Trader Joes Vintage Ale 2005

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

Looks like Coke with a big fizzy head. Aroma is watery caramel and spice. Flavor is yeast, spice and caramel with a metalic and slightly roasty finish.

poursa deep brown hue with an initial huge tan head that dies into a halo of a head with tiny bubbles on first pour. Aromas of oats, a light light yeastiness, a litt caramel and some toffee. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with flavors of again, a light belgian-esque yeast feel, caramel, a light hop presence and a light prune finish. Very interesting and I’d like to see this aged.

corked bomber courtesy of Saarlander, thanks Aaron. very dark brown with a big fluffy tan headwhich settles to just a ring of lace. aroma is of candi sugar and yeast. flavor is more sweet candi sugar, dried dark fruits and some molasses. alcohol has been disguised well, but there is just too much carbonation here for my liking.

750 ML bottle: Dark brown body w/a lasting light beige head. Plums w/a hint of roastiness in the immediate nose. A bit of toasty malt with peppery and clove yeast and light hints of anise and alcohol. Well balanced, plum fruity, peppery yeast and an additional bit of spicy flavors also from the yeast. Some candy sugar flavors w/ toasty malt and a hint of roastiness with a bit of a semi dry finish and a light hint of root beer aftertaste. Highly carbonated, lighter body, very well hidden alcohol, and smooth m/f. This doesn’t seem exaclty like Trois Pistoles oe even Terrible, but a very, very good dark strong ale brewed for Trader Joes. The best TJ’s beer by far so far!!!

2005 batch, 750 ml brown, Belgian bottle. Corked and caged. Aged in my cellar since it’s release. Tasted in a 3 year vertical with the 2006 and the 2007 batch. This one poured out a deep dark chocolate brown. Much different in color & appearance than either the 2006 or the 2007 batch. A thick mocha colored head sits atop this beer. Aromas are more of roasted malts, with spicy dark dried fruits mixed in. Smells really good, compared to each of the other 2 year’s vintages. Massive flavors in this one. Some clove, licorice, damp, dank basement, sweet toffee, some pipe tobacco, and strangely enough, some cherry pie flavors. Tart cherries, not the sweet ones. Thick & chewy at this point means more flavor for me. This one stands heads & shoulders above the other 2 vintages in this vertical tasting. it certainly has aged well, no doubt about it.

Aroma of grape tannin and a little Unibroue yeast. Color of prune juice with burgandy highlights held up to light. Head is initialy frothy and off white. Flavor is spicy with black cherry, red grape and a hint of port. Champange like carbonation is lively on the palate and the finish is fairly dry. Trois Pistoles? Not exactly, but it has some remarkable similarities to both La Terrible and Trios Pistoles.

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.

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.