A Shawinigan Handshake…

One of the advantages of being on the opposite coast from my normal residence is that I can find some beer not available in the west. This includes local seasonals and and small regionals. One example is Le Trou De Diable, a small brewpub/craft brewer from Shawinigan, Quebec.  We actually have had their Buteuse in the province, but most of their offerings have not made their way out to the prairies.

Recently one of their specialty beer gained some national notoriety for its name, Shawinigan Handshake. The beer, as the label makes obvious, makes fun of the infamous 1996 incident where then-Prime Minister Jean Chretien choked a protester. Not a great moment for Monsieur Chretien and it suggested a particular lack of respect for Canadian citizens on his part.

LTDD thought it might be fun to satirize that event with a beer named for it. Chretien, of course, is a long time resident of Shawinigan. Many feel the beer name and label are in bad taste, while others chuckle at its clever twist on the event (on the label, Chretien is choking the devil). I will sidestep that particular controversy, and instead offer my take on the beer itself.

I am told it is brewed as a Weizenbock. At 7% alcohol it seems to be in the right alcohol zone. It pours a  hazy dark gold with a medium white head, not as big as Iwould have thought. The aroma is clove, and banana ester but also some sharp pepper, smoke and other phenols. Some soft wheat in the background, but the smell is dominated by the esters.

…And the Event It Is Based On

First approach of the flavour is soft and sugary sweet. Following that is some banana bread like character and a touch of clover honey. The middle starts to dry out and sharpen, as the esters take over the flavour. I pick up a mixture of clove, nutmeg, pepper and an earthy mustiness. The beer finishes quite dry, tart and with a bit of surprising hop linger.

The beer presents as a hybrid of a German Weizen and a Belgian Abbey-style. The esters are quite pronounced and, I think, over-run the soft wheat and more subtle weizen esters. In my opinion the beer is over-done, much like M. Chretien’s response to the niggling protester. I would like it to be a bit softer and to allow the more subtle yeast character of clove and banana (which are present but struggle to be noticed) to come through more.

I continue to be intrigued by this beer. The name, alone, offers much to contemplate. And weizenbocks are uncommon in Canada, and that also provides reason to be interested. From my previous experience, LTDD makes some fascinating, creative, quality beer. As a beer Handshake is interesting, I just simply need to think that it shouldn’t bill itself as a weizenbock, which has a particular set of parameters that I am not sure this beer hits. Not a criticism, just an observation.

And, Mr. Chretien, when drinking this beer, try not to grip too hard. You’ll break the glass.