Unibroue 10

Formerly brewed at Unibroue (Sapporo)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Chambly, Canada

In short: A past-due date boozy fruity Belgian strong blonde ale
How: Bottle 750ml. Consumed when about 7 year of age (too old). Sent to me by dmschefke. Thanks a lot Dave.
The look: Cloudy blonde body topped by a small off-white head
In long: Nose is very yeasty with strong nail polish and some apple pie. Taste is very sweet with the alcohol really apparent. Fruity taste of fruit purée, apple and pineapple mainly. The bottle was obviously very old and I was surprised at how lively the carbonation and body was (just like a any fresh Unibroue) and there was no sign of DMS, cardboard or oxidation. There was however a little bit of diacetyl but not enough to be really bothersome. It’s like the beer just faded away without showing any typical aging problems. In a blind tasting I would never have guessed this was a way past due-date beer, I would have just complained about the level of higher alcohols and straightforward boozy and fruit puree taste. Oh well, too bad. Last time I had that beer was before my ratebeer days. How sad. What a difference seven years can make, good taste and refinement has been replaced by too much booze and a total lack of class. And not just me, this beer too.

750 ml bottle. Pours a hazy dark golden color with a small off white head. The aroma was still fairly sweet, caramel, dried fruits, and yeast. The flavor had dried fruits with a touch of citrus, doughy yeast, caramel, and brown sugar. This had the Unibroue fingerprint flavors and held up pretty well. there were definite signs of oxidation, but still enjoyable. Medium-full mouthfeel and good carbonation.

Bottle, bright yellow gold color, with a white head, sweet honeyish pale malt, fruity nose of granny smith apple skin, with a faint brandyish liquor accent, with some fruity esters of citrus, with a hint of lemon peel, apricot, and a light spicy aroma follows though on a medium-bodied palate with a yeasty, sweet liquorish, fruity, apple skin character, with a bready dough accent, some honeyed pale malt sweetness, with a zesty, citrus peel note, with a warmth mellow mouthfeel, leading towards a malty, honey, warming finish. Thanks Alex

Bière dégusté le 16 novembre 2006 avec french tichler. La bière était marqué le 3/3/2002. Je peux vous assurez de la qualité de son vieillissement car elle a passé du jour 1 à la dégustation dans mon cellier. Dégusté dans un verre tulippe. Belle mousse blanche moyennement garnie. De couleur jaune ambré brumeux. Arome d’abricot, de madère, de cidre, de miel, de rhubarbe, de sucre brun et de tarte au pomme. Une bière très complexe et balancé. Cette bière goûte le vieux tonneau de chêne, la licorice, le cuir, le caramel et la banane au fur et a mesure que le liquide se réchauffe. Je ne me souviens pas d’un tel goût en 2002.

Bottled. Thanks MaxxDaddy for bringing this to Denmark and sharing. An unclear golden beer with a fast disappearing white head. The aroma is sweet with strong notes of fruit - especially oranges and pineapples. The flavor is sweet malty with lots of fruit - again primarily oranges and pineapples, but also notes of alcohol, leading to a dry and slightly wheaty finish.

Bottle. Aroma of tangerine, peach, apple, in a cidery way, alcohol, mint leaf, a fruit coffee essence. Flavor starts off with cider, pear, and gathers an increasing yeasty character. However, as the beer begins to show itself with a bit of warming, the cidery feel turns to ginger ale and apple juice, seeming to me to illustrate a beer past its prime.

Bottle found randomly in the back of the fridge of my local beer store! Seems to have been stored well...pours a cloudy light orange with a small white head. Aroma of sweet fruits, particularly apple, some light spices, and yeast. Flavor is mostly sweet with a touch of light fruits, lots of yeast with some bitterness, and a slight vegetal quality. Nice BSA although I suspect this has passed its peak. Still quite enjoyable though.

750ml bottle via a trade from awhile back....pours a semi cloudy orange brown with a quickly disappearing white head. ...aroma of sweet candied sugar, almost resembling a tripel in nature, dried apricots and other fruits... flavors were for the most part sweet. candied sugar and yeast,lacking much complexity. somewhat of a dry finish. thin mouthfeel and a little soft on the carbonation side. 7/3/7/3/14