After a crazy busy day of business writing and two brutal workouts, a 10km trail run and a 25k mountain bike ride on single track and tons of hills, I was cooked and ready for a couple of beers and a Cuban cigar (and good food).
This was a good excuse to open a few bottles of the Quebec Trappist beer, which I had purchased last week and pare it with a few good Cuban cigars. Fortunately I had a cigar smoking guest and his wife over for the evening, and he was all for this beer tasting and cigar paring exercise (my third workout of the day).
First up was the Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel, Imperial Stout, pared with a Monti Edmundo (in a tube) for me, and a Juan Lopez for my guest. The Peche is rated 4.15 on Rate Beer and is a coffee stout. The Monti Edmundo tubo was very good, but not as good as my box of Monti Edmundos, as it lacked a bit of depth and dense flavor. I am not a big fan of stout beers, but the Peche is very good, but not 4.15 good, maybe a 3.5. Still if you enjoy stout beer, this over proof Quebec beer may fit the bill. My buddy was really enjoying his JL #2, as expected, and liked the stout, but was not crazy for it. I found the coffee flavor a bit over powering, but I liked the long smooth finish with no bitter after taste usually associated with stout.
Then my wife took my cigar away, as she wanted a nice smoke for herself. WTF? So I lit a Monti #1, which was OK, but not as good as the one I had last summer. So the stout was done, and we moved on to what turned out to be a blockbuster beer. But first I tossed my Monti #1 at the half way point.
I then lit up a Cohiba Piraimde 2006 EL, and proceeded to open the Unibroue 17. This beer is a once a year thing starting back with the Unibroue 10, and leading up to the 17. I cannot wait for the 18, or 19 or 20. This beer poured dark plum color with a very nice thin foam head and smelled of port and hops. The first sip just blows you away, as it is really deep and flavorful with a very long finish of plum, caramel and other berries. Very complex. For anyone who has had a Chimay Blue, this is just as good, 10% ABV, Trappist style beer. It was a perfect match with the Cohiba, which was not smoking that great as it was a bit plugged (possibly fake), but I got enough of the smoke to really mix it up with the 17.
I would rate the Unibroue 17 a 4.25 out of 5. Ratebeer gives it a 3.77, which is just plain wrong. I highly recommend the Unibroue 17, and if you live near the Quebec border, I would encourage you to make a beer run and grab a few bottle before they are gone. The 17 is amazing with any robust Cuban or NC cigar. Well as you can imagine the 17 did not last very long, so I opened one last Quebec beer, the Don De Dieu (Gift of God), which is a tripple style Belgian beer, poring orangy yellow. This is a clean light beer, very wheat/dough tasting, with a short finish, but a good solid beer. Not a very good match with the last 1/3 of the Cohiba Piramide. Oh well. And then my wife handed me back my original Monti Edmundo, and I finished the last 1/3, which was not bad, as the flavors were more intense, but burned a little hot.
So, overall Quebec has some solid Trappist style beers and stouts, which match reasonable well to perfectly with Cuban cigars. And Cuba has some nice cigars as well (or so I have heard, as mine might be fake). I still have 4 or 5 more Quebec beers to try, but not for a few weeks, until my annual cigar and single malt BBQ. I wonder what cigar to pare with the Rigor Mortis beer?
Cor: Steve, you have proven yourself to be a tremendous whack job.
I really enjoyed reading your post Steve. Sorry to hear that the cigars smoked were not up to such great beers. I think the first beer you tried is the one for me by your description. As i love dark and stout beers. I am curious as to why you did not pair any of the beers with the Padron 80's in your possession. As i know you have always rated them so highly, i am curious to hear how they compliment these Quebec Trappist style beers. Hey there is an idea for your next thread.
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Posts: 6721 | Location: Reggio di Calabria, Italy / New York United States | Registered: July 12, 2007
Great post steve. With regards to the Unibroue 17. Would i have to go into the city to get that or would some of the smaller towns carry it? I live about 2 hrs from montreal. but only an hour away from the border...
“I have to laugh when I think of the first cigar, because it was probably just a bunch of rolled up tobacco leaves” - Jack Handy
Posts: 2194 | Location: The Green Mountains | Registered: March 26, 2009
Originally posted by LiLo: Great post steve. With regards to the Unibroue 17. Would i have to go into the city to get that or would some of the smaller towns carry it? I live about 2 hrs from montreal. but only an hour away from the border...
