all the same song

Beer Review 0201: Unibroue Grande Réserve 17 (Birthday Beer Week 1 of 7)

To start my week of birthday beer reviews, we have an offering from Unibroue, located in Chambly, Quebec, Canada. Founded by Quebec natives André Dion and Serge Racine in 1993, Unibroue focuses on Belgian-style ales. The majority of their beers are bottled “on lees,” which means the beverage is bottle conditioned, or distributed with yeast sediment.

Unibroue are known for the unique yeast strain used in their beers; nearly every Unibroue drink I’ve tried has featured a heavy yeast presence that adds wonderful flavor and spice to the beer.

Sleeman Breweries bought Unibroue out in 2004, and in turn, Sapporo bought Sleeman in 2006. While these are big macro lager companies, Unibroue remains relatively unchanged and are continuing to produce excellent craft beer. They are one of my favorite breweries, and that’s why I have selected one of their beers to review in this special week.

Grande Réserve 17 was originally brewed in 2007 to celebrate Unibroue’s 17th anniversary. It is a Belgian Dark Ale brewed to 10% ABV (alcohol by volume) and ages especially well — this beer was awarded an international platinum medal three years in a row for the same bottling vintage.

In 2011, Unibroue decided they didn’t want to let this beer slip into retirement, so they brewed it again. They produced a very limited amount, individually numbering each bottle. Judging by the verbiage on the back label, one would conclude that they do plan to brew this again in the future as it says “brewed once per year.”

As for the beer itself — this Belgian Dark is made with spices and aged on French oak, with “natural flavors” added. Not sure what those “natural flavors” are, but we’ll see if we can identify any…

The pour produced an average size head, lasting and soapy in texture. The beer was colored very much like dirty river water — the drink was reddish-brown, with some hints of orange in there, too. The body was murky, clouded with a ton of yeast sediment, but the particles themselves were light. This beer left sparse lacing but the head regeneration when agitating the glass was excellent.

I was surprised by the aroma of Grande Réserve 17, in the fact that it was subdued. I really had to stick my nose in the glass to pick everything up, but there was some complex stuff going on. First, there’s a huge note of oak and caramel, sweet and stiff. There’s a load of dark fruits (plum, raisin, and fig) and the classic Unibroue yeast, which lends spiciness and a doughy must. There’s a very light hint of orange from hops, and the whole thing takes on the scent of a candied potpourri spread upon a oak hardwood floor.

Tasting this beer, one gets the oak front and center, with a deep orange spice. The middle of the palate hits dark fruit, candied and sticky, leading to sweet caramel and a finish that unwinds with oaky notes and even a bit of vanilla as it fully reveals itself. The alcohol is expertly hidden, wrapped in a creamy texture and slightly above average carbonation.

Honestly, I was slightly disappointed with Grande Réserve 17, and it has nothing to do with the quality of the beverage. I’m disappointed in myself for not aging this longer! The oak flavor up front is very strong and almost overwhelming, and it surprised me. Usually with big beers like this one, the alcohol is the spoiler, indicating it needs more age. But the alcohol is completely hidden on this brew, and it’s the oak that needs taming.

This is a good beer, and I enjoyed drinking it, but a couple years of lay-down time would serve it well. Until then, I’m not sure this one is worth the hype.

Unibroue Grande Réserve 17, 89 points. Price: $12.99 US for one 750 ml bottle.

Beer Review 0062: Unibroue Noire de Chambly

Noire de Chambly, or Black of Chambly, is produced by the great Unibroue, which happens to be located in Chambly, Quebec, Canada. As the name suggests, this is a dark ale, brewed in honor of the soldiers of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, famous for their black musketeer hats.

In 1665, King Louis XIV sent the regiment to New France to defend against the Iroquois, and had a fort built (Fort Chambly) along the Richelieu River. Many French-Canadians are direct descendants of the regiment.

Noire de Chambly is relatively new to the Unibroue portfolio (compared to their other offerings) and recently won two awards at the World Beer Championship, held in Chicago: gold in 2010, and silver in 2011.

This beer is bottle conditioned, meaning it can be aged. The brewery recommends no longer than 4 years. Remember, when storing beer for aging, do so upright, not on its side, as one would do with wine.

Before pouring, I gave the bottle a quick upside down turn to distribute the yeast put in for bottle conditioning. That’s why this is called an ale on lees (if you ever wondered what that meant). Release from bottle gave what was promised, a dark, black ale. The head was small and quickly dissipated, reminding one of soda. The body was cloudy, and I’m going to guess there is some light sediment going on since this is a bottle conditioned brew, but it’s hard to tell because the drink is opaque. There was no lacing.

