Driving back from la belle province I had to do some “parle en douceur” to convince the sûreté du Québec that all the beer I was bringing back was for personal consumption. Once I identified myself as one of the cranky old men who “boire de la bière” the officer gave me a grin of recognition and waved me on with a hearty laugh as he said “Conduis sobre mon ami “. *
One of the beers I legally transported across provincial borders was this Boreale beer at hand. And despite a passing knowledge of the French language,** I am obliged by a somewhat one-sided collective agreement to engage the COMDB Translation Department in determining what the name “Pilsner des Mers” means in English. The agreement may have little latitude, but their responses have no shortage of attitude. “Pilsner of the Seas” was the answer. Propriety prevents me from including the condescending comments that came with the translation.
See all the sea sides.
We don’t tend to think of sailors, pirates and sea side resorts when we think of Québec but the province has many maritime climes, from the North shores to the St. Lawrence and even Les Îles de la Madeliene stuck way out in the Atlantic, which of course is an ocean, not a sea. *** This Québec coast toast pays tribute to all the sea sides, great or small, that grace the province’s salty shores. Sally may sell seashells by the sea shore, but as for us cranky old men, the hell with the shells, we sip seashore suds and hope they are super suds stars.
This shore pour is a crazy hazy hue for sure. A surprising look for the traditionally crisp clear pils presentation. The aroma is a mild combo of malty and fruity, once again defying pilsner convention. The first taste is malty, a bit creamy too, with some fruit and floral leading to a dry but not acerbic finish. This simple pils is not so simple. **** Lots going on here. My first thought was it’s a bit confused but I think the beer knows what it’s doing, and I’m the one that’s a bit confused. *****
As I settled into this brew I recognized it for what it is, which is almost more of a pale ale then a pilsner, but with the crisp pils finish that we all know and love.This is a unique take on the pilsner which is what craft brewers can do, and some do it quite well. It wasn’t what I was expecting from a pilsner but I enjoyed it.
*COMDB Translation Department: It is legal to bring any amount of beer from Quebec to Ontario as long as it is for personal consumption. “parle en douceur” – smooth talking , « boire de la bière » – drinks the beer, “ Conduis sobre mon ami “ – drive sober my friend.
** COMDB Translation Department: Based on his command of the French language, we assume the term “passing knowledge” has to do with him passing Grade 10 French, not to mention what he has forgotten in the 50 plus years since then. And by the way, his pronunciation is atrocious as well.
***Editor’s Comment: A sea is defined as a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land. Technically the St. Lawrence would be defined as a seaway, although the majority of the St. Lawrence is fresh water being discharged from the Great Lakes. It begins to mix with salt water when it reaches the Île d’Orléans (Quebec City).
****Editor and COMDB Translation Department: We wish we could say the same thing about this reviewer.
*****Editor and COMDB Translation Department: That makes sense to us.
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