Unibroue... fine beers from Quebec

[jeff]

Isn't Pazzo's great! Leslie and I hang out there at least once every couple of weeks. They have the best selection of beers on tap and in bottle anywhere in Lexington AFAICT. I have also heard that Mellow Mushroom has a nice selection, but we haven't tried them out yet.

[Paradox]

Well Gary, I just cracked open my bottle as well. You hit the nail right on the head when you said "I doubt I have had a better beer for summer quaffing." After I was drinking it for a little bit I said to Stacy how this is so perfect for hot day like this was... Then I saw reread your post! There is a definitive aroma of apples in the nose and a tart or like you said lemony taste in the mouth. I actually didn't think this beer was going to be as 'thin' as it was but it works just fine for this kind of brew. Mine didn't have much head to it all, nor did I find that it had much carbonation. Still, a wonderful summer drinking beer to cool off and one I will definitely buy another of.

[Gillman]

Glad you liked it Mark. My sample was very carbonic and this seemed to make the body heavier than you mentioned but otherwise your reaction was similar to mine. Just got back from Rebel House, a "local beer" house in Toronto, and the featured beer of the week was apple Ephemere on draft, so you're right in tune with the happening beers in Toronto. Didn't try it tonight, I had draft Cameron's Lager instead, a fine lager beer in a German helles style (like Warsteiner but better). With that, a shot of Elijah Craig 12 year old tasting rich and wood smoky; a better whiskey and chaser could hardly be imagined..

Gary

[pepcycle]

Jeff,

My son, Steven, worked at Mellow Mushroom for awhile. If you've been to Pazzo's you'll notice the amazing resemblance, right down to the names of the pizza selections. Seems the owner of Pazzo's may have "copied" the style from other Mellow Mushrooms. I heard there may be some litigation against Pazzo's. MM's doesn't have that down and dirty college watering hole atmosphere that upstairs at Pazzo's has. Best day for Pazzo's is Wednesday. Its Pint Night and you get to keep the glasses. They are one of the few places to routinely serve the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale on tap.(The other is the Bourbon Bar at the Airport) Isn't today Wednesday??? Get there before 6:30PM. The glasses go fast. They only stock about 200.

[Paradox]

I finally got to open another one of these fine Unibroue brews Dave, the Eau Benite (Holy Water) and again was impressed. This one, compared to many other Unibroue brews, is a little weak at 'only' 7.7% alcohol. I really like their beers because of their almost 'sweet' characteristics but not overpoweringly sweet like sugar added to coffee sweet. This one was different because it had a sweet fruity aroma and taste but it finished with a little 'bite'. The only thing I have to get past with many of these beers after drinking nothing but Bud and the like for so long is all the yeast and sediment that pours into the glass and floats around... Thanks for turning me onto these brews Dave, I probably would not have tried them otherwise. Oh, and I must say though that thus far I still liked the Terrible the best!

[Gillman]

Mark, I admire your persistence with the Unibroue range.

With respect to yeast and sediment, while many people like these beers cloudy, traditionally they are decanted. They would be left to sit for a while after purchase (in my experience, a minimum of one week at least). Then, they are poured in one go but leaving the last inch or more of beer in the bottle; the yeasty sediment is thereby left undisturbed in a layer at the bottom of the bottle. With large bottles, it is necessary to pour them in a pitcher first, because pulling them up to switch glasses underneath tends to uplift the sediment. With a 12 ounce bottle, no problem arises. In practice, this means you don't get a full pour, but better to leave some extra beer in the bottle with the yeast sediment than risk an over-cloudy glass of beer. Some beers are naturally cloudy but generally these are only the wheat beers; the dark ales should pour clear. Done right, one hardly notices any haze in the glass. My objection to a cloudy glass is, first and foremost, that the yeast will cover over the malt and hops taste. Whereas decanted properly, the yeast still has an influence (there is always some in the glass no matter how clear the liquid looks) but the malt and hop flavors can shine through. Everyone has a personal preference, and for those who like their beers "all in", that's fine, but traditionally these bottled-conditioned beers were poured clear (just as cask-conditioned ale in the U.K. is tapped clear into the glass - the heavy sediment rests unseen in the bottom of the metal barrel).

Gary

[Paradox]

Thanks for the info Gary, makes alot of sense. I wish I had the patience to do all that but hell, when I'm ready to pour these big suckers for me and the wife all I wanna do is grab one out of the fridge and pour! Next time though, I will try and not disturb it as much as I am certain I did time as well as prevously!

As for my persistence, its got to last quite a bit longer... I still have something like 8 more bottle to try!

[Gillman]

I am going to be in Montreal at end of August and I'll try to find any "local" Unibroue's that aren't exported, e.g. I think there is an unflavored Ephemere available there. I'll bring a couple to the Gazebos upcoming. Can't bring many since I'll be flying but I'll try to bring a six pack if I can!

Gary

[Paradox]

That would be gret Gary, thanks! Ones I have been looking at on their site that I wish I could find here that maybe you will see are the peach or black currant ephemere and the Edition 2004 which I know I'll never see here... Oh, and maybe a Raftman or La Fringante? I know, you're flying so its hard, but even one would be something special to try.

