Unibroue Maudite

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

750ml bottle. The Canadian classic. This is THE beer that got me into beer. Not surprising: it is possibly the most well distributed beer with complex flavour in Ontario, and this was especially true many years ago. The label is wonderful, with the legendary flying canoe. After tasting this, I had to try every Unibroue offering I could get my hands on. Pours dark red, amber with a large, aromatic head. The aroma is wonderfully dense, spicy with a whole assortment of fruit, especially dark, ripe grapes, cherry, apple and some orange zest. I taste apple too, spices, pepper, clove, caramel in the malt. Engagingly complex. The mouthfeel in this bottle is a bit on the watery side for my liking. Substitute Maudite for beef broth for a great cold weather stew.

750ml bottle, aged 6 months. I’m impressed with the change in flavour. Aroma of cinnamon, cherry, dark grape. The flavour is darker: first grape, then milk chocolate, spices. Still a healthy head on this one, but smaller than expected.

On tap at Trappeze. Poured amber and cloudy with nice beige head. Aroma of fruit, caramel, yeast, light spice. Taste is sweet caramel, yeast, fruit, light hops. Very nice, like a dubbel or quad. Finshed smooth. Very well balanced. Glad this was on tap.

(Bottle, Akkurat, Stockholm) Reddish amber colour with frothy, beige head. Malty, fruity nose with notes of caramel, dried fruit and orange peel. Malty, fruity taste with caramel, dark fruit, wild berries and spicy hops in the finish. Balanced sweetness. A nice shot at the style. In short: spicy caramel.

Poured an amber gold color with a decently sized frothy head. A sweet smell with fruit and yeast coming through. Sweet taste, a lot going on with the taste, toffee and caramel come to mind. Alcohol coming through a bit also. Great beer, very refreshing and balanced.

Pours a brown/amber. Nice spicy aroma. Nice yeast aroma and flavor. It is very well balanced and there is some caramel in there as well. Good flavor, I liked it.

750-ml bottle via MN from the TO. Pours a cloudy amber with a very loose head. Lovely spicy applejack nose. In the mouth, notes of red fruits, mead and leather rinsing to a dry, yeasty finish. Very well-incorporated alcohol and not terribly viscous. I expected something closer to a Duvel, though it does share some similar yeasty-spicy flavor characteristics. Very good.

Tap @ Sierra. One of my favorites. Perfect red hue with loads of spices and a carmel edge. Goes down so smooth and the 8% is non existant

Sample, on tap at FFF Brewpub. Pours golden, red. Smells of spices, namely clove. Good spicy, clove taste with a great red fruit character.