Good question. Not sure, but can try as many small beer stores carry a good range of Unibroue beers, but not sure about the smaller towns. Flash or Sal would probably be able to answer this question.
Cor: Steve, you have proven yourself to be a tremendous whack job.
Originally posted by SHEEPSHEAD BAY: I really enjoyed reading your post Steve. Sorry to hear that the cigars smoked were not up to such great beers. I think the first beer you tried is the one for me by your description. As i love dark and stout beers. I am curious as to why you did not pair any of the beers with the Padron 80's in your possession. As i know you have always rated them so highly, i am curious to hear how they compliment these Quebec Trappist style beers. Hey there is an idea for your next thread.
It was close Sheep. But I will during my Cigar BBQ as a good buddy of mine showing up and he loves the P80, so you will probably get two impressions of the Unibroue 17 and P80's maduros.
Cor: Steve, you have proven yourself to be a tremendous whack job.
Just go into any supermarket. Metro, Richelieu, Loblaws, Provigo, Super C. Or any Société des Alcool (SAQ) store.
quote:
Originally posted by LiLo: Great post steve. With regards to the Unibroue 17. Would i have to go into the city to get that or would some of the smaller towns carry it? I live about 2 hrs from montreal. but only an hour away from the border...
The close to the border towns Sherbrooke, Napierville, Lacolle, Cowansville.
Do you have a passport?
QM Quality does not occur by chance. It is the result of intelligent activities.
Posts: 8749 | Location: Cigar land | Registered: March 10, 2003
I dont have a passport but i got one of the enhanced drivers licenses that allows me to go to canada without a passport. I travel up 89 north out of vermont and i go through the Swanton VT border. I take 133 to 35 to get to montreal. thats all i really know. Unless they have it at duty free i think the easiest town for me to get it in would be Cowansville or Sherbrooke. i can jus mapquest it. thanks a ton for the info QM!
“I have to laugh when I think of the first cigar, because it was probably just a bunch of rolled up tobacco leaves” - Jack Handy
Posts: 2194 | Location: The Green Mountains | Registered: March 26, 2009
Originally posted by LiLo: I dont have a passport but i got one of the enhanced drivers licenses that allows me to go to canada without a passport. I travel up 89 north out of vermont and i go through the Swanton VT border. I take 133 to 35 to get to montreal. thats all i really know. Unless they have it at duty free i think the easiest town for me to get it in would be Cowansville or Sherbrooke. i can jus mapquest it. thanks a ton for the info QM!
I have been in Sherbrooke, and I can confirm what QM said. There is a large grocery store. Good luck in quest for Quebec Trappist beers. And get the Trois Pistols and Le Fin Du Monde as well. All outstanding. No wonder Sleeman bought them.
Cor: Steve, you have proven yourself to be a tremendous whack job.
I need to get to Quebec one of these days for a brewery tour. In fact, in your experience, Steve, would this be worthwhile? I mean, are there enough breweries in a localized area to conduct a tour?
Originally posted by cromag: Sounds delicious, Steve.
I need to get to Quebec one of these days for a brewery tour. In fact, in your experience, Steve, would this be worthwhile? I mean, are there enough breweries in a localized area to conduct a tour?
There are over 300 micro breweries in Quebec. I would pick the top ones in Rate Beer.com (http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/TopCanadian.asp) and map them out to see if they are in a 100 to 200 km radius. Then contact them to see if they have tours. Provided they do, organize a beer run with your buddies. Take an abstainer along to drive.
Cor: Steve, you have proven yourself to be a tremendous whack job.
Originally posted by cromag: Sounds delicious, Steve.
I need to get to Quebec one of these days for a brewery tour. In fact, in your experience, Steve, would this be worthwhile? I mean, are there enough breweries in a localized area to conduct a tour?
There are over 300 micro breweries in Quebec. I would pick the top ones in Rate Beer.com (http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/TopCanadian.asp) and map them out to see if they are in a 100 to 200 km radius. Then contact them to see if they have tours. Provided they do, organize a beer run with your buddies. Take an abstainer along to drive.
Drinking an amazing Quebec icebock from 2008. Halfway between a German icebock and an English stout. Wow at 10% I am very relaxedddddddddddd. 750 ml of frinkin good beer.
Les Trois Mousquetaires Edition Limitee Automne 2008, 10% ABV 3.9 out out of 5.
Roughly translated: The 3 drunken mice
Cor: Steve, you have proven yourself to be a tremendous whack job.
