Unibroue Don de Dieu

Brewed by Unibroue (Sapporo)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Chambly, Canada

While they are quite often scoffed at, laughed at, poked fun at, and usually downright not taken seriously at all, there is one small Canadian brewery that rebukes the stereotype and consistently brews damn good beer.
Like all of Unibroue’s beers, Don de Dieu is bottle fermented, so don’t be surprised or frightened to find a nice layer of delicious blessed yeast and lees on the bottom.
She pours a slightly hazy golden yellow into my Unibroue glass. I chose to leave the remnants of the yeast and lees in the bottle, though on occasion I have been known to pour the full works into my glass. Both ways are exquisite and it usually boils down to a simple matter of personal preference. A huge fluffy white head rises to the lip of my glass, and then settles into a puffy ring around my glass. In the nose I detect notes of citrus, sweet peaches, sour notes of yeast, and warm spices that remind me of winter. A rather thick viscous body, Don de Dieu wastes no time coating my mouth and tongue, sour yeasts bite and tingle along the top of my tongue, while the warm alcohol mingles with the spices and sweet peaches. Not as much citrus in the palate as in the nose. Not a heavy beer, though there is definitely more chewy fullness to the body. As I delve further into her depths, more of a citrus hop bite appears amidst the overall succulent palate which balances the sweet peaches with the sour yeast beautifully, acting to take any overpowering edge off the other.
A solid performer all-around, Don de Dieu carries me off along her sturdy deck safely to my destination, sad but sweet, as my glass sits empty beside me.

Pours a gold-orange color with a quick gone white head. Pour aroma of spice and citrus. Light pears, spices and citrus fruits taste. Not bad.

750 ml bottle. Pours a golden-orange color with a very quickly dissipating head. Aroma is sweet fruit and yeast. Flavor is fruity (peach, pear) with a bit of sour apple tartness. Mouthfeel is fizzy and dry. Respectable, but certainly nowhere near the best for this style.

pours clear straw color with quick fading white head. aroma is yeasty and spicy, somewhat floral (not ’hoppy’ floral, actual flower floral). smooth and flavorful, quite mild for 9%. fizzy.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a hazy orange-copper color with a light white head. Fruity aroma and taste, reminiscent of autumn spices. Crispy and medium bodied texture. Tastes similar to a Tripel Abbey. Not bad.

Bottle. Pours golden orange with an off white head. Aroma is very fruity, with peach, pineapple, and citrus. Flavor also has this fruity element, as well as yeast and spices. Very nice.

Pours a beautiful golden with some cloudiness if you pour in the lees as well, otherwise it’s clearer. Nice white head, but it settles down to a thin layer. No lacing, but I feel that the store I bought this from kept the beer to cold in their fridge. Sharp, citrus-alcohol scent. Bright and shapr cirtrus and fruit taste with a bit of spice and alcohol. Moderate carbonation and low bitterness. This is a great Belgian style beer. Almost like a Tripel.

Pours hazy gold with big white lasting head. Fruit salad like aroma, with spice and alcohol also present. Smooth medium mouthfeel. Pears, grape, grapefruit, citrus and alcohol all present in flavour. Sweet though balanced. Tasty.