My flight of beers at Noctem in Quebec City included, from left to right, the Pina Chalada sour, The Birmingham dark ale, the Belzébuth American stout and the Élizabeth imperial stout. Photo by Galen Simmons
By Galen Simmons
There’s something special about drinking a beer beside the equipment that made it.
While we were in Quebec City, Julia and I were invited to stop in for lunch at Noctem Artisan Brasseurs’ brewpub, a funky little microbrewery and restaurant on the corner of Rue du Parvis and Boulevard Charest East.
Walking in, we felt right at home – cool cat art on the walls, a full bar featuring all of the brewery’s latest offerings and a handful of locals chatting away over a couple beers and a bite to eat. Our waiter, Antoine, seated us right next to the brewing equipment – all sorts of vats and beakers and measurement tools – separated from us only by a glass wall.
When visiting a brewery for the first time, I wholeheartedly believe the right thing to do is order a flight – a sampling of as many intriguing beers as possible in one go. I’ve long said I like my beer red or darker, with some exceptions, so I asked Antoine for his recommendations, and I think I stayed pretty close to what he said, making only one substitution.
That one exception and the first beer I tasted so the darker beers wouldn’t muddy its flavour was the Pina Chalada sour, a delicious tropical sour with notes of coconut and pineapple, the sweetness from which balanced out the mild sour notes. This one felt like it would be right at home on a beach in the Caribbean, but even in Quebec City in late September, it went down real easy – basically in just two gulps.
I went a little darker with the next taste – The Birmingham. This beer is described simply as a dark ale, but it brings more of a brown ale vibe than I was expecting, with a mild, nutty-toffee flavour and a slightly bitter yet still smooth finish.
Moving darker still, I tried the Belzébuth American stout. For a stout brewed with grapefruit and birdseye chili, I found it neither overly sweet or spicy. In fact, the beer was well-balanced and light tasting for a porter with a mild spiced chocolate finish. There was a bit of sweetness from the grapefruit and a tingling of the tongue from the chili, making this beer a self-fulfilling prophecy as the sweet invites you in and the tingle pulls you back for another drink.
Finally, I tried the darkest and most alcoholic beer on the menu, a kind of beer I’m not usually the biggest fan of due to its complex and exotic flavours. This one is called the Élizabeth imperial stout and it weighs in at 10 per cent alcohol. Though I usually find the flavours of this type of beer to be quite strong, this one was much milder and what I initially thought was a perfume of alcohol on my first sip quickly melted into a mildly sweet and exotic toffee and fruity flavour profile that lingers on the palate and invites you in for more.
While I was tasting all those beers, Julia ordered the Cider Gravité from Ciderie & Verger à l’Orée du Bois. Julia described this cider as dry without much in the way of sweetness – akin to drinking an apple-flavoured ale.
As for food, Julia and I were somewhat surprised to see the small size of the lunch menu, with just a handful of snacks and lunch items available before 5 p.m., when dinner starts.
So we ordered three dishes – the hummus, the chicken roll and the Tataki beef – and let me tell you they were all fresh, delicious and filling.
Served with a smattering of tender veg on top, the hummus was creamy and came with pieces of toast and these deliciously crisp and thin sesame crackers for dipping. It was a perfect little starter that doubled as a nice condiment for the beef to come later.
The chicken roll, meanwhile, was a thing of absolute beauty – a tender, creamy and fresh chicken salad topped with mild pickled jalapeños on a perfectly soft bread roll. Served on the side was perhaps the most delicious side green salad I had on this trip, featuring fresh lettuce and tomatoes and pickled carrots and red onions, the flavours and textures of which came together beautifully coated in a sweet and simple vinaigrette.
The Tataki beef was also something special. It was served cold after being seared to a perfect rare with a fragrant and herby chimichurri on top and nestled beside a bed of tender quinoa with a fresh corn and tomato salsa. This dish had a surprising spice to it, which really started to build the more we ate it. Thank goodness for the beer!
This was one of the best lunches we had all trip and we’ll definitely be back for the dinner menu the next time we’re in Quebec City.
Leave a Reply