take pride in all aspects of their operation and the beer is consistently delicious. Do yourself a favour and check them out. They’ll have something you’ll love.
Photography by Nathan Does Beer.
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Nathan
Nathan is a craft beer enthusiast from Ottawa, ON. He is the Co-Founder of @TeamLactose, he’s passionate about travelling for beer and he loves talking about beer from Ontario, Quebec and beyond.