Unibroue Édition 2005

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

Good head on very dark beer. Aroma of alcohol, sweet fruits, and the ourdoors. Dark, dark. Taste is good, but a littel too sweet with that same Unibroue yeasty-ness? Still good, and I was sad to see the last drop fall. Similar to the Terrrible. 750ml from Keller’s IGA when I was in Cin, OH

Very earthy and woody scents and flavors. Smoke, chocolate, spice, overripe fruit, they’re all there. I will hold some of this for chilly winter nights, this is really good.

Where as the 2004 took the brew to exemplary heights of use for corriander and citrus in a beer, this one turns the formula to fall and brings out more chocolate and woodsy roasted notes. A hint of sweet on top of some mild citrus gives the signature unibroue notes, but it falls ever so slightly short. Like other Unibroues, the final verdict comes with the bottle. A flat batch will be an all out miss unfortunately.

Drank in 2005: Dark brown orange with a thick off-white rocky head. Cherries and apples in the aroma, rich taste with cherries, starts and ends sweet, long aftertaste of cherry.

Pours very fizzy, deep clear red, with a huge creme brulee like head. Sharp minerally aroma with yeast, banana, maybe some lychee fruit. Somewhat thin in body and a bit oxidized. Tastes spiced to me, with some cinnamon and nutmeg notes. A little earthy, a little tart. I liked 2004 better.

Well, I’m not terribly enthusiastic about this one. Actually, its not bad at all, but just makes me that much more impressed by the mastery of the Belgian brewers. This one has all the trappings of a good Belgian style, that strong yeasty, somewhat phenolic banana-ey nose with fruity notes of raisin and plum. But not without flaws, as a fuselly note is apparent. Pours dark reddish brown, undercarbonated with a small head. Flattened quickly in the glass. Medium sweet up front, with a little fruit, but quickly becoming dominated by alcoholic sting, and a peppery yeasty finish. Too rough, too raw, unintegrated. Its still decent, but just not up to the high standards the style demands.

I love Unibroue and I was eager to try this one. I was surprised to see the brew was as dark in the glass as in it’s own bottle! It pours like very poorly filtered coffee, minus the grounds. It’s almost opaque, dark brown, very slightly reddish, with a moderate, long-lasting head. The smell is one of ripe, candied fruit (banana, plum) and yeast. There is only a small hint of alcohol, even at 10 percent! The taste is complex, sweet-sour, thick and fruity. Even after only a few sips my mouth feels a bit sticky, but not too much so. I don’t taste the hops that others have mentioned but maybe after it warms slightly. It finishes clean, with lingering sugar and fruit notes. Some time in the bottle might benefit this one tremendously, but it’s good now. Not great, but good. I think I might buy more and keep it a while...

Well, I wanted to like this more then I did, but it is not terrible. It just needs some age. Tons of dark fruit and a really decent mouthfeel at this young age. Very little head and the alcohol is very upfront.