Unibroue Édition 2004

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

Absolutely phenominal! Thanks Chuck! Pours to a nice rich reddish/brown color with a HUGE frothy/velvety head. It bubbles like champagne. Aroma is very fruity. Peachy, nectarines, apricots, flowery hops, toasted malts. The flavor is very malty. Sweet malts but not caramel in style. Light tangyness on the finish. Nectarines are hidden in a light oak caskiness. White pepper notes. The palate is very lively. A bunch of warming on the swallow but I don’t taste a bunch of alcohol. Creamy and medium mouthfeel. The bottle popped loudly like champagne. mmmmm.... delicious. Either it was just my night to sample this or it really is better than my previous top beers that had a 4.6 rating. This one is well deserving of a 4.7.

cork pop’d well and smelled great pours a dark golden amber w/ a big thick white frothy head lots of carbonation bubbles reminiscent of champagne head laces pretty well butdissapates fairly quickly. smells sweet and fruity nice hop lightly apricot/nectorine a good hint of alcohol in the aroma and some other sweet fruit smell I just can’t place... Palate has big carbonation is fairly well coated Flavor is sweet and very up front crisp bite from a sour/sweet hop and a nice warm alcohol a nice sweet malt body a hint of cask agedness to it and a light soft peppery taste. Overall there is something in this beer I just can’t quite place that makes it distinctive and pretty damn good. A litle sweeter than I like but definatelly a great beer

75cl dated March 3, 2004 on back of bottle. Bubbly. Nice whitish head, slightly hazy copper color. I get ginger in the nose & mild soap scents...(laura tastes it and says "well, merry christmas." she didn’t finish her glass). Body is rich, sweetness is emphasized w/ a bite at the end. Spices dominate the beer...and usually that means I’m less than happy with drinking it...the big sweetness at the end also doesn’t jive for me...It isn’t that it is bad, it is just that it is spiced too much and left without any balance...Maybe its the ginger or the rushing carbonation, but the sweetness at the end is then replaced w/ something harsh. What is it w/ these U-brew specials?? They’ve either been totally flat or too carbonated for me...when it is all said and done, I can’t say I’d clammer for another bottle of this...its a one-off and that’s how it feels to me...

As I was waiting for an event to try this "special edition" beer, I now conclude that this is an offering to be enjoyed by the marking of an occasion or the passing of a friend.

The initial cork "pop" signals the entry to a mindset of melancholy memories (alliteration be damned), focusing on the year prior. Appearance began golden-copper bodied with an ever-so-slightly hazy cast that gradually became a dense, almost-brown as the visage of settled yeast protruded. Initial spicy aromas of licorice, ginger, clove, banana and apple subsided as emergent yeastiness took hold with a lemony sourness. First sip was potent, sour apples... but bread dough and banana came through afterwards. Alcohol was fairly well-hidden but revealed itself as I started to compose phrases such as "reflective mediocrity".

Most beers simply are. This beer elicited thoughtfulness. While 2004 was a fine (albeit mediocre) year for me, it strives to be remembered through this Unibroue offering... from the initial cacaphony of applause from a huge-bubbled head... through large, reflective, gaseous belches... ending in long, lingering aftertastes.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Oak Lawn, IL<font size=-1>

Dense head lasted for several minutes after pour. Very effervescent, bubbles visibly coming up for several minutes as well. Deep golden/orange color. Cloudy and opaque in glass. Spicy and penolic flavor and aroma. Seems more like a tripel than a Belgian strong ale. a lot of malt and sweetness very well blanced by acidity, spice and hops.

Deep golden, with amber tones as well. Huge billowing head, well carbonated. Spicy ginger/cardamom aroma. Rather reminicent of ginger ale. Soft and pleasant, without too much spice character. Full mouthfeel, spicy hints of the same spice in the nose. Nice Unibroue yeast signature, but its hard to really excited about another pale strong beer from Unibroue. That doesn’t mean its not quite nice.

(bottle) A cloudy, honey-colored cascade into the glass where it takes on a light, sandy-brown near the head that shifts into a golden-amber towards the bottom of the glass. Cloudiness in glass is hazy, with tiny particles, giving it a relatively thick and tasty look. Head is off-white, large, and creamy with good lacing and fair longevity. Aroma is strongly yeasty, with notes of dough, fruit, and sweetness. Light to medium body on the palate, creamy and a little dry, with soft carbonation and a somewhat alcoholic-feeling finish. Taste is sweet, slightly acidic, yeasty, fruity, and a tad smoky. Amazing how well the 10.5% is masked, alcohol flavor is never strong.

Pours a hazy murky golden color, nice fluffy white head. Aroma is sugar, oranges, lemons, and other fruit and spiece. Flavor is sweet, lots of sugary fruit flavors. Malt balances it out, with a belgian funk aftertaste. Alcohol is definitely there, but the strong flavors blend with it.