Joufflue

My darling frère brought me home a couple of cans from a Montreal brewery, Archibald, following a recent work posting in La Belle Province. First up, Joufflue, a 4.2% wheat beer brewed with Hallertauer and Magnum hops and sold in 473mL cans.

Joufflue proved to be a dull gold beer; hazy with a thick and durable white head. Yeasty and a bit fruity, there was also a whisper of pilsner-style graininess in the aroma. The flavour was quite agreeable, and bigger than the sessionably low percentage led me to expect. With a yeasty profile and a bit of initial sweetness, the finish caught me off guard—slightly perfumed and decidedly bitter (seeming more substantial than the listed 12 IBUs).

This Quebecois wheat beer delivers a flavourful, light-bodied, and crisp take on the style. My only misgiving is the front end, which is a bit brittle—depth there and this would be an elite wheat beer.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Alexander Keith's Premium White

On a summer day in which the mercury climbed to a sweltering 35C, I sat in my backyard in need of a refreshing beer. Enter Alexander Keith's Premium White. This white beer, brewed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, by the Keith's Brewery, is sold in 473mL cans and contains 5% alcohol.

It pours a straw gold colour similar to a lager, only cloudy and containing a tiny amount of sediment. The aroma features citrus, coupled with a dose of spices.  Maybe nutmeg or cloves? The flavour mirrors the smell--citrus and spice.

AKPW is not a bad likeness of a witbier for an Atlantic Candian macrobrew. It's fairly mild, but pretty thirst quenching and relatively enjoyable. Worth a try? Sure, why not.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.