Unibroue Quelque Chose

Brewed by Unibroue (Sapporo)
Style: Fruit Beer
Chambly, Canada

500 ml bottle (2002 vintage)


I was suprised to see this on the shelves at Steve’s so I thought I would give it a try. Unibroue has never made any terrible beers (that I have sampled) but they aren’t exactly world beaters either. At $6.99 I feel like it was mildly overpriced; still, at some point I would like to pick up another bottle to try warm.

Aroma / Appearance - There really is not much going on with the nose. I sampled it near room temperature as suggested on the label to get the maximum nose. All I detected were cherries, nutmeg, berries, cinnamon and a trace of black pepper. The body was burgandy red and inert. There was absolutely no head at all and only a hint of lacing.

Flavor / Palate - Once I took a sip, this beer took on a new dimension. It is very unusual - if I had to sum it up it tastes more like a mulled wine than a cherry beer. Still, obvious traces of cherry pie, vanilla and chocolate brownies open introduced me to the mysteries of my pour. Soon afterwards the spicy notes revealed themselves in the guise of cinnamon and corriander. The more sips I took the more obvious the spices become until towards the end of the bottle it felt less like a beer and more like a mulled holiday wine. The finish was tart and slightly sour. It is fairly unique but I am unlikely to rush out and pick up more than one more bottle.

Bottle shared with friends. Vintage 2002. Served on ice. Pours a slightly hazy amber-red with no carbonation or head at all. Very pleasant aroma of sweet and tart cherries, spices (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and more) and hints of sweet malt and yeast. Initial thought upon tasting is "this tastes like a cherry cider". Flavour of lots of tart cherries with the aforementioned spices -- moderately sweet but never cloying. Hides the alcohol very well. Medium bodied. A truly unique and enjoyable beer -- luckily I still have 4 more bottles and I look forward to rating it mulled as well.

Bottle 2002 Limited Edition from Belmont in Fort Wayne, IN. Poured reddish brown color and minimal fizzy off-white head that mostly diminished with virtually no lacing. Moderate cherry tart fruit aroma. Medium body with soft carbonation. Medium sweet balanced flavor with a medium sour citrus finish of moderate duration.

(500 ml bottle, 2002 (labelled "08-08-02") from Belfast Co-op) Pours a slightly hazy reddish orange with a few bubbles of head. Aroma kind of like cherry cough syrup only not as sweet. Mouthfeel soft, pleasant. A few very thin rings of lacing cling to the inside of the glass as do fine sheets of syrup-like liquid. Flavor of fairly strong sour cherries with a cough drop/cough syrup medicinal quality. Takes on a bit of Fishermens Friend licorice flavor as well as it warms. Not really objectionable but the flavor is just not appealing.

Clove medicinal herbal cherry with a hint o fludens in the aroma. 2002 bottle pours dead - no bubbles. deep red, looked brownish coming out. Sweetish herbal lolli-gumdrops. Cherry cidery (e comment). prev info is from fridge temp. heated up for 40 secs: brings out a lot of flavor - alcoholic cherry tea with yeast, bg full of bursting med cherry. super herbal, velvety. Definitel a winter beer for recuperative nights. Can picture drinking this in a ski lodge... almost sickening, but not quite. maybe the cure you need... or may curdle your innards.

Bottle. Copper colour with a beige head.. Aroma is cherry, yeast and fruit. Flavour is cherry, yeast, fruit and alcohol.

Bottle from 08/08/02. Consumed July 5th, 2006. Clear amber color with no head. Strong aroma of cherries (obviously) and a bit of yeast. Tastes kind of like a cherry wine cooler initially. Starts off sweet and fruity. Then it turns a bit sour. That flavor leads to a medicine taste that distracts from the experience.

Bottled, 0.5ltr champagne-corked. Served at cellar-temperature. Almost clear, copper-colored, with a little rim of white bubbles. Pleasant aroma with cherries, glühwein and raisins. The cherries is quite subdued. Rounded flavor with cherries, a bit acidity, glühwein and sweetness. Lightly astringent finish with some alcohol. Delicious at this temperature in the summer-heat, will have to try to find another bottle to savour heated when it gets colder. (060704)