Beer of the Weekend #115: Trois Pistoles
Tonight, BotW pays homage to the Winter Olympic host nation, our neighbors up north with the badass national anthem (not as badass as La Marseillaise, though). The sad thing about the Winter Olympics is that it conflicts with college basketball season, so I’ve probably watched a total of 15 minutes. However, in the spirit of the Great White North, I’ve tuned the ol’ boob tube to the Finland-Germany men’s hockey game.
Oh, Canada…
Here’s something I learned tonight: Teemu Selänne is still playing (and so is Jaromír Jágr). This is the fifth time Selänne’s laced his skates for Finland in the Olympics. That guy was a beast for the Winnipeg Jets in NHL ’96 (I miss you, Super Nintendo).
The beer this weekend is Trois Pistoles brewed by Unibroue of Chambly, Québec, Canada.
Here’s the answer to the “What the fuck is he drinking out of?” question I know you’re asking: it’s a tulip. According to the Dirty John’s glassware webpage, “Tulips, and snifters are considered to be the perfect vessels to ‘nose’ an especially aromatic beer. A snifter has a somewhat smaller opening and taller cup. The design is perfect for aromatic Belgian ales.” According to BA, a tulip “[c]aptures and enhances volatiles, while it induces and supports large foamy heads.” If I want to drink Belgian and Belgian-inspired brews I got to have the proper beerware, so I bought the Allagash tulip (incorrectly labeled a chalice at BevMo!) last night.
My base lager this weekend is Moosehead. Although I like Molson Canadian, I chose Moosehead because, according to Draft Magazine and the Vancouver Sun, only Molson Canadian, Coors Light, and Molson Export are available at most of the Olympic venues. The craft brewers have gotten squeezed out by the big boys, which is no surprise. “The Vancouver Olympics,” the Draft blog says, “clearly, are all about the Benjamins, not the beer.” (Psst — hey, Draft Magazine. They don’t have Benjamin’s in Canada. They have Borden’s.)
Serving type: Four 12-ounce bottles. Freshness date on the back label is 06-10-12. The Canadians use both the month-day-year and day-month-year system (and, apparently, year-month-day), so I’m not sure if the expiration date is June 10th or October 6th. (Though, I’m wondering if the French-Canadians are truer to their European roots.) Either way, it doesn’t matter; I’ll have drunk it all by tomorrow night.
Appearance: Poured an attractive dark, ruby brown. It might be purple, or a plum color, but I can’t see it. Two fingers of a thick, tan head developed and dissipated slowly to leave a nice lacing.
Smell: It smells a lot like a dunkelweizen. (I have a hard on.) Very yeasty, and ripe fruits like bananas, grapes, and apples dominate. Cloves, plum, and raisins also play in the aroma.
Taste: This is where the dunkelweizen comparison stops. The taste is fruity; the plum, grapes, and apple cider are most prevalent. There’s also a hint of spice (maybe cinnamon?) which I don’t really care for. The cloves are also noticeable in the taste, which, as it warms, once again reminds me of dunkelweizen. The port finish mentioned on the brewer website comes through. Also, I definitely noticed the higher than average ABV. There’s a slight burn at the end, especially on the first sip.
Drinkability: This is definitely a sipper. Tasty, complex, and superb. It’s a great brew.
Fun facts about Trois Pistoles:
-Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale.
-Price: $11.49/four-pack at the Beach BevMo!.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 9 percent ABV. You read right. This baby is packin’.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, sharp cheeses (Blue and Cheddar), pungent cheeses (Gorgonzola, Limburger), and grilled beef.
-Trois Pistoles, which means “three coins” in French, was named after the small Québec town of Trois Pistoles. “Pistole” is actually the French word for Spanish gold coins. The town was apparently named for a silver goblet worth three pistoles that was lost in the Saint Lawrence River in the 17th century.
-Here’s the little story printed on the side of the carrier:
Yeah, whatever.
