Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Brewed by Unibroue (Sapporo)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Chambly, Canada

[159-20061225] 341mL. Ribena raspberry/blackcurrant aroma with ginger and a hint of plastic. Lightly cloudy, dark brown ruby red body with a medium-lasting off-white foamy head. Medium body with smooth alcohol integration. Very nicely blended.

Bottle. Dark brown pour. Very flowery aroma - roses?? - not your typical unibroue aroma. Nice malt taste, unibroue yeast taste present but not distracting - balanced well. Strong alcohol presence as well but again, balanced well. A fantastic beer, well done.

Pours a hazy burgundy with nice tan head. Fruity aroma which is plummy, soil-like and a hint of raspberries. Flavor is slightly tart, fruity bouquet. Has a crisp grape-like aspect, toffeeish. Hint of slightly sour berries, winey. Nice ale.

Bottle: Very frutiy aroma (cherries, raisins, maybe banana) and a very slight nose of alcohol. Pours clear? I barley see a shadowy outline of my hand thru the glass. Very dark reddish brown with lots of sediment. Small tan head with decent retention for its size. Lacing is okay. A nice maltiness in taste but not too sweet. It doesn’t hide the alcohol but it’s not too strong. Decent balance. Short lived sweet aftertaste. This is a fantastic ale.

Appearance: Pours a rather dark, reddish-brown body with a foamy, off-white head. Smell: Spicy, sweet-smelling aroma of rum-soaked spice cake, orange zest, random berries, and dark caramel malts. Taste: Sweet, sugary dark malts with well-blended tastes of caramel, milk chocolate, and vanilla. Punchy, tangy fruit character throughout. Mild bitterness. Dash of white pepper. Very, very slight sour hint. Touch of alcohol near the end. Fruity, fizzy finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation. Drinkability: Very tasty. I’d been quite some time, years in fact, since I’d last had one of these. I oughta be ashamed of myself.

Poured from a 750, this has a thick rocky beige head atop a dark black/red body. So-so lacing and the head disapates pretty quickly. The aroma is like a nice $20+ bottle of tawny port wine. (I can’t recall the brand I sampled at my Aunt’s...). Plum and bing cherry, nuts. The flavor is plums, nuts, raisins, grapes, quality bread, good port wine, light chocolate. The palate has a little bit of alcohol present. Vinous qualities, tons of carbonation, light dryness.

Like a dark wheat beer in aroma, with fruits, molasses, brown sugar. Some earthiness, tangy. Bit of sour apple/grape. Tan lacing head. Deep red brown opaque body. Medium watery body and med carb. Kind of watery. Pretty decent malty sweetness and nice tang. Light bitterness and sweet nutty finish/after. Fruity, some alcohol. Nice flavor but not overly complex.

Has a cherry licorice aroma. Body is dark brown with good off white head that disipated. More of a wine flavor than beer. Alcohol content well hidden in this beer. Smooth and easy on the palate. Like a porter with out the extra sweet flavor and aftertaste. A good brew.