Bottled in 2011, No. 2011-100254, best before 12-12-2016. Parchment like label, information on the back describing the 2007 beer and the process it went through to become the 'Grand Reserve'. I've been (generally) a huge fan of the Unibroue anniversary series, and indeed enjoyed 17 very much, so even at $12.99 for the corked and caged 750 mL it was a no-brainer for me. A healthy pop on opening (good) is followed by a light chestnut, brownish pour. The carbonation is pretty good and gives a...
Notes on beers brewed by
Unibroue
Unibroue 17
Quatre-Centième
Brassin Commémoratif
750 mL corked & caged tyical Unibroue affair. Thanks go out to Josh for the trade just before this made it to Atlanta! Poured this baby into the Duvel tulip. Celebrating 400 years of settlement of Quebec City. Pale, honey orange body as expected. Large head that falls back to give spotty, light head. Nose and tastes are as expected with simple Belgian yeast notes, mild alcohol and sweetness in the finish. Light medicinal/herbal notes too. Some non-ripe, crunchy pears in there too. This is...
Unibroue 17
750 mL Corked & Caged bottle with the usual Unibroue, silk screened presentation. $8.49 from Bullocks, Marietta, GA, USA. Had a bit of a job to track this down. Big pop on opening, it's poured into the Ommegang chalice. Dirty brown, Dubbel like color (not attractive) with a high head that is dense, creamy and off-white (this IS attractive). Nice lace. Big, herbal nose with some interesting notes of freshly cut green leaves - quite odd! Mint? Very, very, very mild smoke?? Large alcohol...
La Seigneuriale
Purchased on a recent trip to Greensboro, NC, USA. 750 mL Corked & Caged. Subsequently at Mac's Midtown, Atlanta, GA, USA on sale for $3.99. Typical Unibroue presentation. Poured into the Duvel tulip this beer has a dark orange body (peach/tea like) with superb lace and a decent, smallish head. Carbonation is good, no doubt helped by the Duvel glass. Fine bubbles form on the surface. A big, wine-like grape taste up front. Persistent bitterness with some pepper, and a noticeable lack of...
Unibroue 16
Green's, Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA. 750 mL, corked & caged. Much darker pour than many of the other Unibroue "pales". A peachy, tea-like color with good head and lace in the Westmalle chalice. Aroma is clean. Plenty (and I mean plenty) of residual sweetness amongst the Belgian yeast and mild spice. The best Unibroue anniversary for a little while - enjoyable.
Eau Benite
In English, Holy Water. Corked & Caged 750 mL bottle as a part of the Unibroue tasting at The Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. Not currently available in the USA. Well, I'm running out of new things to say about the Unibroue range. So many of the beers are similar, solid examples of Belgian styles with much to please. Beautiful light orange, slightly hazed color with a large, billowing white head. Decent lacing. Characteristic mild, light fruits with the unmistakable prominent yeast...
Raftman
12 oz bottle. Currently not available in the USA. Tasted at the Unibroue dinner meeting at the Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. Several of the Unibroue guys in attendance to give us the low down on the beers. If you know Unibroue beers the first thing you will notice is that this beer is by far the most easily distinguishable of all of the Unibroue range. No huge Belgian yeasty tastes that are SO patently Unibroue. Don't get me wrong, I love the classic Unibroue Belgian yeast tastes, but many of...
Unibroue 15
Corked and caged 750 mL brown bottle with screen-printed label. Bullock's, Marietta, GA, USA. Opens with a gentle "pop" and some champagne like vapors. Poured into the Gouden Carolus flute. Orange butterscotch pour with a large white, dense head and some lacing. Carbonation is good. Alcoholic pepper notes dominate the nose. Tastes are dominated by hard, winter fruits; apples, gooseberries & pears. The obvious yeast and alcohol Belgian influenced overtones are present. The spices are difficult...
Noire De Chambly / Chambly Noire
Thanks to zrrbrrt for the trade (this was before this got to Atlanta). 750 mL corked and caged. Poured into the Duvel tulip, the color is VERY black, almost of Guinness proportions, and is completely opaque without a hint of any other kind of colored highlights. Thin creamy layer of head on the surface of the black body. Well, no mystery here. Typical Dark Belgian attributes all over the place from the aroma to the tastes. Yeast and spice with a couple of slight differences. Mouthfeel and...
La Terrible
Updated Review 10/10 Bottle Best Before: 10-15-2014 Dot matrix on neck: A14102232Q Same magnificent flavor profile as usual with huge, rich fruits and a great alcohol kick. Unbeatable value at $8.99. Updated Review 01/10 New Years Day 2010. Bottle is marked as Best Before 02/26/12. 750 mL corked & caged has a dot matrixed code on the neck of B28071559Q. Really hard job getting the cork out of this one. Pour is an amazing looking black body with seriously SCARLET red highlights. These are...
