Sep. 28, 2011 - Issue #832: Jennifer Castle
To the Pint
Pas un gagnant
Not everything out of Montréal is a winner
Montréal, Canada
$15.99 Per six pack
In the beer world there is this odd entity called a "contract brewer." This is someone with an idea for a beer who doesn't have the capital to set up a full brewery, so they pay an existing brewery to brew the beer for them. They still have to market and sell it, but they are released from the pressures of brewing. It can be a good model for a small upstart, but it is also often used by the less-committed looking to cash in on the public's new interest in craft beer. In other words the quality can vary.
Why do I raise this? Well, for over a year a contract-brewed beer has been staring at me from the liquor store shelf, and this past week I finally decided to take the dive and try it.
The beer in question is MTL Premium Lager. It is the product of Calgarian (but raised in Montréal) Pol Brisset. They wanted to make a beer that reflected the passion and energy of Montréal and felt no one was doing that (clearly they hadn't tried any Dieu du Ciel). MTL is the product of this desire. It is available only in Montréal and Alberta and is contract brewed by Brasseurs de Montréal, a middling independent brewer in that city. While it sells itself as a Montréal beer, and is legitimately brewed there, it is an Alberta creation.
I was curious about how the beer would present. It poured a crystal clear medium yellow, not dissimilar to Canadian. It had an impressive bright white head that offered a respectable amount of staying power and lacing down the side of the glass. The aroma was less appealing. A sharp, thin macro-lager graininess dominated, with some honey sweetness playing backup. There is a hint of hops, but only if you are really looking for it. I also picked up some sulphur and a noticeable cattiness, which is not an encouraging sign.
The flavour didn't improve. I tasted a moderate sweetness upfront that actually was fairly pleasant. It was overtaken in the middle by a whisper of hops and a sharp grain edge. Unfortunately the finish was problematic. Aside from some graininess and a bit of bitterness, it displayed a troubling character of metal, medicine and tannin. These are all signs of a beer gone wrong, either by contamination or flawed brewing. I don't know exactly what happened in this case—and to be honest it may be an isolated issue—but it creates a bad impression for the beer.
I have been in Montréal, and I am pretty sure it tastes better than this. Unfortunately I come to the conclusion that this contract beer is more about cashing in than it is about creating good beer. Too bad. V
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