RYE
DAVIN
DE KERGOMMEAUX & BLAIR PHILLIPS
Searching for La Bagosse “Do we look like cops? That waitress is
studying us like we’re here to make a bust.” Suddenly a mile-wide grin erases her
scowl and she comes bounding over. She’s recognized Blair – from TV, she thinks – and now we’re getting the royal treatment. “I’m Kim,” she gushes, before offering
us a local brew. Her timing is perfect. We’re at “Le
Deck” Resto-Bar in Edmundston, New Brunswick, feeling quite discouraged. “What are you doing in Edmundston?”
she asks. “Looking for La Bagosse,” I reply
innocently. “Did you find any?” “No, just three guys who know
everything about it except where to get some.”
THE SPIRIT OF ST. HILAIRE We had set out for this distant corner
of New Brunswick, chasing a spirit that theoretically danced its last Charleston with
60 BOUNDER MAGAZINE
the repeal of Prohibition. That’s what they want us to think, anyway. It’s a fabled spirit, steeped in mystery,
and they want to keep it that way. They speak freely of moonshine, but always in the past tense. Historically, Acadian settlements here
straddled the Saint John River. So, when distant politicians decided in 1831 to make the river the border between Canada and the U.S., they effectively handed cross- border passkeys to future generations. Strong family ties on both sides of the
river kept Prohibition-era bootlegging machines running smoothly, particularly just upstream from Edmundston in St. Hilaire, where the river is shallow enough to wade across. Its isolation also safeguarded a
moonshine secret among St. Hilaire’s Brayon-Acadian population. The local “bagosse” is a sumptuous brew, concocted from apples, potatoes and raisins. Tales of its fruity sweet aromas and bone-shattering palate have taken it from simple lore to our personal Holy Grail. Officially, La Bagosse is still produced
once a year for La Foire Brayonne, a festival celebrating its Acadian heritage. At La Municipalité de Saint Hilaire, festival
www.bounder.ca
Photos By DAVIN DE KERGOMMEAUX & BLAIR PHILIPS
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