Unibroue Raftman

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

Not sure about the whole whiskey malt or smoked flavors... didn’t pick up on them, though the temperature might have been a bit too cold. This reminded me of a rather flat witbier, sweet, slightly fruity. Would definitely drink again.

(br-btl sv-lbl with raft-men, Unibroue Inc. Chambly Quebec, 12oz, 5.5%)

malty, fruity, ^co2, flavorful, snack-beer

Much better than anticipated. Light whiskey malt taste. Woody, roasted nut finish. Another fine beer from Unibroue.

Orange-brown and very lively! Aroma of floral coriander, not much whisky malt to be detected though ... Sweet and a bit smoked too.

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.