Broue Pub Brouhaha
One of the most satisfying visits is one we almost didn’t make. The place seemed somewhat out of the way in the Rosemont neighborhood, I had tried plenty of good beer, and didn’t want to overdue it. Man am I glad we biked clear accross town to try it!
In the way that Reservoir nails the brewpub realm, and Ho.St has Belgians cornered, Brouhaha really understands how to bring it all together, in avery appealing way. In fact, the atmosphere, beer offerings, and general attitude of the place feel more like and American establishment (except more exotic, it is all in French, after all).
Our knowledgable server offered beer explanations in English and French, and seemed to genuinely enjoy that we were interested in craft beer. While there were very few others in the dining room when we arrived, as time passed a mixed crowd, representative of the blue-collar, up-and-coming neighborhood straggled in slowly. We oggled the extenisive beer selection as were happy to find very unique house brews on the list.
After oggling the Randall, which sits atop the bar for all (nerds) to see, we couldn’t help but enjoy some sun.
Every time I turned around I thought I had discovered the best beer of the trip, but Brouhaha’s Saison Voatsiperify, a saison au poivre, was certainly up there. The clove-pepper aroma is a perfectly enchanting combination and the taste is distinctly pink peppercorn rather than a harsh bite. It is dry and crisp, with complexity of spice offered by the clove note. I could drink a lot of this.
Blanche Soleil, Saison Voatsiperifery
The Blanche soleil is a nice counterpoint to the saison, with bright citrus dominating and only 3.5% ABV. The Belgian yeast notes and surprising body make this another winner.
The Dernier Mission slightly misses the mark on aroma with a bit of mild detergent, but apart from the nose, the EPA displays complexity of fresh apricot, citrus and earth.
And about that Randall? What is that, anyway? “Randall is an organoleptic hop transducer module, a double-chamber filter that you connect to a tap of your favorite beer and fill with flavor-enhancing ingredients. It’s invention credited to Dogfish Head out of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.” That is the explanation I found at Hoppy Trails. Or, more specifically and clearly, Sam Calagione says, “Basically, it’s a sophisticated filter system that allows the user to run draft beer through a chamber of whole leaf hops, spices, herbs, fruit, etc. so that the alcohol in the beer strips the flavor from whatever you add and puts it in the beer.”
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Brouhaha is a gem for America travelers, Canadian natives, and beer connoisseurs. Without even exploring their immense guest tap and bottle selection, beer drinkers will be very impressed, and will likely learn a thing or two. The Randall changes frequently and the taps turn over quickly, a sign of brewers who care. You will not regret a visit!