Quelques Arpents De Niege
Les Brasseurs Du Temps

 

Quelques Arpents De Niege ("a few acres of snow") is topped with a nice blanket of virgin white foam. Anything that splatters against the glass tends to stick to it. As far as a winter seasonal it looks pretty summery; the hazy yellow liquid is sun-faded and nearly as pale-toned as the head.

Like many winter-inspired recipes, this one uses spices. What isn't clear, however, is which ones. It is customary for Witbiers to be brewed with orange peel and coriander but, while the nose is nicely perfumed, no obvious flavour tips the scale one way or the other. It's just vaguely fruity and peppery.

Of course, if you really want to know a beer you must taste it - the more the better (fortunately this one comes in a 750ml bottle). The palate is slightly more forward with the citrus (skins included) and herbal notes. But this is not a heavily seasoned beer; the dry cereal taste of wheat is most prominent.

And the mouthfeel is correspondingly light and creamy. Despite the extra alcohol, this "double" Witbier drinks just as effortlessly as a standard example. It's no heavier and has the same amount of zesty white pepper and tropical fruit flavour. So be cautious - it can be chugged, but probably shouldn't.

Quelques Arpents De Niege is arguably best suited as a summer seasonal. But as Canadians we're subject to a painfully long, unspeakably cold winter - probably why Voltaire wasn't impressed - and thus could use a tropical fruit and spice refresher to help endure those ungodly months.

Bottle: Poured a hazy yellow color ale with a nice large pure white foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma of wheat malt with dry hoppy notes and light citrusy and lemony notes. Taste is also dominated by wheat malt with little residual sugar notes and quite a bit of dry-hop notes with some lemony notes also noticeable. Body is full with limited filtration and good carbonation. Enjoyable but would have preferred more focus on the malt profile and less lemony/citrusy notes.