Unibroue Quelque Chose

Bottled, served cold. Clear red coloured with a white head. Acidic aroma with notes of cinnamon, cardemomme, berries and almonds. Acidic flavour of berries, marzipan and spices.

Drunk hot with family with desert on Thanksgiving. 2002 vintage. Poured with no head at all into a tea-cup. Massive aroma of cherries and cinnamon. Taste was very warming, strong alcohol kick, very wassail like, with a big cherry flavor and gentle spicing. Hardly tasted like beer, though very enjoyable and unique.

Strong rich dark cherry aroma, pours the color of black cherries with lots of carbonation. Taste is sweet but tart enough not to be cloying. I haven’t tried it hot but it is complex and interesting when about room temp.

Drink cold.... Aroma:cherry,flu syrup... Appearance:redish orange,light pink head... Flavor:black cherry

Dark reddish/brownish color, no head to speak of. Aroma big on cherry, alcohol, slight spiciness on the nose as well as some malt. Very warming and sweet fruit drink.

Too sugary. It’s like drinking syrup. The aroma was excellent. The appearance was nice too. It’s more on the flavors that they lost me. I prefer a fruity beer that doesn’t taste like they add a cup of sugar that will never ferment into bottle.

Almost no head. Dark reddish coloring. Smells of Cherrie and cloves. Tart hits the tongue and expands outward and outward with clove and nutmeg and cinnamon. Perfect for the holidays very warm. It makes the spices way more pronounced.

(500 ml bottle: Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA; 2002 vintage) First, I’m trying this chilled to about 45 degrees, pouring half the bottle into my Duvel tulip glass, but taking my sweet time with it, so it should warm to room temperature before I finish this glass. Popping the cork, I’m surprised that there is no carbonation release whatsoever, and the beer pours with no head whatsoever. The color is ruddy amber and only a bit hazy. The nose projects a solid tart cherry aroma with loads of cloves, a bit of nutmeg and perhaps just barely a hint of cinnamon. Tart cherry once again dominates the flavor, but at the same time, it’s moderately sweet too, and both the tartness and sweetness play off each other very nicely. Spices are evident, but I think have less impact than in the nose. I don’t really see too much change in the flavor as it gets warm, but the "heat a frog in a pot of water" thing going on. If anything, I think the spices are becoming a bit more pronounced as the beer warms. Body is medium with sufficient tartness to keep the palate fairly refreshing. Carbonation is very minimal, and really, it’s the tanginess of the cherries that dances on the tongue, not carbonation. Very, very tasty and enjoyable, but now let me try it warmed on my stove.

Well, it still pours with no head per se, but there is a partial layer of large bubbles this time. The nose is not as good in my opinion. The spicy aroma is still evident, but I’m getting less tart cherry and more cake/pastry. The tart cherry flavor seems to have lost a bit of impact here as well, and it certainly seems much less sweet too, but alcohol has suddenly joined the party, and I’m not crazy about this development. I feel like I’m ten years old again, drinking my mom’s Hot Toddie to make my sore throat feel better. Body is obviously the same, but there’s a significant drying feeling in the mouth. No, I’m most definitely less enthusiastic about this beer when mulled. For my tastes, I think it’s best served at room temperature.