Unibroue 16

A tepid amber pour; transparent with yeast left sitting. Burly booze and spiced-up malt aroma. Deeply toasted cookie dough, dried apricots with a cinnamon coating, and some gorgeously autumnal nutmeg and roasted chestnut-like spicing; it’s an aroma melded in earth and old sweetness, and it’s settled together in toasty fireside warmth. I should have made a campfire tonight. It might be slightly too sweet at times, but the layers it reveals are endearingly comfortable and blanketing, enough so that minor distractions such as that struggle to roughen it in even a small way.

Flavor is copper-toned in metallic earth and warmly spiced, while showing less of the toasty, bready sweetness of the aroma than would be ideal. More often, the sweetness here is in the form of brown pears, pistachios, and cinnamon-sugar, while the body is left somewhat languishing in alcohol, and longing to be rescued by some gallant, muscular malt profile that never quite arrives. The lighter-hearted nuances are all there, and the tangy-cloying maple and honey serum flavors are there too, but the body of bread and dark doughy warmth is just quite thin, especially as that ten percent strength bears down on it. Still, though, the flavors are quite good; expressive, diverse, and complementary. Near the end, a welcome earthy bitterness of anise and a smoky juniper-branch greenness cleans up the residual qualities of the beer’s persistently sticky sweetness, if only for a brief moment.

Yeast poured into the last full serving really opens up the flavors of the beer and wraps them all together, in a clean bouquet that throws aside the leaning toward astringency and the somewhat aggressive mineral earth character it had previously; furthermore, the body is thickened and enlivened, and the flavors already present in the beer but weak to shine under the weight of alcohol are now more discernable. Most notably, the hazelnut, and banana-chocolate characters that lingered underneath throughout are drifting happily at the surface. But there remains a formidable cloud of fusel alcohol muddying the waters even as it reaches its revelation.

Palate is quite full now, where in the initial pour it was somewhat skeletal, again given the weakness of the malts in tandem with high alcohol; currently, it’s sprightly while thick, and lightly chalky. The density of fulsome yeasts simply works wonders in this example, and it really concludes the experience with a sophisticated, carefully-wrought impression; flavors at the finish of alcohol, green bitterness of cloves and pine, and vanilla. Sticky in the final smack, with a long grasp. Applaudable for its range of character, even if it isn’t wholly impressive.

750ml Bottle: Sweet aroma. Smells of ripe dark fruits, malts, caramel, vanilla, and a little yeast. Poured orange/amber in color with a large, dense, tan head that lasted throughout. Cloudy. Sparkling. Full of tiny and small particles throughout. Good lacing. Flavor is heavily sweet. Tastes of dark ripe fruits, honey, malts, candi sugar, spices, some hops, and yeast. Full body. Thick, viscous, syrupy texture. Average carbonation. Sweet, semi-dry finish.

Hazy golden body, white head; Very sugary bon-bon fruity nose; Sweet intense bitter body, interesting but not amazing; Long malty sweet bon-bon slightly malic finish. God but very strange and really for the right occasion.

A consistent brewery whose products I have always enjoyed. This anniversary magnum is similar to many of their other brews, and I find nothing wrong with that. Orange/copper in color with tiny spots of lacing, and a thin filmy head. Vibrant and well carbonated. Fruity aroma of white grapes, cherries, and lemons. Spicy and musty with a heavy yeast earthiness. Very sharp aroma, smells great. Filling and fizzy due to the high carbonation. Poignant alcohol bite that is harsh and welcoming. Flavors are mainly fresh bread with bakers spices along with grapes and some citrus fruits rounded out by a potpourri of fresh flowers. Bitter, peppery effect is noticed in the background. Familiar as are most of Unibroue’s strong ales, this one was very agreeable.

bottle bought at metzlers in denton tx. poured amber with orange hue and slightly hazy and a thick off white head with lacing. aroma had caramel, biscuit, and floral notes. flavor of spice, alcohol and raisins. med-high carbonation with some dryness. i thought this was a great beer.