The aroma section is going to require a little explaining. Unibroue beers, at least to me, are unique in the fact that they all generally tend to have what I call the Unibroue yeast funk scent going on. Noire de Chambly most certainly has it; it’s earthy and musky. I find that people are either white hot turned on or vehemently dislike this aroma, so your mileage may vary. I like it. It’s unique and no other brewery is doing whatever Unibroue is doing in terms of yeast. The rest of the aromatics are very complex — there’s hints of citrus, specifically lemon and orange, and the malts are present with caramel and little whiffs of smoke. Then there’s the dark and brooding scents: I get some raisin and licorice, all balanced by an underlying pepper spice. The aromatics get a perfect score. The complexity is amazing and so great!

The complexity continues on the palate, where this dark beer unleashes a candy-like wave up front, followed by a transition to notes of citrus, and then washing down with a little caramel. The finish is wheaty with hints of those delicious dark fruits and a fair amount of spice, paired with a lively carbonation that prickles the tongue. Couple that with the fact that this is a fairly creamy beer, and the texture is a winner along with the flavors.

But here’s the thing: although Noire de Chambly is an excellent beer, it’s by no means Unibroue’s best. Check rankings for other Unibroue beers on this site: Trois Pistoles got 95 points, La Fin du Monde comes in at 94 points, and Don De Dieu got 92 points. That’s quality!

Definitely try this one, but keep in the back of your mind that there are even better beers by this brewery to be had. Which is a very, very, very good problem to have.

Unibroue Noire de Chambly, 89 points. Price: $1.49 US for one twelve ounce bottle.

Beer Review 0033: Unibroue Don De Dieu

Don De Dieu, or “Gift of God” is brewed by Unibroue in Chambly, Quebec, Canada. It’s a Belgian strong ale, coming in at 9% ABV (alcohol by volume). Like all Unibroue beer, this one has a fanciful (some of the tales are not true, some have a gain of truth, this one is 100% true) but interesting story behind it:

Don De Dieu was the name of a ship Samuel de Champlain sailed on a mission to explore America, as commissioned by France. Along the way, he founded the city of Quebec in 1608, which led to the inspiration and creation of this beer.

The beer itself, while categorized as a Belgian strong ale in style, is broken down further by classifying it as a triple wheat ale that is refermented in the bottle. This beer can be aged for two to three years, after which it begins to lose flavor. If aging, store the bottles upright in a dark place with a cool temperature (less than 61˚F).

Brewed since 1998, Don De Dieu has won several awards; most recently, this beer took home silver at the 2011 World Beer Championship put on by the Chicago Beverage Tasting Institute, and gold at the 2011 Mondial de la biere (Festival of Beer) in Montreal.

Purists may snarl at how I poured this beer, but I care not; most “beer experts” say you should leave the last swallow in the bottle so as not to get yeast that has settled in the bottle in your beer, but I throw caution to the wind and usually just pour everything in my glass. I want it all! That’s what happened with Don De Dieu, and the results it produced were breathtaking. This elixir poured golden bright with smoke ring waves of yeast that eventually completely clouded up the clear brassy beer. The effect achieved here was like a lava lamp, simple but beautiful. The head was average and extremely frothy and fizzy, which diminished quickly and left a thin haze over top the drink. There was no lacing to report, which was kind of sad.

In the aromatics department, holy wow! The scent of this beer literally filled the room; I could smell it from several feet away. Waves of perfume and fruit, specifically oranges, pineapple and bananas. There were spicy notes and a large yeasty sweet bread contingent, with some minor hints of clove and apple. Very complex and a treat for the snout senses. A perfect score!

As I took several sips, Don De Dieu rewards with oranges, oranges and more oranges. Right off, an orange blast mixed with clove and spice, followed with a thick yeasty bread finish that turned twangy orange — think about eating an orange, but eating a bit of the rind with your slice — sort of a soft, bitter note. The mouthfeel on this one was thin but creamy and fizzy. Ever had the soda Orangina? The two are similar in feel…

This beer is very drinkable; despite it’s higher alcohol content, none of that is detected in taste or feel. I thought the flavor duration was a bit short but the balance between sweetness, sour and acid were perfect and made an overall pleasant, refreshing and complex strong beer that one would likely return to time and time again. A gift from the beer gods for sure!

Unibroue Don De Dieu, 92 points. Price: $9.99 US for four pack.

Beer Review 0026: Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Trois Pistoles (Three Coins) is brewed by Unibroue in Quebec, Canada. The beer is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, noted for its higher alcohol content, complex flavors and significant spice.

