Microbrasserie Les Trois Mousquetaires - Grande Cuvée Porter Baltique

Les Trois Mousquetaires delivers a stellar interpretation of the Baltic porter—just how we like it: rich, smooth, and packed with ripe dark fruit character. And, we’re not alone in singing its praises; it’s brought home a slew of World Beer Awards over the years, including World’s Best Strong Porter in 2021.

Porter Baltique pours a deep chocolate-brown that edges into purple territory, with a thick, viscous body that clings to the glass. A fine-bubbled, medium-brown head forms a ring around the edge, leaving behind a modest trail of lacing.

Though technically a dark lager, it might easily be mistaken for something else. The aroma leans heavily into red and dark fruit: think apples, currants, red grapes, blackberry jam, and ripe black cherries. Beneath all that fruit lies a steady undercurrent of roasted malts, lending notes of espresso and bitter chocolate. There’s also a subtle citrus lift—likely from its combo of Québec-grown Cascade and Nugget hops—and a whisper of boozy fruitiness. Altogether, the bouquet is rich, plush, and deeply layered.

Flavor-wise, it stays true to the aromatic promise: juicy black cherries, raisins, and dried cranberries take the lead. Bittersweet chocolate and coffee notes play supporting roles, keeping things from getting overly sweet. There’s a hint of citrusy hop bitterness as well, which adds freshness and balance. Brewed with Pilsner, Munich, Cara 60/160, Wheat, Oat, Carafa, and Briess smoked malts – 85% of which are from Québec – this Baltic porter is just super deep, supple on the palate, and engaging from start to finish. Letting it warm up a bit reveals added depth—caramel, baker’s chocolate, and even a trace of smoke emerge as it opens up. It’s a complex, decadent beer meant to be savored slowly.

Les Trois Mousquetaires recommends cellaring this one for three to five years, during which the hop brightness will mellow and the caramel and malt character will shine more prominently. Don’t hesitate to tuck a few bottles away. In the meantime, it pairs beautifully with rich desserts like pecan pie or an assortment of smoked charcuterie.

The Québécois good-beer scene is perhaps most renowned for breweries like Unibroue and Dieu du Ciel!, both of which see significant distribution throughout the States, but it’s small-scale operations like Les Trois Mousquetaires that remind us it’s usually way better to visit.

Les Trois Mousquetaires microbrewery was established in June 2004 after the acquisition of Express-Broue, a small brewery based in Saint-Eustache. The new owners—three former colleagues from Imperial Tobacco—were driven by a shared entrepreneurial spirit following the closure of their former workplace. All living on Montreal’s South Shore, they relocated the brewery’s operations to Brossard.

At launch, the brewery introduced two beers: D’Artagnan, a blonde, and Aramis, a red—both brewed with lager yeast, a distinctive choice in the Quebec craft beer scene at the time. By 2006, with growing customer interest in more adventurous flavors, Les Trois Mousquetaires shifted its focus to premium beers inspired mainly by traditional German styles, then still rare in Quebec.

In 2008, with a portfolio of around fifteen beers, the brewery refreshed its brand identity to reflect a more refined and upscale image. It introduced three product lines—Regular, Signature Series, and Grande Cuvée—each named according to beer color or style. At the same time, the brewery deepened its commitment to local sourcing, partnering with Frontenac Malthouse in Thetford Mines and Maltbroue in Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac to gradually integrate Quebec-grown malts into all its recipes.

To support its rapid growth, the company moved in May 2011 to a new facility on Matte Boulevard in Brossard—three times the size of its previous location. Post-move, Les Trois Mousquetaires expanded distribution to over 500 points of sale throughout Quebec and began exporting to Ontario, Western Canada, the U.S., and Australia.

In summer 2012, the brewery refreshed its branding once again, proudly displaying the phrase “Brewed with Quebec Malts” on its labels, and set a new standard with detailed back-label information for each beer

Today, Les Trois Mousquetaires is regarded as one of the world’s premier producers of fine beer, with a wide range of offerings from white IPAs to sticke alts, all brewed with heavy emphasis on Canadian malts and hops. Despite this, their offerings have always been few and far between here in the States, as just a relative trickle makes its way across the border each year. It’s our pleasure this month to bring you one of our favorites from their lineup: their exceptional Porter Baltique.