Unibroue 16

The hours between dinner and sleep are ones of either satiety or extreme deprivation. If the evening repast was delicious and filling I’m likely to spend those very short hours in a half-conscious reverie reading or relaxing. If, however, by my own negligence or poverty I am left hungry or, worse, with a shaken palate, the gruesome minutes between feeding and sleeping are ones of terrible want. This usually comes in two forms. One: I’m hungry and will eat anything so long as it is not abudnant in cellulose or hard metals. Two: I’m hungry, but only for dessert, and have an aching sweet tooth that needs to be put to bed before I can go to bed myself. In the former I can usually muster some toast or paw around in the soil for a snack. In the latter I must rely on my own cache of M&M’s or other sugary delights to deliver me to satiety. In the first situation a beer will do, but not in the second. Not unless it’s the Unibroue 16. Sporting a polyflavoratic easel of skin tingling sweets, the Unibroue 16 is the perfect nightcap for the beer lover who wants to end the day tipsy, full, sweetened and relaxed. The head is a flat white plane, still and lifeless like a windless sea, but below it is a youthful yet muffled orange drink ready to burst with delightful desserts. I poke a hole in the head and immediately a geyser of sweets and sugars meets my olfactory - orange muffins, yeast, custard, oatmeal cookie, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, marshmallow and plum all jig in a merry circle of traditional sweets. My head is swimming and my nose overwrought and overjoyed. It’s a benison paradise of fructose and I’m frolicking in it like it was Candyland. The flavor makes an admirable attempt to mimic the champion aroma, but can only muster a few definitive tastes of butter and cotton candy, even a little watermelon and confectioner’s sugar, before it thrusts into a haphazard milieu of alcohol, hops and wheat. But this temporal touch of delicately sweetened flavors reflects the beer’s stance on good taste - that the sugar should be classy, classical and refined (not that kind) and never cloying. It fulfills its ethos admirably, and makes for a total panacea to all my postprandial woes.

Light hazy amber colour with a beige head. Malty, light caramel sweet aroma with loads of different fruity notes. Malty, sweet and fruity flavor with notes of yeast and alcohol.

Very Belgian style, nice sourness, lots of fruit, ripe peaches, a bit barnyard. Full sweet body, warming alcohol. It’s only lacking a little extra to lift it the final inch, but it is a great beer.

750ml bottle. Served in a Chimay chalice. Light reddish/copper color with a two fingered head. Aroma of light fruit (pears, apples), black pepper, and spice. Big malty start with lots of spiciness (from yeast and added spices), fruitiness, and some alcohol. Nice mouthfeel, carbonation helps the perception of fullness. Good stuff.

750 ml bottle, from BevMo LaJolla. Pours hazy orange-pecan color with a huge, fluffy, long-lasting head. Nice aroma of citrus and peach, spice and yeast with sweet bread, floral notes, clover honey, ginger and nutmeg. Flavor is reminiscent of spice cake with candied fruits soaked with brandy, also ripe figs, more nutmeg, allspice, floral and herbal hoppiness - a little intense overall, might benefit from some age. Medium to full body with tingly carbonation. Another first rate beer from Unibroue - it’s good to see that being purchased by Sapporo hasn’t reduced their quality.

death cork! Quite flavourful, some fruit, a touch of spice, a good offering of sweetness and effervescentness? warming .. abv where? a tasty brew.. thanks MsCoop... "I dare you to look at a kangaroo and not laugh"

A very active carbonation-filled head over a slightly cloudy dark copper-colored body. Pungent and sour aroma that is also highly malty. I don’t know what to make of the aroma - I can’t tell what is in there, really. Very rich, fruity flavor - along with a warming alcohol burn. Not bad, just not very complex or unique.

Hazy light copper beer, with a huge, well-sustained, frothy head - the nose is heavy on the spice, with orange peel, coriander, lots of belgian fruitiness - high, but medium-soft carbonation in the mouth - surprisingly dry at first - warming alcohol arrives early and sticks around for the long haul, but the strong spicy character compliments the alcohol well - honey, apples, some nutty qualities, a bit of wheaty flavor - strong yeasty character detracts from my enjoyment a little bit - a little tangy on the back end - a tasty beer, but not outstanding.