This beer, as most beers from Unibroue, has a fanciful fantasy story behind it (this one involves a “good devil” in the form of a black horse who is sent to help build a church but if it becomes unbridled, it flies away. Check this video for more on the legend.) but in reality the beer is brewed to honor Trappist monks.

Unibroue recommends drinking this one on a cold winter day; here we are at the start of spring and it feels like a cold winter day, so I decided to put this one up for review on March 27.

This beer is a bottle conditioned brew and can easily age five to eight years if stored properly. It is also recommended that you turn the bottle upside down before you open it to distribute any settled yeast and allow this to stand outside of refrigeration for a little while before you enjoy it.

Trois Pistoles pours with an average head that quickly dissipates to a respectable light tan cover that contrasts with a very unique looking liquid. The beer itself is a tawny chocolate brown color that is muddy with yeast sediment; swirl it in your glass and you achieve an effect similar to that of a radar image of a hurricane. Carbonation bubbles are plentiful and glide to the surface to burst. My glass had no lacing to speak of.

The aromatic story is of two different tales. On the cold pour, a heavy citrus scent is present that mixes with a malty backend of grassy grains; although there is some grain, it’s not a thin grain like found in many adjunct lagers. There’s also a distinct presence of alcohol, which is to be expected considering this one is 9% ABV (alcohol by volume.)

Now, allow Trois Pistoles to warm up and you will get a similar but different result. The malts become more toasted and chocolate, while notes of port and candied cherries can be detected. Very lovely. It’s also quite spicy.

The first thing noticed as liquid hits palate is how highly carbonated this is for a dark beer — it approaches soda carbonation. There’s an immediate tart spice blast with citrus (oranges) that changes to maltiness when swallowed. I noted a warming sensation from the alcohol, then a change to toasty malts, caramel and chocolate, and then an even longer warming finish that was like sweet orange juice with a bite, but not quite as acidic.

To say this beer is complex would be one of the understatements of the year. While each sip is the same, the changes it goes through while on your palate makes Trois Pistoles a remarkable beverage that has scored high enough to rank as a Classic beer on my rating scale. If you’ve ever had Unibroue’s La Fin Du Monde, a beer that I reviewed here, Trois Pistoles is its maltier cousin.

Unibroue Trois Pistoles, 95 points. Price: $3.99 US for one bottle.

Beer Review 0016: Unibroue Éphémère (Apple)

Unibroue, a brewery located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, produces Éphémère, a fruit/vegetable beer. This beer is a white ale brewed with apple juice, curacao peels and coriander, and it has a fanciful story around it regarding a fairy that I’ll leave for you to research yourself.

Unibroue typically produces some knockout, heavy-handed brews, which makes this one a departure. Weighing in at only 5.5% alcohol by volume (ABV), Éphémère is considered more of a dessert beverage than a sessionable beer.

To be honest, I’m not quite sure what to expect with this one, as fruit/vegetable beers aren’t typically something I enjoy and I believe I’m drinking this in the wrong season (seems more appropriate for summer instead of winter). However, having had some tremendous drinks from Unibroue (see my review of La Fin Du Monde) in the past and presently being a consumer and taster of all things beer, I put this apéritif to the test on February 11.

This seems like a good spot to note that Éphémère also comes in two other “flavors:” Cassis/Black Currant and Framboise. That’s why “apple” is in parenthesis in the title of this review.

Before pouring, I made sure to turn the bottle gently upside down a couple times to make sure the yeast at the bottom of the glass distributed itself. By doing so, I was rewarded with a hazy orange/gold beer that had the sediment evenly throughout. The head was of average size and it quickly diminished into hardly anything, but the color combination was pleasing to the eye; the bright white head contrasted nicely with the golden liquid.

Just merely opening the bottle released an intense apple aroma. The apples smelled like real Granny Smith’s until I pressed my nose into the glass, where the apple aroma turned unnatural and artificial. Other than apple, the only other scent I picked up on was earth, and a very slight metallic note.

Much of the same on the palate; the apples were dominant with a hint of spice, leading to a long sour apple finish that was pleasant and refreshing. Otherwise, this beer is just water with some apple flavoring.

The apple finish does last a long time, but the beer itself is on the thin side. I could see this drink being great in the hot dog days of summer as a refresher, or perhaps served with some cheese and crackers. But regular beer drinkers beware: you won’t be impressed by this, which is sad considering the quality of beers that typically come from Unibroue.

My advice is this: There’s a place for this beer, especially if you’re trying to get someone who claims to not like beer to like it. If you’ve got somebody on the fence, and you’ve got a hot day… break Éphémère out.

Unibroue Éphémère (Apple), 70 points. Price: $2.99 US for twelve ounce bottle.