Trader Joes Vintage Ale 2005

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

Bottle... Opaque, very dark ale with a huge, frothy, khaki head. Terrific retention. Yeasty, dark fruit nose with notes of light molasses, light mint, spicy phenols, black bread, dates and raisins. Big, malty brew with just enough bitterness to prevent it from becoming annoyingly sweet. Mildly chocolaty with light acidity and warming alcohol. Full-bodied with a milky mouthfeel and moderate carbonation. Lengthy, gently sweet, softly bitter, warming finish. A big THANKS to vyvvy for shipping the bottle out east!

Bottle courtesy of Odeed. Dark brown almost black. Average beige head, highly carbonated. Tons of fruit in aroma. Grape, fig, and prune, very yeasty, faint alcohol. Flavor again tons of fig and prune with some residuel malt sweetness through the middle and finish. Sort of one dimensional, but enjoyed it.

2008-03-21. Black body, headless. Alcohol soaked anise or spice in the aroma, muted yeast, touch muddled. Similar flavour, mild spice, anise has a brief sharp bite. Average palate feels like it has lost some carbonation. Pleasant, but starting to lose a step to age I think? 7/3/7/3/14 - 3.4 Bottle via trade with SDBruBoy, shared with Mabel <P>January 2007. Very dark brown-black body with a fluffy beige head. Yeasty, malty aroma with light anise. Malty flavour with strong anise character, light dark fruit. Definitely reminds me of Trois Pistoles, but seems to have more prominent anise. Palate is average but effervescent and smooth. Very nice. 8/4/8/3/16 - 3.9Bottle, courtesy of Blankboy - many thanks for sharing.

Bottle: Courtesy of Styles. The aroma has lots of grape, raisin, chocolate, light yeast, and a hint of alcohol. The beer pours a dark brown with no transparency with only faint orange hilights and a small off-white head. The flavor has lots of grape and raisin up front. There is some light yeastiness and chocolate in the middle. The finish is lightly acidic with a hint of sourness and minimal bitterness.

Chocolate, liquorice, mild ginger spiciness in the floral aroma with a slight note of higher alcohols (vinyl). Opaque brown body is topped by a decent and lasting, fine bubbled, tan head. Ashy, fruity and sweet with light roastiness and some notes of citrus. Caramelised brown sugar and taosted malts in the aftertaste. Medium-full body with soft bubbled carbonation that tickles the tastebuds. Bottle enjoyed with beerbuzzmontreal, MartinT, Olivier_MTL, Rastacouere and Yowie.

Aroma of cassis and dark fruits. Dark reddish brown color and a tan head which quickly disipates. Tastes of raisin, plum, chocolate! There’s a metallic somewhere, but it’s not bothersome. Ditto for the alcohol. Very nice. Unibroue didn’t skimp on this.

Courtesy of dhlesq. Black. Large, dense, bust, light tan head. Dark fruits, sugary sweetness, spicy UB yeast, a touch of sourness, and strong malt backbone. Full body, well carbonated. Somewhere between Terrible and Edition 2005, but not as good as either. Still very drinkable.

750 ml bottle via my secret santa! - Thanks - Pours dark brown with a creamy tan head that stays only briefly but laces well. Aromas of raisins, plums, black currant, and caramel. Flavor is caramel, raisin, dark fruits, and some yeast. Full body but ample carbonation to keep it soft. Dry finish with a touch of warmth but the alcohol is covered well.