-Trois Pistoles is “bottle refermented,” like all Unibroue brews. Yeast and a little sugar are added just after bottling, so the beer goes through a second fermentation in the bottle. This gives the beer an extremely long shelf life, which, according to the Unibroue website, can be 5-10 years for Trois Pistoles.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
Oh, Canada…
Here’s something I learned tonight: Teemu Selänne is still playing (and so is Jaromír Jágr). This is the fifth time Selänne’s laced his skates for Finland in the Olympics. That guy was a beast for the Winnipeg Jets in NHL ’96 (I miss you, Super Nintendo).
The beer this weekend is Trois Pistoles brewed by Unibroue of Chambly, Québec, Canada.
Here’s the answer to the “What the fuck is he drinking out of?” question I know you’re asking: it’s a tulip. According to the Dirty John’s glassware webpage, “Tulips, and snifters are considered to be the perfect vessels to ‘nose’ an especially aromatic beer. A snifter has a somewhat smaller opening and taller cup. The design is perfect for aromatic Belgian ales.” According to BA, a tulip “[c]aptures and enhances volatiles, while it induces and supports large foamy heads.” If I want to drink Belgian and Belgian-inspired brews I got to have the proper beerware, so I bought the Allagash tulip (incorrectly labeled a chalice at BevMo!) last night.
My base lager this weekend is Moosehead. Although I like Molson Canadian, I chose Moosehead because, according to Draft Magazine and the Vancouver Sun, only Molson Canadian, Coors Light, and Molson Export are available at most of the Olympic venues. The craft brewers have gotten squeezed out by the big boys, which is no surprise. “The Vancouver Olympics,” the Draft blog says, “clearly, are all about the Benjamins, not the beer.” (Psst — hey, Draft Magazine. They don’t have Benjamin’s in Canada. They have Borden’s.)
Serving type: Four 12-ounce bottles. Freshness date on the back label is 06-10-12. The Canadians use both the month-day-year and day-month-year system (and, apparently, year-month-day), so I’m not sure if the expiration date is June 10th or October 6th. (Though, I’m wondering if the French-Canadians are truer to their European roots.) Either way, it doesn’t matter; I’ll have drunk it all by tomorrow night.
Appearance: Poured an attractive dark, ruby brown. It might be purple, or a plum color, but I can’t see it. Two fingers of a thick, tan head developed and dissipated slowly to leave a nice lacing.
Smell: It smells a lot like a dunkelweizen. (I have a hard on.) Very yeasty, and ripe fruits like bananas, grapes, and apples dominate. Cloves, plum, and raisins also play in the aroma.
Taste: This is where the dunkelweizen comparison stops. The taste is fruity; the plum, grapes, and apple cider are most prevalent. There’s also a hint of spice (maybe cinnamon?) which I don’t really care for. The cloves are also noticeable in the taste, which, as it warms, once again reminds me of dunkelweizen. The port finish mentioned on the brewer website comes through. Also, I definitely noticed the higher than average ABV. There’s a slight burn at the end, especially on the first sip.
Drinkability: This is definitely a sipper. Tasty, complex, and superb. It’s a great brew.
Fun facts about Trois Pistoles:
-Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale.
-Price: $11.49/four-pack at the Beach BevMo!.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 9 percent ABV. You read right. This baby is packin’.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, sharp cheeses (Blue and Cheddar), pungent cheeses (Gorgonzola, Limburger), and grilled beef.
-Trois Pistoles, which means “three coins” in French, was named after the small Québec town of Trois Pistoles. “Pistole” is actually the French word for Spanish gold coins. The town was apparently named for a silver goblet worth three pistoles that was lost in the Saint Lawrence River in the 17th century.
-Here’s the little story printed on the side of the carrier:
THE LEGEND OF THE BLACK HORSE
Summoned in a moment of holy despair, the devil, in the form of a big black steed, appeared one day out of the blue to help raise a church that was long overdue in the troubled village of Trois-Pistoles.
When all three towers were completed, the horse simply vanished into thin air leaving behind a monument that stands today as a symbol of peace on earth to men of goodwill and a prayer for safety at sea.
Yeah, whatever.
-Trois Pistoles is “bottle refermented,” like all Unibroue brews. Yeast and a little sugar are added just after bottling, so the beer goes through a second fermentation in the bottle. This gives the beer an extremely long shelf life, which, according to the Unibroue website, can be 5-10 years for Trois Pistoles.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
