Unibroue Trois Pistoles
A nation with a rich brewing history, Canada's first commercial brewery was built in Quebec in 1668. It wasn't until the 1980's, however, that the craft beer movement caught on. In 1986, Massawippi Brewing was born in Lennoxville. The business was off to a rocky start, but soon thereafter was purchased by successful entrepreneur Andre Dion.
Re-branded as "Unibroue" the brewery quickly made a name for itself by becoming the first Canadian brewery to produce bottle-conditioned Belgian-style beer. Thanks to an investment from Belgium's Riva Brewery and efforts of original brewmaster Gino Vantieghem, Unibroue's unique vision set them apart from all of the other emerging microbreweries in Canada.
By 1994 more than fourteen countries were distributing Unibroue products, and in 1997 the company became the first micro to be publicly traded on the Montreal Stock Exchange. In 2004 Unibroue was already making upwards of $7m in annual revenue. This caught the eye of Sleeman, formerly Canada's largest independent brewer, who purchased the brewery later that year. The acquisition helped to expand Unibroue's operations and revenue exponentially. Sleeman was purchased by Sapporo in 2006, making Unibroue the only massive scale Japanese-owned, Belgian-style Canadian brewery.
The Sailor, the Bishop, and the Steed
The intriguing label art upon the 750mL Trois Pistoles looks like a scene out of the Neverending Story films, but the Unibroue website tells us more of the interesting legends surrounding the village from which the beer takes its name.
Trois Pistoles (Three Coins) is named after a small village in the region of Les Basques in Québec. Founded over 300 years ago, Trois Pistoles gave birth to several legends, including one about a sailor who dropped his tumbler overboard and exclaimed, "Trois Pistoles!" in reference to its worth in old Spanish currency.
Another, the Legend of the Black Horse, involved a local bishop who conjured up a good devil (appearing in the form of bridled black steed) to haul large brick stones to construct a new church. When someone accidentally removed the bridle, the black horse suddenly vanished just as the last remaining stone was to be set. This stone is still missing, as can be seen when visiting the village church in Trois Pistoles.
We've been down this route before, exploring the legends that surround the various brews we've sampled. There's a bit of a disconnect in this case- I just don't see what the town of Trois Pistoles or the myth of a bridled black steed has to do with this particular beer.
I am fascinated, however, by the generalized concept of a town or village being surrounded by legend and lore; moreover by the idea that historical influences and realities can morph over time through traditional storytelling mechanisms, and meld with various semi-fictional interpretations.
I think I will find myself with plenty to think about if ever I live in a town that was once host to any of these 'historical uncertainties' - maybe a Salem, Massachusetts or something of the like. Still, I'm somehow proud to call New Jersey my home; and while the state is full of weird and wacky tales, very few could be deemed worthy or appropriate of a beer dedication.
The Garden State spans mountains and shore lines, rural and urban regions, and is home to a diverse makeup of proud citizens- believe it or not, there are some breathtakingly beautiful sights to see here.
That all said, it would take an awfully complex beer to truly capture the essence of our corrupt politicians, organized crime, overcrowding, gang violence, and exorbitant property taxes. Any supernatural horses in our vicinity are most likely a product of the contaminated marshlands surrounding the Meadowlands race track- nothing we Jersey folk like to boast about.
Experience
My wife and I sampled Trois Pistoles quite a few months ago after finding it on the shelves of a local store. Knowing nothing of the brewer, nor the contents of the bottle, we were crossing our fingers for an interesting new find. Apparently I have a connotation with label art and beer color that was exposed after pouring this brew. I expected the beer to be light in color- I think it was the soft, feminine color palette used on the label that drew this preconception.
Contrary to my genius means of deduction, Trois Pistoles pours dark chocolaty brown with very subtle highlights, barely noticeable through a primarily opaque face. A helmet of thick, foamy head sits high atop the brew- majestic and proud, as if to mock my weak expectations. The smell is rich with yeast and ripe fruit.
Just past the 'My Little Pony' mural on the bottle's jacket, a small note caught my eye: "Ale on Lees." As I came to understand later, this refers to the process of bottle conditioning the ale on a base of residual yeast collected during an earlier fermentation. The terminology is native to the wine-making world, and the process supposedly imparts a strong yeasty flavor.
Looking back at my tasting notes, I can clearly see "Belgian yeast?" scribbled among some other indecipherable text. This was one of the things that hit us right up front, both in aroma and flavor: a strong Belgian yeast characteristic. Even to relatively amateur palates like ours, the different flavors imparted by specific yeast strains will indeed make themselves heard; we noticed this particularly after we familiarized ourselves with some Belgian beers. Of further surprises and pleasantries, I should mention that the flavor of Trois Pistoles is outstanding.
The dark color of the brew may lead the imbiber to anticipate a dark, roasted, heavy profile; rather, Trois Pistoles delivers an almost sweet, malty, spicy dark fruit back encompassed by a lighter-than-expected bubbly body. An awesome bitterness trails the easy drinker and effortlessly masks the 9% alcohol content.
Final Thoughts
I jumped to way too many conclusions with this beer, based merely on its visual allure (or lack thereof) from the shelves. Luckily, I was dead wrong, Trois Pistoles won me over immediately. After reading up on the successes of Unibroue, I debated whether or not to add one of their beers to the growing list here.
A massive scale operation, Unibroue is hardly a 'micro' by any terms. I can't argue with great beer, though. This has been an all out successful experiment by my books, and a learning experience to boot. Isn't that why we're here anyway? There is no doubt in my mind that Trois Pistoles is the best damned Canadian, Japanese-owned, Belgian-style Strong Dark inspired by the local legend of an exceptional horse... Nice.
Canada (Quebec) - 9% ABV
Unibroue [website]
Belgian Strong Dark Ale
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Reader Comments (5)
Thanks for the review. Gotta try it. If you get to NYC, check out BeerMenus.com to find great beer and beer bars and beer events. This beer apparently can be found at 8 bars there.
Nice post u have here :D Added to my RSS reader
Despite the premium we pay for imported beers in Australia this currently tops the list as one of the best beers I've been fortunate enough to taste.
We aren't lucky enough to have the large variety you guys do, so perhaps my view is a little skewed in Unibroue's favour, but I definately agree with your review.
My review if you'd like to read can be read here: http://www.beerguide.com.au/beer-reviews/Unibroue/Trois-Pistoles
Thanks again for a great read 52brews!
Great review. Fun to read as I sip most curiously on my second night in a row indulge into Trois Pistoles. I'm fortunate where I live to have access to a great store that stocks more than 700 great beers. It was funny to read because my girlfriend is across the table from me drinking a Saporo. I'll check through your lists and see what other beers I've tried and those I haven't.
Also, check out trois pistoles' grandfather, La Terrible !!! Ce n'est pas "terrible", c'est TERRIBLE! (A WAY different meaning in french and in context)