[Gillman]

No prob I'll put a 6 pack together. There is also Bolduc, an ale said to be in the style of Quebec ales from the 1950's, and also, the U pilsener series. In many ways, breweries like Unibroue and McAuslan are what Molson was in the 1800's and early 1900's, a local brewery making characterful beers. Molson and Coors are talking merger at present, and as a former Montrealer I will be sad to see Molson lose its Canadian identity. Molson is the oldest brewery in North America. At one time, it made porters, India Pale Ales, Brown Ales and other classic styes: today the porter is gone, the India Ales gone, the range down to golden-coloured beers with some character but likely far removed from what the brewery started making 6 generations ago. My favorite is Molson Export Ale, still a good beer when drunk in fresh condition. I like it on draft especially in the summer. Incidentally, local news stories reported that some Coors employees in Golden like to blend 50/50 Coors Original and Molson Canadian (the lager beer of Molson, the Export is an ale). Coors handles Molson distribution in the U.S. hence the availability of Molson beers in Golden. Sounds like they knew the merger was coming.

Gary

[Paradox]

I'm still continuing to enjoy these brews with Unibroue's Maudite (Damned) this evening. For me, this one was better than last nights Eau Benite. For starters it poured a bit darker than the 2 previous beers I have had from them. Taste wise it wasn't as light either, this one was a little bolder with not as much sweetness and a bit more body. Really nice white billowy head in the pour. I liked the little extra assertiveness in this one from them. For those who find Unibroue brews a tad too sweet give this one a shot, maybe its a little more on par for what you're looking for.

[Bob]

Mark,

As I recall, I still thought this beer was too sweet for my taste. That was my feeling with the 3 versions of Unibroue that I've had. I certainly like sweet things, including sweet tea which is widely enjoyed here in Georgia where I am for the week. But, with beer, it doesn't suit my tastebuds as well! Just give me hops and I'll be hoppy.

Bob

[gr8erdane]

Well how about that, I found a four pack of Blanche De Chambly in my local store. It was pricy but I figured I'd give it a shot. I am not disappointed and thank everyone who has contributed to this link for their recommendations. I give it both thumbs up with an added pair of pinky fingers. Who'da thunk, Canadian Microbrew in Missouri?

[Dave_in_Canada]

Well done! the four packs never even make it here!

[gr8erdane]

Well I thunked right and tried an Ephemere four pack this morning (yes morning as I got off work at 7am and still haven't gone to bed yet) and I REALLY like this one. Even a dead-budded taster like me can taste a hint of green apple in this one. It goes down way too smooth though and is about to make me fall asleep with its smoothness and lack of bite. I found a place where this was 2 bucks a four pack cheaper but I have to spend 5 bucks for gas to get there so it ain't worth the drive. Unless I want what I can only describe as the best apple-barley pop I've had yet.

[Paradox]

While at a distributor a few weeks back I came across 2 more Unibroue bottlings I have never seen. One was Raftman which I knew of and wanted to try so I am glad to have found it. Another I have not heard of before is Quelque Chose. It says it is a limited edition from 2002 and is an Ale brewed with Cherries. Any of our Canadian neighbors ever have this one and if so how did you like it? I'll post my reviews once I pop it open!

[jeff]

I have never had nor have I even seen it, but I bet it's really "something"

[Gillman]

It is a cherry beer based on the Belgian kriek style, where brown ale or wild-fermented beer is given a boost by addition of macerated cherries to the mash, or to a new brew to stimulate a secondary fermentation. Unibroue advises to heat their cherry beer, mull it that is, and indeed it drinks well that way (like gluhwein in Switzerland), but also it can be drunk cool in the traditional way. Belgian cherry beers are available stateside. Look e.g. for the tissue-wrapped Liefman's. This cherry beer is based on Liefman's famous tart brown ale. The Belgian fruit beers are an interesting comparison to Quelque Chose; so are U.S. domestic interpretations such as New Glarus' cherry beer made in the Mid-West, I think, Minnesota. Originally in Europe, the fruit was added to the mash or young brew for flavor but also (mainly?) to boost alcohol content by adding additional fermentables. The traditional "kriekenbier" ("kriek" denotes a variety of cherry) has great complexity, in part because kriek is a sour variety. It adds some sugar, but also, acid and tannins to barley and (sometimes) barley-and-wheat brews, interweaving in the malt and hops and adding further layers of flavor. I am not sure what kind of cherries are used by Unibroue. Even if they are sweet cherries, the house will get a good flavor. This results from the way the base ale is made and, possibly, from the use of the kernels (giving an "almond" note). In the last few years, Unibroue's head brewer has been a Belgian who used to work at Chimay, the great Trappist brewery. This is one reason Unibroue's beers are so good and faithful even to eccentric Belgian beer styles.

Gary

[Dave_in_Canada]

Mark, if you like it, be sure to try and fill your cellar as that product is now a very limited distribution. I've had it on several occasions and prefer it to most of it's belgian predecessors as it's not a sweet as some. Very nice in the winter, I haven't served it warm as suggested, but at cellar temperature after dinner as dessert. Enjoy!

[Paradox]

Well tonight I finally opened a bottle of their Blanche de Chambly and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I personally really have liked most Unibroues I have had till now, but this one just didn't do a whole lot for me. Very light, hardly an 'thickness' or malt and not much flavor.

During last weeks Labor Day party where the entire NYC sb crew was over we opened a bottle of Don de Dieu and everyone was extremely pleased with it as was I. Thick and creamy with a nice blend of spice and bitterness along with some sweetness... We then opened a bottle of Eau Benite which people liked but were not wow'd with. I think it was good but honestly having it right after the Don de Dieu made it harder to be liked! I didn't take pics of bottles that night, we were having too much fun! But trust me, ALOT of beer and bourbon was enjoyed that night... Along with nearly 8 racks of baby back ribs and steak.

So thus far I must say my favorite 3 Unibroues have been Don de Dieu, Maudite and Terrible. But keep in mind, I still have many more to try!

[Dave_in_Canada]

[jeff]

I'm glad somebody got that