Beer O’Clock – 3 Monts

Too chilly for chilled beer? Never. The colder it is, the easier it is to chill your beer. For the chilly weather, the Beer O'Clock team recommend a good beer and a good fire - just leave your bottle outside for a minute or two until it's ready to consume. You can pick it up when you go out to get your firewood. The good beer recommended this week comes courtesy of Neil at Real Beer, and doesn't it look gorgeous.

After a brief foray into the bus stop with my last Beer O’Clock where I covered Skol Super [to little acclaim, Ed.], it is time get to classy again. After all, I am a classy kind of guy.

This week I have been thinking a lot about France. Now, I am not well known as a big fan of the French, but I must say I am tremendously proud of their soccer team. Mainly this is because I bet on Switzerland to finish top of that World Cup group.

At odds of $4.50 to 1 that looks like it might happen, and I will need something with which to celebrate. I don’t know much about football but when someone said that the World Cup “was like a war” I knew France’s over whelming favouritism in the group was suspect. Yay for stereotypes!

Anyway, this week’s beer is 3 Monts (pronounced “Tray Mons”) which is my absolute favourite French beer.

Regular and observant readers of my work ["hello Mum"] will know that when I use that phrasing it usually means I’ve only tried one beer from the country in question (see for instance: Tsingtao, my favourite Chinese beer).

However, in this case I have tried about half a dozen French beers, and it is my considered opinion 3 Monts is the best. I consider 3 Monts regularly (when available). It can be a little hard to find.

This is a bottle-conditioned ale in the old farm style (biere de garde) in a corked bottle. It pours a pleasant cloudy gold with a strong, finely bubbled head. It has a pungent, astringent nose followed by a full, fruity and yeasty flavour and lingering bitterness which never seems to surrender.

It is complex, strong and funky - a fine and interesting drop. Perhaps it is so good because it is heavily influenced by the brewing traditions nearby Belgium rather than influenced by French Euro-Lager Juggernaut (see: Kronenbourg, it’s French for terrible beer).

The name 3 Monts literally translates as “three mountains.” This is apparently French humour -- the area where it is made is notoriously flat. The three mountains are apparently three hillocks. This is only the second recorded French joke. The first one was letting Britain into the EU and then making them pay for everything.

Bon drinking!

LINKS: 3 Monts - St Sylvestre Brewery
What People think of Tres Monts - Rate Beer

TAGS: Beer_&_elsewhere