Unibroue Irrésistible Blonde

In short: Basic yeasty Belgian golden ale
How: Bottle, 6 months to 1 year old. Drank some 6 months ago (backlog)
The look: Cloudy golden-blonde with a short-lived white head.
In long: I used to think that this beer wasn’t bad at all. For all its simplicity I probably liked it more than most here. Unfortunately my last bottle, the only one I took notes, was diacetyl-ridden. Sad. From my (unreliable) memory: Very simple and in a weird way the “purest” Unibroue since this is the just the signature Unibroue yeast in your face with no bells and whistles. Rather fruity with flavours of bananas, pears and more. A bit lemony with light pleasant tartness. A light coriander presence that seemed more a by-product than an added ingredient. Pale malts provide a body but not much flavour. My last bottle (only one with tasting notes): Similar to the above with but with the undesired butterscotch was the dominant flavour. Fruity notes suddenly feel rotten. Gone is the refreshing aspect and light lemony tartness. I know the bottle was almost a year old but any Unibroue (even this entry-level one) should be able to handle it. Bottom line: What to trust, an unreliable memory or a most-likely problematic bottle? I haven’t had to chose from such bad options since the last Canadian federal election. And like I did then I’ll just void my vote and give it a all-average rating.

bottle golden with off white head - buubly. yeasty, fruity aroma. flavor of bannana and spice carried by a malt base. finishes clean with a hint of banana.

Fresh 2005, 330mL bottle from Metro Joanette, drunk some time in the late Summer of 2005
Initially large, white head is quite creamy/dense and falls to cover slowly, leaving moderate lacing. Not really blonde, but darker than that with a strong brass tint to it. Clear, leaving some sediment behind.
Cake icing, vanillin and maybe a touch of DMS are blotted out by sweet pale malt sugars and plentiful peach and apricot esters that transition in to perfumey, somewhat sharp alcohol vapors. Pretty typical Unibroue blonde ale, without any overt spicing, however and with probably too much sweetness, however, as suggested by the nose.
Extremely fruity, and yet with a sweet body and almost slippery texture that only gains some dryness on the finish, thanks to the moderate alcohol warmth. Spicy phenols build up as well, but the malt is enjoyable enough and gives substance to the beer, while the alcohol, phenols and wheat, though certainly not very cohesive or subtle, add some redeeming complexity. After it has warmed fully, pepper, alcohol and clove burn the nostrils and palate somewhat.

Drank in a tulip. Hazy golden poor with a nice frothy off-white head. Aromas of sweet bread, a hint of bananas, citrus and rhubarb. This is a 2005 brew. the taste is much more pronounced, almost madeira like. Very light and creamy, nicely sweetened caramel highlights. Very "herb" like. Good overall.

Thanks to hopdog for this... Appears a pale gold with a small white head that quickly fades out. Smell is doughy, sweet citrus, mild toffee, and subdued diacytel in the background. Taste is of the mentioned aromas with citrus and raw sugar. Mouthfeel is light bodied, spritzy, sugary, and yeasty.