Unibroue Édition 2004

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

750 mL bottle, corked & caged (sampled Aug 2008, 4 years old):explosive cork removal is very welcomed…I have had a handful of older beers (3-5 years) recently that have been flat and not worth the wait…a off white creamy foam makes its way steadily out of the bottle while I begin typing. The beer is a very similar rosy-bronze colour, not quite as deep as before, and the head is creamier and whiter. Incredibly aromatic: sweet, peachy cloves…star anise blended with cinnamon. WOW! I can’t believe the flavours that have survived and matured after 4 years: tingly flower petals, strawberries, cantaloupe, spicy alcohol, and a long herbal finish…the carbonation delivers all of the sweetness in just the right amounts and controls the spices for delivery in just the right spots in the mouth…I remember a great beer, now this is truly excellent…not many can sit around and for four years have all of the qualities that make the young great, and have deeper, more complex/mature qualities that make it noticeably better! Wonderfully crafted! 9/5/9/5/18

750 mL bottle (sampled Aug 2004):huge, off-tan plateau-like foam, diminishing and leaving thick lace. Burnt red-bronze. Spicy, dancing aromatics: dark blood oranges, mixed with sweet strawberry infused cloves… reminds me a SPF45 – full juicy palate, wonderfully carbonated and laced with all sorts of flavours: sweet yeasty essence, dull cracked black pepper, melons, almonds, dirty straw, heather and other flowers and herbs…complexity from all directions: through the nose while the taste buds sing…dull oranges and a light bitterness round out a very nice brew, let’s hope these types of beers continue to come out of Quebec…9/5/8/4/17

Tasted at the RBSG. Clear golden amber with a fizzy white head. Sweet cherry malty grainy aroma and taste.

Just grabbed this one from my cellar on a whim while enroute to a BYOB. Golden color that is very nice with a pillowy head. Aroma is big and sweet with lots of sugar, candy, and bright fruits. Flavor is sweet and a bit sticky - hops have faded, but whats left is quite tasty. Candy, sugar, and a quality yeast taste round this one out nicely. Best Unibroue I’ve had. Worth the wait!

750 ml bottle. Excellent complex beer. Pours amber gold with a fluffy white head. Aroma of grapefruit, caramel, and candied sugar. taste simial with dark fruits, citrus, and sweet malt notes. Has some spice on the finish. Excellent beer with a lot going on.

750ml bottle. Pours a musty golden orange with an off white head that didn’t stick around long. candied citrus and sweet malts dominated both aroma and flavor. The 10.5% is hidden very well.

This is an amazing beer that has mellowed out very well. 750 mL bottle courtesy of kiefdog. The aroma is of grapefruit, champagne and caramel. Excellent light fruit flavor, not as effervescent for a Unibroue beer.

750ml bottle. Pours yellow/amber fast disipating white head. Aroma is of booze and hops. Flavor sweet, weak body, obvious hops presence. Not that great.

750 mL bottle from gunhaver. Pours hazy orange with quickly-disappearing ecrue head. The aroma is spritzy orange and lime with some honey and spices. Flavor is citrus peel, orange and lime mostly. Then some honey and malt sweetness. Some dusty caramel follows that, then a finish that is dry and earthy and has a little bit of a hint of brett. I doubt that’s supposed to be there, but it helps the flavor out quite a bit. Not too shabby.