Unibroue Édition 2005

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

Spiced fruits and bread in the immediate aroma. Dark brown with a quickly receding tan head. Flavor is malty with lots of low spice bread pudding notes, raisins and malt. It’s fairly straight forward and uncomplex, but quite tasty and it leaves a lingering bready aftertase.

Rating from first try in February 2006:
Bottle, Some acid scent and taste, feel slike it’s from wheat, alcohol in the scent, warming when you taste it, cloudy look, brown head

4/2/5/2/8=2.2

Got a 75 cl bottle in the fridge, might leave it for a couple of years and see how it evolves...

Tried it again from bottle at RBESG 2006.
Dark color, tan head. Sour and alcohol scent. Sweet and sour taste. Spritzy mouth feel.
I like it even less now
4/2/4/2/7 = 1.9

Rerate
Finally pulled out my bottle from the fridge on June 16, 2009. Shared with a bunch of the Göteborg ratebeerians.
75 cl bottle, once purchased at Systembolaget
Hazy dark red color, off-white to tan head. Acidic to sour, fruity, sweet, aged wood, some dirt cellar, dark fruits scent. Sweet, fruity, a bit acidic, tart taste. Some plum and grape peel aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel, medium bitterness.
6/4/6/4/13=3.3
Aged with some dignitiy, but will not compete amongs my favourites. More of a sour/traditional ale than a Belgian strong though.

Bottled. Opaque dark brown colour, not as much foam as one would expect. Unibroue-style light sour yeast backbone with notes of black currant. Body is pretty light considering the high abv. Not very sweetish in flavour, but a tiny sourness dominates with undertones of black currant and almonds. Very smooth body and easy to drink.

bottle. Nice dark mahogany hue with a minimal, whispy head. The aroma is vinous of fresh grapes on the vine with a hint of dark spices and brown sugar in the background. The flavor was not quite what I was expecting. It was very juicy of ripe grapes with hints of cloves and nutmeg. Alcohol burn is minimal and goes well with the faint woody bitterness. This is mostly obfuscated by the full grape notes and vinous sweetness.

Bottle. Hazy dark brown with a thick light brown head. Black cherries, figs, white bread, cinnamon and iron in aroma. Flavour of cocoa, black cherries, figs and over riped plums with a boozy undertone. Cherries, alcohol and nougat in the finish.

La moin intéressante des quatre éditions spéciales. Elle n’a moin de saveur que les autres, donc c’était plus alcoolisé qu’impote quoi.

Head is initially small, frothy/fizzy, light brown, mostly diminishing. Body is hazy dark brown, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (roasted grain, nuts, chocolate), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), with notes of tobacco, figs, clove, earth, nutmeg. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, velvety body, lively carbonation, lightly to moderately alcoholic. The aromatic profile is quite complex but not really that enticing for me (not a big fan of tobacco or figs, and those are strong)...that’s all that keeps that score from a 9 or 10 for me though. Well-hidden alcohol.

Beer pours a warm nearly opaque dark-brown with a small, off-white, creamy mostly diminishing head. The aroma is sultry and sweet, thick and compelling: Moderately malty with toasted grain and caramel chocolate syrup and coffee; Heavily yeasty with notes of cellar; Heavy miscellaneous aromas of cola, cloves, prunes/raisins/dried figs/raisin, chewing tobacco and molasses. The flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter and lightly acidic with a slightly long, lightly bitter, lightly acidic finish full of true blackstrap molasses retronasals. The body is full, the texture is almost velvety and the carbonation is soft.