B&F Délivrance

Name: Délivrance
Style: Scotch ale
ABV: 7.4%
Serving: 341ml bottle
Brewery: Brasseurs et Frères
Location: Dunham, QC, Canada
Weblink: Brasseurs & Frères - Les Bières

This could be the first of many posts... the product of a hasty trip over to the Eastern Townships this weekend. Well that's what you get for travelling with a car chronically under laden. Besides, dog number one appreciated the sterling job that the boxes performed in supporting her bed on the way home! So, as we were in the Townships let's start with a beer from the Townships, brewed only 25km by road (or 16km as the crow flies) from the gorgeous little chalet that was my home for a wonderful 48 hours. One small confession though: I bought the beer itself in the Sutton IGA supermarket... if only Ontarian supermarkets sold beer.

The Délivrance pours a rich, deep, mahogany red colour, with a thin head of small, tan bubbles. This head dies back to a persistent ring fairly quickly, with only very subtle effervescence to support it. The aromas released as it does might initially lead you to believe that it is in fact liquid mahogany in your glass. There is a dense, woody, smokey quality, a rich tobacco essence. This is cut by a slightly sweet burnt caramel note, and the whole washes up into your nose with a final wisp of something that is almost soapy. In the mouth it is the tobacco and caramel that assault your tongue, with distinctly more sweetness than was apparent in the scent. Layered behind these flavours are a traditionally Scottish peaty texture, with a side helping of damp roggenbrot. The sweetness contnues to the back of the mouth and evolves into a more toffee-rich palette, with the smokey tobacco notes lingering in your mouth afterwards. A little like you had chewed a partly smoked cigarette, I'd imagine, perhaps.

All in all this is a superb beer. Definitly one to be sipped in moderation (7.4%, remember...) if only so that you can remain conscious long enough to be able to put away two or three in a night. It is just a shame that my nearest source is a three hour drive away. Ah well, Pyropette is still there, perhaps she could be persuaded to tuck another couple of bottles into her travelling garter? Hmm...