A l'abri de la Tempete

[PEIBeerGuy]

Has anyone ever had any of the beer from this brewery on the Magdalene Islands? The site looks good and so does the beer - I'm curious.
I didn't even know the brewery existed until I saw an empty of their Belle Saison at a birthday party two weeks ago. I sent them an email maybe a couple weeks ago about trying to get my hands on some, but have heard nothing back. On the site, they mention some other places in Quebec that sell their brews.

English -
http://translate.google.com/translate?j ... ml&act=url" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

French-
http://www.alabridelatempete.com/Site/Accueil.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PS - I love Google's translation under "Summer Schedule of Pub Beer"-
http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... ntact.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Graham.C]

Yeah, they had a booth at Beer on the Pier. The beer was fantastic, although I was well into the day at the time I dropped by their booth. I ended up giving two of their beers 9/10. Sadly my notes are hard to read, quickly jotted down and don't really describe the taste. For Terre Ferme (their bitter) I have "unique and exceptional!!!" written down and for Corps Mort (their barley wine) I have "Great barley wine, favorite among the group". Sorry I can't be of more use but if you ever contact them I would be happy to share a shipment.

[jeffsmith]

I had a six pack of their blonde ale Écume that my sister brought back to me when she was on the Islands for vacation a while back. It was a very drinkable/enjoyable beer, but nothing really stands out in my mind about it being spectacular. Really wish I had written down some notes on it. I'd love to get my hands on the other beer in their stable to give them a try.

[ajcarp]

We had all of their beer's when we visited the brewery last year. If you do get there, it is a lovely spot with a nice small bar upstairs, no food unfortunately. While they are not exactly "to style", they are all very drinkable. Especially the Corps Mort barley wine. We have seen them at several BN tastings, and on the shelf as far south as Washington, DC. I'm sure they are fairly widely distributed in Quebec.

JLC

[CartoonCod]

I visited their brewery a few months ago and I generally enjoyed their selection. Of their selection, I was really impressed with their Vieux-Couvent, which is a wheat beer with lots of herbs. Sadly it is only available on the islands on tap. An interesting note about the brewery is that they use lots of local herbs to flavor their beers.

[Seanstoppable]

The Vieux-Couvent is indeed awesome. I thankfully managed to get a glass off the island due to the awesomeness of a friend.

[pet lion]

Terre Ferme has been one of my top beers for the last two Beerfests. Would love to get my hands on full bottles.

[BBrianBoogie]

I like their beer quite a bit, though their price point is fairly high.

[BobbyOK]

I've mentioned this a few times, but before they switched to 500 ml bottles, Corne de Brume (the Scotch Ale) was quite different, and one of the best beers I've ever had. It was disappointing to sample again last year at the beer fest even though it's still very good. Sounds like they're not only widely available across Quebec now, but some people are finding it in US stores too.

[CorneliusAlphonse]

my family brought me back a glass from les iles last summer, but no beer. A gift's a gift though.

[CartoonCod]

Just got back from my second trip to the island. I tried lots of beers, and all their beers of a very high quality. You may or may like some of there spice/herb additions, but in terms of defects I couldn't find any. Here is the collection I brought back with me. I most of their beers, and the one that stood out the most for me was a 3.8% abv pale ale called 'Palabre d'la Cale-Seche' that was herbed' with what seems like marsh grass (although I have no idea what they used since they don't display their ingredients). It had a fresh and refreshing smell and taste, almost if you would make hay out of marsh grass. Although this flavour and smell is quite present, it is not overdone. In my opinion this beer captured the essence of having a fun day at the beach. It had a medium-dry finish and the malt / hop character were perfectly balanced together. It is definitely an easy drinking session beer, and I could easily pound back lots of these.

[PEIBeerGuy]

Awesome... would love to try those new seasonals... four there that I haven't had!

[Jayme]

I like their beer quite a bit, though their price point is fairly high.

I'm considering going on a short trip to the islands and was warned to bring food etc with me. I guess it costs a pretty penny to get any sort of import goods to the island, so it's no surprise that would translate to higher than normal beer prices. I was told 2L of milk is 4 times what we pay here!

[CartoonCod]

The beer from the island was pretty expensive at about 3.45$ per 341 mL bottle (for their basic stuff). Although I can't speak for the milk, I did buy most of my groceries from a co-op grocery store, and the prices although maybe a bit higher, weren't that bad. When I go again I will buy food from their grocery stores, and not worry about bring food from off the island. I think the government must help subsidize their food prices.

[Jayme]

Huh. Hard to say where the guy I talked to was buying his food. Also could have been a few years back and maybe things have changed somewhat. Good to know!