Unibroue 15

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

ABV: 10% Calories: estimated at 400 C Volume: 25.4 fl oz Glass: Pilsener Purchased at: West Trenton Wine and Liquor, West Trenton, NJ Price: $8.00 Consumed at: home First Impression: I was surprised by the overcarbonated pop upon releasing the cork. It took me a few minutes to clean up and find the cork, and explain that I was okay to my wife. It’s a celebratory ale. Point the cork away from your face, a word to the wise. Herbal, flowery aroma, but not too active. Visuals include a completely missing head, a very large particle hazy body, and a deep golden color. A bit varied in color, flavor, and texture from the typical hefe or witte. Taste is typically fruity, but very well done. It’s exemplar in its adherence to style. Palate is perhaps its best feature. Nicely carbonated with a longer finish. Some hoppiness, some malt, and lots of fruit, but not approaching cloying or overly sweet. Second Impression: A very nice beer, and says much of their (now 17 year) achievement. I enjoy almost everything this brewery puts out, and this is by no means an exception. Aroma: 8 out of 10 Visuals: 4 out of 5 Taste: 9 out of 10 Palate: 5 out of 5 Overall: 18 out of 20

Bottle from BevMo in Vacaville, CA. This one had complicated flavors and a good palate. I missed the rating a while back, so we’ll have to go by DTM’s. Besides, it’s retired.

Sample from a brown bottle, 750 ml, "vertical" tasting of Unibroue (from 10 to 17) at Philippe Wouters’ on April 4 2008; eye: golden, light effervescence, hazy; nose: bread, fruity, alcohol, light hops, maple syrup; mouth: creamy, pear, light Madeira, light hops, fruity, maple syrup, finale in alcohol with caramelized malt, medium body; overall: a bit too much alcohol FRANÇAIS Échantillon d’une bouteille brune, 750 ml, dégustation « verticale » de Unibroue (de la 10 à la 17) chez Philippe Wouters, 4 avril 2008; oeil : dorée, légère effervescence, voilée; nez : pain, fruitée, alcool, léger houblon, sirop d’érable; bouche : crémeuse, poire, léger madérisé, léger houblon, fruitée, sirop d’érable, finale en alcool avec malt caramélisé, corps moyen; en résumé : un peu trop d’alcool

Bottle shared with Dana. Light fruity character, mild butterscotch, and some funky apple cider yeasty character. Golden amber hazy with thin white lacing head. Medium watery body with medium to vigorous carbonation. Silky and vibrant. Starts sweet, with candi sugar and apple cider and pear fruity character. Light bitter tangy finish, with lots of yeasty and sweet tripel undertones. Light, refreshing, with mild alcohol warming. Nice ale.

Bottle form Bevmo in Vacaville, CA. Poured a murky yellow with a strong aroma of citurs. Very malty with fruit flavors of citrus and apple being the most dominate. It actually got a little better as it warmed a little. Could taste the alcohol a little, but still a good brew.

Lemony aroma. Meringue head that dissipates quickly. Cloudy, peach appearance. Malty, somewhat carbonated mouthfeel with sweet intro transitioning to warming, citrusy finish. Overall, very similar to a wheat beer but with a little more zing.

courtesy of oteyj. pours a hazy light copper, much lighter than most belgian strongs. aroma of white wine (possibly due to production date of 2 years ago), yeast, yeast, and nectarine. nice flavor, somewhat astringent both with taste and alcohol, but still tasty. Certainly different from belgian strongs, but good still. interesting offering from unibroue.

Pours light hazy amber with modest head. Aroma of white wine with typical belgian yeast, apricot, and caramel malt. Flavor was almost tart, with prickly carbonation, a slight burn of alcohol, and dry grape finish. Delicious, but overall not completely balanced.