Unibroue Quelque Chose

Brewed by Unibroue (Sapporo)
Style: Fruit Beer
Chambly, Canada

2002 bottle thanks to radiomg. Pours a reddish brown with no head, it was completely flat. I tried this cold and hot, both where good. Lots of sweet and tart cherries, clove, cinnamon, and oak vanilla. Quite spicy, great Christmas brew.

Very strange beer with an aroma quite different from the flavor. Almost rotten aroma, but the flavor so smooth that you’ll think it’s another beer. Tried sample it with 2 fingers at my nose avoiding the aroma maked it a better brew. Cherries at its most aged level. Not bad, but I still prefer Cantillon. Sampled it at room temperature. Looking forward to Liefmans Glühkriek HOT!!!

ruby red appearance, smell and taste of sour cherries. Hides the alcohol very well.

wow it looks like cherry juice and smells like cherries and vanilla. this was served on ice and was spectacular. not very thick at all but reminded me of a wine.

Served room temperature. Pours an amber like red with hues of brown. Small bubbles cling to the glass but no where else. Smells of sour cherries, clove, honey, and a hint of vanilla. Taste is super sweet and sour cherries, vanilla, and clove. Honey settles upon your tongue giving this a sweet finish. Some oak is apparent as well as some citrus as I warm this up a bit with my hands held firmly around the glass. Interesting brew, great for desert.

The fungible character of beer is one of its most attractive traits. Styles and tastes are wildly diverse, and furthermore, they are subject to tangible changes with temperature. Usually I try a beer along a long thermal range, starting with a "fresh from the fridge chill" to a whit above room temperature. Frequently a bad beer while cold becomes a good beer with warmth, or vice-versa. This is why I was somewhat startled when I read the accompanying label on Unibroue’s Quelque Chose. On it the brewers encourage the drinker to take the brew with one of three different approaches - slightly warmed, room temperature, or cooled as per traditional beer law. Incidentally we had multiple bottles floating around in our posession (Kepano and I), so with ample resources we took ample risks, and started our Quelque Chose study with a room temperature drink. Though its operating at a touchable temperature, the deep red of the drink looks like magma, with distinct amber tinges for damatic flair. Despite the mercurial color, even an agitated pour produces no head. Cranberry, citrus rind and wassail sturdily flow to the nose, coating the nasal lining with its thick aromatic unguent. Once settled, milder hints of cinnamon, Bing cherries, all-spice, nutmeg, raw pine cones and roasted chestnuts caress the nose, producing an intoxicating holiday blend, with a strength only a warmed beer could induce. If wassail was but a single part of the aroma, it is a much larger player in the taste. The deep berry flavors and well melded citrus tastes course with verve and vivacity on a loose and watery palate. Honey and a light cherry sourness give it a slight sweet augmentation, especially at the start, with oak to give the beer a "beer base". At last there’s the intriguing flavor of balsamic vinegar. It’s eminent tanginess stands out in the crowd of pomegranate and cranberry flavors, giving the drinker a terrific specimen of study. In essence, while he or she is inundated in a spate of wassail cheer, they recieve a microscopic poke of balsamic to tantalize their tastebuds. Truly, a well brewed and well planned experience, and one clearly appropriate for a rich Christmas meal, with rich scents and, hopefully, rich gifts.

On the rocks. Light aroma of woody cherries. Flavor is the same as the aroma, with a very slight tartness. 5, 3, 6, 3, 11 = 2.8. Watery as expected, and a bit of a waste...Slightly chilled. Aroma is still fairly light, but the flavor is significantly stronger, with slightly more but still mellow tartness. 6, 3, 7, 3, 13 = 3.2...Hot. Smells like cherry tea, with some sort of woody herb, or hell, just plain tree bark. Slight cherry flavor, lots of woody notes, and a bit more tartness. Feels thicker, but it probably reduced a bit, so it is actually thicker. Unfortunately, can’t say I’m real fan of the hot serving suggestion. 5, 4, 6, 3, 10 = 3...Cellar temp. Same woody cherry aroma, with some funky tart notes. Semi-sweet cherry flavors, same woody notes as before, slight tartness, and a bit of a honey overtone. Interesting to try with all the different serving suggestions, but really only worth it at cellar temp in my opinion.

Pours a ruby-brown with very little head. Aromas of vanilla and honey. Tastes sweet malt with mellow cherry. Not as tart as other cherry brews. Little carbonation. Finishes long.