Unibroue 16

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

Dark brown color with a large head. A little coriander on the aroma and a bit salty. Sweet malt with a little spice. Yeasty. Some cinnamon towards the end. A very pleasant surprise from Unibroue.

Tried at Pizza Port’s Real Ale festival from cask. Normally I like beers made with corriander, but I this is trying to hide something funky. Almost a bit sour. Good creamy head. Orange color. Not my favorite. Unibroue: hit or miss.

Bottle and served in my Unibroue tulip: Slightly hazed copper hue with a small lace and some lace. The nose displays a meaty smoked tone, caramel and toffee malts, leather, raisin, and sea esters. The taste is a smack of sugary goodness and malty under flooring balanced by a dash of snappy and spicy hops. A consistent fruity character leads the taster on a joyful experience. All-n-all a solid offering and worth a try.

Bottle. Cloudy amber pour with a tan head, good lacing. Aroma of caramel, bread and slight citrus. Taste is sweet with a slightlly bitter finish.

(750ml bottle) Amber body starts lightly hazed but turns murky by the bottom of the bottle, topped by large, rocky beige head. Aroma is medium sweet, plum/fig, banana, some coriander, orange peel, dusky, light white wine, alcohol. Taste is moderately sweet, plum/fig, some cookie/caramel, alcohol, banana, light orange peel. Effervescent medium-full body. No question this is Unibroue -- fits in with all the other big strong beers of theirs. As my rating attests, however, this isn’t a bad thing, though I think they could stand to work a bit on adding some innovation to these anniversary brews (after they make the 11 a full-time brew).

Best by December 2009. Pours a hazy dark golden brown, with a frothy two finger head that fades slowly to a thick cap. The lacing completely covers the interior of the glass. Smell; as with all Unibroue beers there’s a definite yeast presence in the aroma. Some fruits are present with apricots, lemons and apples as well as a peppery spiciness. There’s also a sweet maltinees in the background. Taste; spicy upfront with a little pepper and some alcohol, though not overpowering, and they seemed to mix well. The fruits come out in the middle with the apricots, lemons and apples and the finish is sweet malts with another little hit of alcohol. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, with a little bit of a biting carbonation. The drinkability is good, but would be better without that bite form the carbonation.

Some faint spices. Has some light caramel sugary notes and a bit of alcohol in the end. Another good brew from Unibroue, with a great spicy finish.

Bottle. Pours deep and cloudy amber with a nice, off-white head that leaves a spectacular lattice work of lacing around the glass. Hints of cheddar spiked with coriander and spicy bread dough permeate the air around the glass. Unusual cranberry and orange mixture, with a slight grapefruit tinge that lends itself slowly to a subtle lime finish. Full, heavy, and thick mouthfeel that leaves a lingering impression on the tongue. GREAT beer; probably the best Unibroue yet.