Unibroue La Terrible

Brewed by Unibroue (Sapporo)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Chambly, Canada

La Terrible makes me tingle all over. It’s a dark, handsome beer that is incredibly rich and meaty. Some sour notes keep things interesting.

75 cl. bottle with a 09-09-2003 bottling date. Pours a dark brown hue with a tan head that fades quickly to a ring at the edge of the glass. Smells spicy sweet with black pepper and dark raisons. Medium bodied with a light, fluffy mouthfeel. Has a friuty sweet flavor of plums, raisons, and dates. Finishes with a sweet alcohol taste on the breath. Very drinkable, maybe too drinkable; this 75 cl. bottle did me in before I knew it. Note ; I’ve bought two cases of this brew in the past year, one in Seattle and one in Dallas. " So far ", I’ ve found two bottles to be totally flat. The brewery is aware of the problem and blames it on some bad corks. None the less, at $7 to $8 per bottle thats some good beer money going down the drain. Oct 2004.

It’s lively, bitter, thick feel, full body, chocolate, heavy cloying sweetness, very bitter, lightly sour. A typical Belgian style ale, but done very right. Head is feisty, be sure to treat it right when pouring.

750mL bottle, courtesy of Stine. Thanks, Eben! Pours a murky, dark brownish-black color; fluffy, light khaki head with great retention and lacing. Yeast, esters, and white pepper in the aroma; very pleasant. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: excellent yeast and ester character; cloves, white pepper, and some mildly boozy dried fruits; excellent balance and drinkability. Lengthy, estery and white pepper finish.

Poured from a 750. Thick shade of charred sienna brown. Nose suggests first a pungent italian salami, paired, with strange success, to bitter chocolate, thick grape juice and typical metallic overtones. Cayenne and peat wrap around the edges. Fully roasted, smoky flavor of bananas, dark chocolate, and red bell pepper. Smooth and rich in the mouth, slightly dry and not hiding the rustic touch of grainy sugar. Wet smoke and moss lead to a finishing reversal of sweet hazelnut essence and rye. Warming, and spicy in a pleasant, quiet way. Nothing transcendent, but very solid.

Pours hazy dark brown color with large beige head. The aroma is earthy and sweet with some chocolate, anise, and fruity alcohol notes. The flavor is chocolate, a variety of fruits, and a crisp almost mint-like herbaciousness. The middle has a distinct maraschino cherry twang to it. The finish is earthy and caramel sweet, with some prune and spice tones as well. Warm, yeasty aftertaste. This is a very satisfying beer. Good stuff.

(Bottle, Stockholm Beer Festival, 28 Sep 2007) Dark brown colour, almost black, with huge pale brown head. Malty, sweet nose with notes of dried fruit (prunes, raisins), spices and black-currant. Malty, clean taste with dried fruit, Christmas spices and wild berries. Sweet, vinous, warming and full bodied. Massive beer, but still balanced. Lovely!

Found a 2004 vintage of this at my local grocery store. Discounted because it was too old. Lucky for me. Poured a deep brown color, the cork shot across the room and it started gushing out. Almost hit my buddy in the head. Smelled of apples, sort of like apple cider, with other dark fruits as well. Taste was nice, beautifully balanced, apple notes again, champagne like bubbles, all flowing into a nice dry finish with lingering apple and dark fruit on the tongue. I enjoyed this quite a bit.