Trader Joes Vintage Ale 2005

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

Ruby-brown color with a thin tan head and small spots of lacing. Mellow aroma of port wine filled with lots of dark fruity scents and a faint mustiness. Exceptionally smooth mouth feel, I’m sure the few years spent conditioning in the bottle have helped. Sweet and dry, nice and yeasty. Wonderful rich fruity flavors. Thick red wine, plums, and raisins. A complimenting thin mulch-like earthiness adds depth. Well blended flavor, subtle and potent. Nicely aged and very enjoyable.

Bottle shared by a friend. Pours a cloudy amber with a huge off-white head. Yeasty aroma with a bit of malt, but the nose mostly tart fruit. Flavor is tart, but not overbearingly sour. Some yeast and a touch of sweet malt in there as well. In comparison with the 2008, this one was a bit less sweet and more tart, and the yeast was less pronounced. Better than the 2008.

Brown almost cola coloured, thin but lingering tan head, light lacing. The aroma is plummy, very lightly yeasty, sweet and malty. The flavour is malty, some plums, only a very light hint of alcohol, dates and brown sugar. Sweet mouthfeel, medium/light body, medium carbonation. Finishes sweet and syrupy with some alcohol warmth.

If I had tried this in a blind tasting I would never have guessed that it was from Unibroue as this didn’t have their typical yeast characteristics. Pretty nice.

750ml bottle obtained in a trade with vyvvy, thanks John.
Opened on June 29, 2008.
Vintage 2005.

Pours brown with a tan head. Smells of nuts, dark fruit, cherries, some molasses. Tastes of chocolate, nuts, dark fruit, some spicy hints, touches of spice.

From bottle. Poured dark brown with a thick dark tan short lived head. Aromas are dark spices and roasted malts Flavors include toffee, coffee and raisin. Typically Belgian yeasty finish. This is aging quite well - I wish I had more.

A nice score from the depths of the closet. I picked this up a year ago when I was in California and had nearly forgotten about it. Near black with a foamy, short-lived dark beige head. Has the scent of a fruity danish (plum/prune, sweet bread, a touch of spice and yeast) a breakfast beer? Traces of cinnamon, cofee & dark chocolate join the danish on the toungue. With the sweetness and strength taken into consideration, this is relatively light feeling, not too sticky. Mild alcohol shows up in the finish. Much better as it warms than straight out of the fridge. I enjoyed this just as much if not more than the Oak aged Damnation I had last night.

[1217-20080321] 750mL bottle. Sweet coffee date aroma has raisin malt and earthy syrup notes. Dark brown black body with quick light tan bubbles. Sweet syrupy date and raisin malt flavour has a hint of chocolate. Full body. Interesting.
(w/ jerc)

Sample from a brown bottle, 750 ml, best before 10 13 2008, "vertical" tasting of Unibroue (from 10 to 17) at Philippe Wouters’ on April 4 2008; eye: burgundy, quite effervescent, no head, no lacing; nose: caramelized malt, spices, alcohol; mouth: low profile of savours, quite carbonated, Madeira, medium body, lightly sweet and bitter, alcohol; overall: so FRANÇAIS Échantillon d’une bouteille brune, 750 ml, meilleure avant 10 13 2008, dégustation « verticale » de Unibroue (de la 10 à la 17) chez Philippe Wouters, 4 avril 2008; oeil : bourgogne, très effervescente, pas de mousse, pas de dentelle; nez : malt caramélisé, épices, alcool; bouche : profil de saveurs bas, très carbonatée, madère, corps moyen, légèrement sucrée et amère, alcool; en résumé : bof!