Beer Review: Maudite Montreal, QB, CA By: George Zhen May 17, 2005

(Halifax, NS, CA) - There is an old Quebecoise legend behind Maudite, which comes to us from our friend Patrick, a Quebec local and member of the Six Pack Gang. His English isn't the best, but we like it that way:

"A group of lumberjack were up north deep in the forest. It was christmas eve. A man appeared to them and offer them to make there canoe fly over the river. That way, they will be able to see there wife for christmas. This man will sit on the canoe with them on the back. They had to promise to never look back at him.

"So they make the deal and were flying over the forests and rivers. One of the man could not resist and turn to look at the man. It was Satan. They have been damned and never made it for christmas.

"In french, when you are damned, you are "maudit". As you mabe know, in french we have feminate and masculin for things. In english everything is IT but in french it is different. So, maudite is the feminate of maudit and beer is feminate. La Maudite, the Damned Beer."

So that leads us to the fitting choice of Maudite for this particular leg of the journey, which delivered us to the little logging town of Port Hope Simpson. We tried not to look behind us as we traveled, fearing the sinister reprocussions. With that lesson over, we'll get on with the review.

Maudite is another relatively high-alcohol content beer brewed by the Unibroue Microbrewery of Quebec. It is a strong, reddish ale, refermented in the bottle. Although it has an alcohol content of 8%, it isn't an overpowering presence when the bottle is opened. It is a beer that calls for a delicate hand when pouring, for the head will crest quickly of anything less than perfect care is used. Because of the process of refermentation, the color is a clouded, yet pleasant hue of yellow rosewood.

The hint of hops makes Maudite a more balanced brew than stablemate Trois Pistoles (read review). Where Trois Pistoles' alcohol permiates the senses, Maudite's has been tempered. The flavor is still a bit on the malty side for this reviewer, but the lack of significant aftertaste is a definite plus.

Effects from a beer such as this are as expected. The brewery bottles this beer in 4-packs for a reason. The next day wasn't too bad in terms of hangover, but pilot Geoff didn't fair as well.

Call it Trois Pistoles with a silencer if you wish, but Maudite is a better example of the work done by Unibroue. It also servs as a fitting reminder that if you are ever offered a ride in a flying canoe, don't look behind you, damn it!

For more information on the Unibroue Micro-Brewery, visit their website at www.unibroue.com