Unibroue... fine beers from Quebec

[Dave_in_Canada]

With all the recent posts on beers, and wheat beers lately, I thought I'd give a plug for one of my favourite brewers, Unibroue. Most of their beers are bottle conditioned, belgian style, often triple fermented. Their wheat beer Blanche de Chambly is a great summer thirst quencher. My current favourite is the La Fin du Monde (the end of the world), a triple fermented, bottle conditioned ale that packs a 9% whollop. Hopefully SB.com members can try one of these exceptional brews at a fine retailer near you.

I'd be interested to hear of anyone who also enjoys this brand.

Unibroue website

[Paradox]

I'll have to give a look for them around here Dave. I wish I could find that 12 pack sampler listed on their website; As I've said before, I love sampler packs, especially ones that contain only one or two bottles of each variety. What a great way to sample many beers from one brewer. I'm going to the distributor tomorrow, so here's to hoping I can find at least the Blanche de Chambly.

[Dave_in_Canada]

Mark, we get the sampler packs here only at Christmas. It's too bad, 'cause it's a great idea.

I notice that new sampler pack contains their "Raftman". This beer is made with whiskey malt. It has yet to be confirmed, but I believe I'd like to start a rumor that it is malt that has been peat smoked. Their commercial description alludes to this idea. It's an interesting concept for whiskey lovers.

[Paradox]

That's a shame Dave... Too many brewers only come out with sampler packs during the holidays. Saranac I can say does do 'right' and has a decent sampler throughout the year. I'll still be looking for Unibroue nonetheless Dave!

That is a pretty interesting concept... Have you tried their Raftman yet?

[Dave_in_Canada]

Have you tried their Raftman yet?

Mark, yes on several occasions but I prefer others in their lineup:

La Fin du Monde

Don du Dieu (triple fermented)

Maudite (red ale)

Blanche de Chambly (wheat)

Quelque Chose (cherry beer)

Incidently, most of the Unibroue beers are intended to be aged, and indeed improve with several years in a good cellar. Good luck with your attempts at finding some!

[pepcycle]

Unibroue Rocks.

Maudite, Maudite, Maudite

La Fin du Mond

Righteous!!!!!

Is Trois Pistoles part of their lineup?

[Gillman]

I hate to enter a dissenting vote, being a Canuck and all (and Montreal native to boot) but I never warmed to the Unibroue beers. I can hack the Blanche once in a while but the others are just too strong. They range from 8-10% or so abv. and I get slayed with one. That defeats the purpose of the old honorable game of drinking beer, in my view. You need a certain quantity of it, and you can't (I can't) drink 5, or even 3, in a row of these heavyweights.

Gary

[Paradox]

Uh-Oh, I don't think you'd like the ones I just purchased at my local distributor then Gary!

I just got home from the distributor and they had 2 unibroue bottlings; Unibroue 11 and Unibroue Terrible. What a name for a beer that last one is!

As soon as I pop these babies I'll let ya know what I think right here Dave.

[Gillman]

Actually, Mark, I am going to backtrack a bit; Terrible is very good. The name in French does not mean "bad", it means, "awesome".

This beer is like a strong porter, it is said to be flavoured with licorice, as porters were in the 1800's. Anyway, you bought the right one.

Gary

[Paradox]

Interesting to know that Gary, I had no idea it meant the opposite in French!

I have had porters in the past and liked them, but I am not fond of licorice... But then again, I can almost picture the taste of licorice in a beer and it actually sounds like it may be good. This will be an interesting one to try.

[Gillman]

The licorice is very subtle, it comes off as a light, spicy note. The beer has a rich, porter flavour with a vinous effect from top-fermentation and (no doubt) barrel aging prior to bottling. A fine beer. By the way terrible in English used to have the meaning it retains in French, the idea of something inspiring awe, or (one might say) a shocked kind of respect but that meaning has disappeared, practically, in English.

Gary

[Dave_in_Canada]

Gary, please don't tell me you're a labatt's blue man! Acchh! Or worse yet, and Keith's fan!. (Just joking) True, the Unibroue's are not an everyday beer. I don't like to think of them as beer at all, they're really in a class of their own. The 750ml is meant to be shared, certainly not consumed by one person at one time!!!

[Dave_in_Canada]

Mark, tread lightly with those! Certainly not intended to quench the thirst like a coors.

Last year was the 10th anniversary of Unibroue and they came out with "10". It was like a fine cogac!!!! The 11 was released this year on their 11th anniversary. That one bottle (if you indeed have a 750ml) should be shared with 4, yes FOUR people!

Let the ferment settle for a few days so it is clear. Chill the beer only slightly. Serve it at cellar temp. at the most (say high 50's).... OPen the cork, let it breathe for 15min. Should be served in and open belgian style glass. And enjoy...

[Paradox]

Thanks for the serving info Dave, I'll be sure to take it into account when it is popped... Literally! The bottle has a cork!