Éphémère (Cassis / Black Currant)
Orangey, peach body, with clarity, but a little chill haze. Some good carbonation, but the initially slightly pinkish head disappears almost instantly and consequently no lacing. Acidic fruit flavors in the nose, but the specific blackcurrant smell does not come through until the beer warms. Good, tart acidity in the initial tastes that slowly mellows. There is not much else other than the tart acidity in the taste. Mouthfeel is pretty thin, but at the same time refreshing. One of those beers...
Édition 2005
=== Cellared Review 09/09 === Well, 4+ years on this beer, time to crack one open. Firstly the pop on opening gave an indication of things to come. It was small, and although not completely dead it was disappointingly slight. I was anticipating some drop in carbonation, but this was disappointing. The pour gave the Dubbel-like appearance that I was expecting but again it lacked life. LOTS of sherry, oxidized notes which is fine by me for two reasons; firstly I was expecting it, and secondly I...
Blanche De Chambly
Classic Witbier pour, with a lovely well carbonated head and classic clairty in the body. A little light on the color, which is then reflected in the rest of the beers' attributes. I found this a little too light and under-spiced for the style. With that slight insipid character came some acidity that took points away from taste and drinkability. Light cloves and lemon are there, but not in way that gives the refreshing character that I was looking for. Despite not being the best Wit, it still...
Don de Dieu
Updated notes, 03/31/22 This is the beer pictured. Very different pour when compared to the original notes, with this being clouded organge and not ‘crystal clear’ as noted below (albeit, 17 years ago!) Most of the other notes remain the same, with a exceptionally smooth mouthfeel (the wheat), and alcohol hidden making the drinkability a little dangerous. More acid on the fruits noted by me this time, by hey, palates gonna change! Original notes, 06/14/2005 Golden, crystal clear pour with a...
Quelque Chose
Very, very interesting beer experience. This is different in the extreme and a very brave brew from Unibroue in my opinion. Deep brownish red color, with no sign of a head. My wife described it as flat iced tea, and that is a pretty accurate description of what you see. There is immense sweet and sour tartness that come together in the flavor. A bit like the old lager and blackcurrant mixing days of my adolescence; a bit of cider in there too and finally a bit of the Lidemanns lambic cassis. A...
Éphémère (Apple)
Cloudy, yellow pour with a lovely, substantial head and that obvious apple aroma. I didn't find the apple smell overpowering; don't get me wrong it was strong and noticeable, but it didn't take over the beer for me. This is an amazingly drinkable beer. I first tried it in the Winter months, so I can only imagine what the drinkability would be like in the high summer. This brew is made for hot weather. To me it hits an interesting balance between a Wit, a Pilsner and a Fruit beer, that somehow...
Edition 2004
July 2006: Now a two year old beer and things have changed dramatically. Much more mild now in all respects. Two distinct changes. Now there is a real British shandy taste upfront, and that in turn increases the drinakability immensely. July 2004: $7.99, 750 mL, Arbor Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA. Somewhat disappointing, not very good value for money. Way too spicy for my taste with the spices overpowering the drink as a whole. Cloudy, orange pour (again somewhat unattractive) despite...
Trois Pistoles
$5.99 750 mL, Arbor Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA. Subsequently $4.99 750 mL, Green's Beverage, Ponce de Leon, Atlanta, GA. Very nice. The pour is a little disappointing, as despite great care, the appearance is somewhat cloudy and "muddy". A good head. The aroma and taste are all, soft, round, ripe forest fruits, and the brew itself is rich. The combination reminds me of a berry smoothie! Mouthfeel is very full, rich and creamy and this is amazingly drinkable. Of course the ease of drinking...
La Fin Du Monde
Notes added 10/02/2021 This is the beer pictured. Still that fat, billowing, impressive head. The nose has those apple, estery Belgian yeast notes that are so, so tempting on the nose. A perfectly smooth body leads to the simplicity of a beautiful built Belgian, sweet malt bomb. It’s close to perfect, and 17 years later after that first review I would be hard pressed not to increase the appearance, smell, taste and mouthfeel scores. The finish is wonderfully balanced as the alcoholic fruit are...
Maudite
Updated Notes: 01/08 750 mL on sale for $3.99 at Mac's Midtown, Atlanta, GA, USA. Nice job on sale. The dirty, unattractive Dubbel-like body still bothers me - I'll never get over that. Still prefer it on draught. Original Notes: 07/04 $5.99, 750 mL Arbor Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA. Very cloudy pour, despite great care taken, and initially the overwhelming experience is sweet. I get a lot of burned sugar smells in the aroma and in the initial taste. I found that it filled the mouth with...