Unibroue Raftman

Brewed by Unibroue (Sapporo)
Style: Smoked
Chambly, Canada

12 oz bottle from a variety pack from Cost Plus of all places....Pours a very light brown- much lighter than I expected for a Scotch Ale. The Unibroue yeasty aroma is front and center, but oddly so is some apple and orange. This is so far looking and smelling like an abbey dubbel. Fizzy head. First sip is very carbonated and tart, again with apples and citrus fruits, along with a slight hint of wood. The finish is very light- no smoke, peat, or the body I’d expect from a Scotch Ale. This gets a 2.0 as a Scotch ale and a 3.3 for an Abbey Dubbel, so I’ll just settle for somewhere in the middle with this one. IMO, a rare miss by Unibroue.

Bottle. Pours a slightly hazy pale orange color, with a medium head. Hmm, I was expecting something much more whiskey/Scotch like considering the description. This is much more like a Belgian ale, with soft bread like flavors, ripe fruits, candi sugars, and finishes on a somewhat sour note. Medium to light bodied. Not a bad beer at all, but nothing like the description.

a semi-clear gold with very light cream-tinged head. Aroma is spicy floral with undertones of caramel. Flavor is definitely a bit sugary with caramel notes and floral notes. body is light with medium carbonation.

THOUGHTS: A very subtle beer. It should probably really be listed as a Belgian ale instead of a smoked. The smoke may be there, but it is not at all dominant. Very easy to drink. This would make a great summer session beer. Went well with smoked gouda. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a hazy, medium to dark amber with beautiful carbonation that kept rebuilding the large, creamy and foamy off-white head that I thought would never go down. The head almost looked like solid, fine-grain styrofoam in some spots and meringue in others. The aroma was light sour dough bread; moderate fruity and slightly spicy yeast; but mostly just that Unibroue smell. The initial flavor was lightly sweet, slightly acidic and a little sour; while the finish was lightly acidic, lightly sour and slightly bitter. There was that Unibroue yeast flavor, a little fruit, a bit o’ spiciness, a watered down whiskey, a little sour fruit and a little smoke. The light body was a little watery and then fairly dry with tingly, but fairly soft carbonation and a dry finish.

Pours a hazy golden brown with a white head. Light and fruity flavor. Pretty good beer overall.

750 ml bottle shared at a KW group tasting. bottle brought by jimmay. pours murky gold with a lasting white head. funky fruity unibroue nose. nothing smoky at all about this one. the flavour was light and fruity, easy to drink but not really complex. no smoke at all. decent but not special.

Light golden brown, with a thick foam head. Tasted more like a hefe to me. Not too bad for a fall selection.

Unusual. Definetely not a smoked beer. Like a sessionable belgian ale with a hint of peat in the malt profile. Definite Unibroue yeast taste. This could be good or bad depending on your preferences. Don’t know If I would try it again but an interesting diversion from the norm, If a tad boring.