Yeast & Fermentation

Most of the beers that have brought Québec attention are top-fermented. Top-fermenting yeast works warm, at around 18 to 24°C (64–75°F), producing fruity aromas and delicate spice notes reminiscent of banana, pear, or pepper. That's why a tripel from Chambly smells so different from a plain pale lager.

According to the brewery, many of Unibroue's beers undergo a second fermentation in the bottle. Yeast and a bit of sugar are added to the bottled beer. The yeast converts the sugar into carbonation and settles as a fine sediment. The beer then continues to mature in the bottle and can change over the course of years.

Strong beers ferment more slowly. A beer around 9% ABV, as Unibroue states for La Fin du Monde, takes a long time for the yeast to use up the sugar, and is often then cold-conditioned for weeks afterward. Only then do alcohol, fruit, and spice round out into a cohesive flavor.

At the Dieu du Ciel! brewpub, the brewhouse and fermentation tanks sit in the same building as the taproom. The journey from tank to glass is short, and the beer doesn't need weeks of storage or shipping.

Molson operates very differently. Lager yeast ferments at a cool 8 to 12°C (46–54°F) and then needs weeks of cold storage before the beer turns clear and smooth. The result is a pale, clean flavor where the yeast is barely noticeable — the polar opposite of a spicy ale.