My lastest Vue Weekly column is a review of Le Cheval Blanc – the White Horse. On the various beer rating websites, the beer is fairly well regarded. It recently arrived in Alberta, so I thought I would give it a shot.

Of course, I am speaking of the Cheval Blanc from Montreal brewer Brasseurs RJ, not the Montreal brewpub of the same name (lord is that confusing! Who knows how that happened?). Officially it is Le Cheval Blanc Blanche, as they have a few under that brand, but only one has made its way west, so the short name is plenty fine for us. It is, as the name implies, a Witbier.

So, here is my issue. I went in with moderately high hopes, but something went remarkably wrong on the way, as you can read in the review (which you can find here). It looks great. It is hazy white with a huge, rocky head and very effervescent. The aroma is lovely – lemon and orange, a crisp wheat and hints of pepper.

But when I take a sip I know something is wrong. I get a fair bit of astringency (an unpleasant grainy, sharp mouthfeel) and a soapy character that distracts from the light citrus and soft wheat flavours of the beer. Somewhere this beer has wandered into the wrong neighbourhood and come out worse for wear. The soapiness persists through the linger causing the beer to lack that refreshing finish I expect from a Witbier.

I actually considered not submitting the review. I don’t really see my job as running around trashing craft beer for no good reason, plus my editors say the readers prefer positive reviews (they want to read about what they should drink, not what they should avoid – I get that). Yet I felt I needed to follow through on my plan. When I purchased the bottle it was with the intention of reviewing it. I know the agent will be unhappy, and it is completely possible I got a single funked bottle, but I have to write what I taste. There was something wrong with that beer.

So, this is what I want to know. Did I just get a bad bottle or is this beer over-rated? And you are exactly the crew to ask. Onbeer readers are a smart, savvy bunch. Have you tried Cheval Blanc? What did you think? I know a handful of website comments are not a scientifically valid sample but I suspect that your views will help solve this mystery.

Maybe the beer is better fresh in Montreal (on my visits there I haven’t tried it). Maybe it was a bad batch. Or maybe there is something about the beer I simply don’t get. All are possibilities. Let me know what you think.