I plan on opening it during the 4th of July weekend so there will be 4 people around. No, I won't be getting off the bottle myself Dave

I was looking at their site just last night and thinking how I probably would never see this particular bottling (the 11) and then today it was right there in front of me. Sounds like it may be very enjoyable.

[Dave_in_Canada]

If you like it, or even think it has hope, buy more. It is one of a kind. It will easily improve over 4-5 years. (the 10 was IMHO a perfect 10).

[Gillman]

Yes but I like a few pints and you can't drink most Unibroue beers that way. I certainly like many micro beers, e.g. Griffon Blonde, Wellington County Ale, Stout and Porter, and many others. I like Keith's India Pale Ale too, on draft drunk cold, I find it very good for commercial beer. Not a fan of Labatt's, generally. I have soft spot for Molson Export Ale - I did say I was from Montreal. The call in the old "tavernes" was, "donne moe une grosse Mol-son".

Gary

[Paradox]

Ok Dave, after another trip to the distributor yesterday here's what I could come up with in they way of Unibroue brews... The 11 and Terrible were $8.99 US and the others were $6.99 US, all 750ml sizes. I'll let ya' know what I think as I open them up! I can't wait to try the Apple one to be honest!

[Gillman]

Nice range, Mark, I think you have every one! I heard there is an unflavored Ephemere sold in Quebec but I have not seen it in Ontario. But I think you got every other one currently sold.

I bought the Ephemere apple ale too recently. That one has 5.5% abv. so I felt I'd go with it due to its lower gravity in comparison to the others. I heard too that Unibroue's brewer used to work at Chimay in Belgium and what better credentials to make fine ale? I'll post some notes on the apple ale tonight and will be interested in yours when you get to it.

I should add, Quebec Province specialises in the McIntosh apple variety and I would think that was the type used for this beer although I haven't looked closely at the label yet.

Gary

[jeff]

I have seen these at the LB, but have not tried a one of them. What would you guys consider to be their best beer?

[Gillman]

I would say the Maudite which, roughly translated, means, "a deucedly good beer".

It is as good or better than any Trappist ale I have had and, no surprise, since Unibroue's brewer used to work at Chimay (I heard). But it is 8%, "prend garde"..

Gary

[Gillman]

Just cracked a bottle of Ephemere. The name means, ephemeral, implying that the recipe for this beer is fleeting and will be replaced by a variation. In fact, according to the label, the apple ale is the third in the Ephemere series. The beer is extremely good. I doubt I have had a better beer for summer quaffing. A rich bouquet of fresh apples lifts off the fluffy head after the pour. This combines perfectly with the spicy, lemony elements of the wheat beer base. Clearly, the house's Biere Blanche (white wheat beer) is used as the base for fanciful variations such as this one spiked with "apple must" (probably minced apples added to the mash or the first ferment to provoke a second). On the elegant label is (apart from the lithesome blonde) a green apple which is a dead ringer for a Granny Smith. Whether that variety is used or not I can't say, only that this is a fine beer of the summer. Since Unibroue is widely available in the States I think beer fans would like this if they have the taste for wheat-based beers. I should add, adding apples to beer isn't a gimmick. It is an age-old practice in brewing, so is adding honey, so is adding herbs, and even chile. There is nothing new under the sun, saith the Bible.

Gary

[Guest]

Dear Gary,

I can't wait to 'uncork' this brew considering I like "spirits" with cheese and apples. I like to have peanut butter on my apples as a snack with or without some wine. A co-worker introduced me to a little salt and hot sauce on Macintosh & Red Delicious apples which I think is rather good as well. I guess I will have to wait for Mark to open the bottle to try this beer but it sounds like it will be worth the wait

[Dave_in_Canada]

Ooooo you've got a nice range there Mark! Good prices too. Be careful with the alcoholic content!

[Paradox]

Well, yesterday while driving to PA to see my aunt I stopped in a distributor in NJ and was lucky enough to find one more Unibroue bottle that I couldnt get here... A bottle of Trois Pistoles.

On Saturday while Bob and Nancy were over yet another bottle we got to try was Unibroue's Terrible. I loved this beer at first sip. Bob had told me in advance, like others have said, that he finds Unibroues brews to be a bit 'sweet' and not hopped much. Well, I immediately said that these beers msut be for me! Really though, if the Terrible is a sign of things to come, I may really love their brews. Terrible poured a very dark brown color. It had a very malty and roasted flavor that finsihed sweet and smooth even considering this beer was 10.5% alcohol.

Thanks Dave for mentioning Unibroue as w/o having heard about it from someone on here I don't think I would have bought these bottles... Seeing big bottles like that at the distributor with corks I them would have kept me away while I was simply looking for beer!

[pepcycle]

With all this talk about Unibroue, I decided to head down to Pazzo's in Lexington. They had Trois Pistoles on tap. Rich creamy head, balanced sweet/bitter taste, malty finish and lightly hopped. Perfect complement to a pizza. Really hit the spot. Now I have to find that Terrible that everyone is trying.