Topic Archives: Wee Heavy

Posted in Charleville Vineyard & Microbrewery, New Beers
Posted in Distribution Expansion, New Releases

Le Bilboquet Expands To U.S.

Le Bilboquet Microbrasserie was founded in 1990 in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.  It’s a brewpub with an Irish flair.  Previously on available locally, Le Bilboquet recently expanded around Canada and now the United States.  There are 2 sides to their brewing, ones brewed and available just at the brewpub, and ones that are available for distribution.

4 beers just hit larger distribution:

L’Archange – Hefeweizen, 5% abv.  Wheat, malted barley, hallertau hops. Flavors are creamy banana & pear.

La Corriveau – Oatmeal Stout, 5.5% abv.  Beautiful roasty nose.  Flavors of coffee/chocolate. Roasted Barley, oats, Kent Golding.

Mac Kroken Flower – Scotch Ale, 10.8% abv. A big beer, with caramel & honey flavors. Kent Golding hops.

L’Affriolante – Herbed/Spiced Beer, 7% abv.  Malted barley, honey, curacao, coriander, hallertau. Spicy, complex, sweet.

All 4 beers are available in 500 ml bottles, capped.  No specified draft offerings in the U.S.  All the above beers are interesting & complex.  Great beers for those looking for something different.  I dote on the L’Archange & La Corriveau.

More about the brewery —> http://www.lebilboquet.qc.ca/

 

 

Posted in Boston Beer Company, New Releases, Sam Adams

Sam Adams Wee Heavy

Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) just released a new beer in their Imperial Series  called “Wee Heavy”.  It is a scotch ale, which is brewed with a big amount of roasted malts causing the beer to be sweeter, with touches of brown sugar and caramel flavor.  Hops are minimal.  Historically, the Scots had very few hops that would survive the Scottish winter.  Also there are historical accounts of the English being stingy with their hops too.  Sam Adams used peat smoked malt in the making of this beer, a signature ingredient in scotch whiskeys.  The beer is then cold aged.

Commercial Description:
Samuel Adams Wee Heavy was inspired by both traditional Scotch ales and Scotch whiskies, for a combination of deep roasted flavor and earthy smoke character. Traditional Scottish ales vary in intensity with the strong ales known as Scotch Ale or “Wee Heavy”. To create our own version of the style we added peat smoked malt to bring the unique flavor of Scotland to this complex and satisfying brew.

Style: Scotch Ale/ Wee Heavy
Hops: Zeus
Malts: Two-row Harrington, Metcalfe, and Copeland pale malts, Caramel 60, Roasted malt, Peated malt

Taste Expectations:

Availability: 12oz/4 pks.  2011 debut, year round

10% ABV