Les Trois Mousquetaires MIM 2006 - Ryan Allen, MacAllen Pils

Formerly brewed at Les Trois Mousquetaires
Style: Classic German Pilsener
Brossard, Canada

Maltée, Houblonnée, "cripsy", parfaite. Peut-être suis-je influencé par l’idée qu’elle n’est que d’une durée limitée.

341 ml bottle from Métro Joannette , Verdun QC (May 2007) sampled a few minutes out of the fridge from a Christoffel glass. It pours an immense head, creamy on top but slowly decaying into a fluffy, corrguated cumulous-cloud surface with huge bubbles atop the very clear bright gold body, and leaving thick chunky lacing -- pretty well flawless pils appearance.....the spicy Hallertauer aroma is just enormous, it explodes from the glass with as much power as that lovely frothy head, it’s hugely fresh and complex with notes of lime, chalky earth and plenty of biscuity malt.....no disappointment on tasting it either, the thick malt sweetness is the first element noted and as Clark mentioned, it may be a bit too sweet or sticky for some; but for me, enough dryness and bitterness in the hops show up, enough of a dry wheat-cracker character that it basically works....the body is quite full, if I have a problem with it I guess it would be that the carbonation is not quite full enough, and so the stickiness does get a little much though it’s a dryer stickiness (if that makes sense) and doesn’t really ever become cloying. Either equal to or just below Christoffel Blonde as the greatest pilsener I’ve ever had. This brewery has come a long, long way....

2007 6 pack generously provided by Olivier and Jocelyn, consumed over the course of a week starting 5/11/07
Yes sir!! From the instant I popped the cap, I knew this was going to be special. An instant surge of fresh hallertauer hops, extremely juicy, fresh and grassy/herbal is followed by succulent, rich pils malt, pinches of light dough and biscuits, finishing with a starkly crisp, snappy lager yeast bite. Wow. Simple but perfect and highly aromatic.
Keepin the review simple and to the point, just like the beer, the only fault, and it’s VERY minor, that I find is perhaps just a bit too much sweetness that seems to be expressed by a slightly too loose carbonation. A tighter carbonation might perk things up and knock that little bit of gooey honey chewiness that lingers on the end. Aside from that, the flavors are perfect, and I mean perfect, for the style. Knock-out hoppiness is crisp, lightly bitter and very flavorful (herbs, lush, green grass clippings). Malt is clean and rich, but not overdone. Yeast is severely crisp and biting on the finish, as it should be, with that tell-tale "mineral" character that the authentic stuff produces.
As usual, the ratings show how severely underappreciated/understood this beer/style is.

My Bottom Line:
This German Pilsener’s spicy, herbal hop brilliance shines even brighter due to its supporting crunchy haystack. This is an effervescent, bitter quencher which has lured me into submission.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-An everlasting sheet of foam coats the translucent pale golden.
-The aroma also offers grassiness on top of the already well-established spicy hop character and the cracking hay/straw.
-Honeyed sweetness leaks onto the haystack, rendering more complexity to the maltiness.
-Big-bubbled carbonation is frothy and might bother some.
-The wooden, herbal hop flavor and its gripping, dry spicy bitterness are drugging me.
-The tap version was creamier (different carbonation, of course) and the dryness and bitterness weren’t as riveting, but it was still a fine pint of pils. The bottles are superior, imho.

From quite a few bottles and on tap at Benelux.

A gift from Muzzlehatch. This is an excellent pilsner. Gold colored and heavily carbonated. The white head leaves a lacing and lasts until the end of the beer. Grassy, herbal hop aroma. Flavor has some medium bodied malt and intensely bitter hops. Perhaps the most bitter pils I have tasted. Some salt as well, and more herbs and grass in the finish. Exceptional palate.

Pours a clear golden color with a thick, fluffy, white head. Very appealing and rich aroma of noble hops and pilsner malt. Excellent flavor of strong noble hops with flowers and rich, round pilsner malt, there is some bitterness in the end. The body is light with a creamy texture and moderate carbonation. An amazing german pilsener, the perfect summer beer!

Bouteille 2007. Couleur blonde limpide, mousse généreuse, compacte, s’estompe lentement et deviens mince, colle beaucoup au verre. Très invitant. Arôme de grains, très herbacé, houblon floral, légèrement sucré. Goût renversant. Très bien houblonné, floral, légèrement citronné, gazonné, amertume sèche prenante, finale très longue d’amertume et légèrement sucrée. Corps plutôt plein, mais effervescence un peu faible. Cette pilsner québécoise est vraiment géniale.

Golden. Nice gentle sparkle. Very spicy, fruity hops...unique. Crisp, lingering bitterness. Herbal, minty hop character. Very dry. The body is light, but more like a lighter Bohemian pils than a North German one. The hops - did they use the homegrown in the production batch because they’re really unique in the herb/spice they lend. Nice balance.