Podcast Companion: Microbrasserie La Souche

We’re trying out something new on BAOS! This is the first of our new series of Podcast Companion blogs where I’ll do a deep dive on some of the beers that were enjoyed on a recent episode of the podcast, starting with Season 9, Episode 55 from a few weeks back, entitled #TeamInnovation with Microbrasserie La Souche in Québec City.

La Souche opened the doors to their Limoilou (Québec City) brewpub in 2012. They now also have a brewing facility in Stoneham, QC where all their canned beers are brewed. Their lineup spans the style spectrum from the classics like a Brown Ale, an Irish Red, and an English Pale Ale, to some more contemporary and experimental styles like a Cryo Dry-Hopped Double NEIPA, a Triple IPA, and a Pastry Stout, and even dipping their toes in the super hype with a series of smoothie sours. Their labels also feature some pretty unique and striking artwork from Félix Girard.

You can check out the full podcast to learn more about the brewery and the people behind it, and you can keep reading for a closer look at the beers!

Loup Des Saules

DDH NEIPA - 6.5%

One of La Souche’s many IPAs is Loup Des Saules (“Willow Wolf” in English). It’s hopped with Amarillo, Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe, and dry-hopped with Cryo of the same four. The nose is fresh and inviting with pine, citrus and kiwi. The mouthfeel is smooth with a medium body, and carbonation on the slightly higher side like you might normally find in a session IPA. The citrus notes come through a bit sharp which is a tad distracting. Ripe peach takes center stage on the mid-palate with a musty quality. There is some pine coming through as it opens up a little which adds some nice contrast. Orange zest leaves a tingle at the end along with a bit of a pulpy feel, and an earthy, peppery spice towards the finish. There’s a bit of a sharp acidity which along with the high carbonation is a bit off the mark for the style, but it’s enjoyable overall nonetheless. There’s a real nice combo of hop flavours with some good contrast between pine and fruit. Loup Des Saules was a 2020 Gold Medal Winner in the Brussels Beer Challenge!

Crise Existentielle

Sour IPA - 5.5%

La Souche’s Sour IPA Crise Existentielle (“Existential Crisis” in English) boasts lots of sour tropical fruit on the nose; passion fruit, guava, and grapefruit juice in particular, as well as caramelized fruit sweetness. On the palate, tart flavours of grapefruit juice and passion fruit that match the nose give it a nice tropical juiciness. The flavours are a tad muted after that, but there is a slightly sweet note of caramelized pineapple, and a bready malt presence. A citrusy zip of tangerine rind adds a zesty quality and a bit of bitterness.

Frutto Del Rizoma

Smoothie Style Sour Beer - 5.5%

Now we get to the reason for the name of the podcast episode 😉. Smoothie de Limoilou is La Souche’s series of smoothie sours. This version, in collaboration with Emporium Microbrasserie, is named Frutto Del Rizoma, and features mango, pineapple, apricot and vanilla. It looks and smells like a breakfast smoothie, with mango and pineapple coming off particularly strong, along with a tart note from the apricot. It pours thick but it drinks smooth and creamy, with nothing pulpy or chunky to speak of. The mouthfeel is outstanding. You taste every fruit so it’s juicy and tropical. The beer itself and the apricot add a nice tart note, while the vanilla adds a velvety smooth component and a touch of balancing sweetness. For all the fruit additions it’s got surprisingly good carbonation. The head dissipates quickly, but still impressive. This is damn tasty.

Franc Brett

White Wine Barrel-Aged Wild Ale with Raspberries - 6.3%

We finish on a completely different end of the style spectrum with Franc Brett. This wild ale is rosey orange in colour and fully opaque. The nose is bursting with a flurry of aromatics. At first there are red berries and subtle farmhouse funk followed by tartness, a dry white wine character, and oakiness. It has a fizzy effervescence with tart raspberry and cherry up front on the palate alongside a cherry pit almond nuttiness, and bold acidity. There’s also a tart stone fruit pit flavour along with overripe apricot flesh. The funk is subtle but well placed, and it has a citrusy twist of orange rind around the mid-palate. The white wine barrel gives it a delightful dry finish accompanying flavours of grape and gooseberry. This was subtle, complex, and beautifully executed. Very impressive.

This was a fun lineup of beers! I’m very impressed by the wide range of styles they brew, from the classic to the contemporary, and from what I can tell, enthusiastically committing to all of them. It’s great to see.

Article and photography by Nathan Lefebvre.

Find La Souche online:

Web

Instagram

Facebook - Stoneham / Limoilou Brewpub

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.

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