Chiniquy Mild Ale - Beer Review - Le temps d'une bière

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Chiniquy Mild Ale – Beer Review

The Chiniquy Mild Ale celebrates the life of Charles Chiniquy, a priest from Kamouraska who famously led a crusade of temperance throughout the 1840s in the Bas St-Laurent region. This mild ale boasts tons of rich malt flavour, with caramel, biscuit and roasted nuts up front, accompanied by some subtle fruity esters throughout that add…

Many will be making this decision today as the 28 Days Challenge begins. After 4 months off the beer last year I won’t be taking part, but thought I would crack an appropriate beer salute all taking part! 🫡

Chiniquy : A Legacy of Temperance

Indeed, this brew from Brasserie Albion named its beer in honour of Charles Chiniquy, a priest from Kamouraska who famously led a crusade of temperance throughout the 1840s in the Bas St-Laurent region. He preached against alcohol to thousands of people and his book « Manuel ou Règlement de la société de temperance » made him the leading figure of the movement in Quebec. 🚫🍺

Perhaps more interestingly, however, Chiniquy later founded a colony in Illinois, where he renounced Catholicism and spent the rest of life trying to convert French Canadians to Presbyterianism. For this he was both revered and reviled by many, with some of his publications being banned and his incendiary preaching methods highly criticised. Not only a powerful preacher, he was also a conspiracy theorist, believing the Vatican was trying to topple the powerful Protestant nation by starting the American Civil War and attempting to assassinate Abraham Lincoln… 😅 ⛪️

Chiniquy Mild Ale – A Beer Review

While I can’t do justice to the crazy story of Chiniquy’s life (I recommend looking him up on the Dictionary of Canadian Biography!), I can describe this beer more succinctly! As with all of Albion’s beers this one finds its roots in the Dark Mild, a version of the classic English mild ale brewed with slightly darker malts.

As such, it boasts tons of rich malt flavour, with caramel, biscuit and roasted nuts up front, accompanied by some subtle fruity esters throughout that add to the complexity nicely. It’s light and sessionable but full of flavour and wonderfully delicate and balanced. I could drink this for days, much to the chagrin of Chiniquy himself. 👌🏻 🌰 🍺

Originally from England, Mike Davis came to Quebec ten years ago to study history. During this time he fell in love with the microbreweries of Quebec, which reminded him of English pubs. Now, he holds a Ph.D in History from McGill University, but works in the beer world as the Brand Ambassador for Microbrasserie 4 Origines.

LE TEMPS D’UNE BIÈRE