Unibroue Quelque Chose

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

Hm... this one is different than most I’ve had. I’ve enjoyed a few krieks, but this doesn’t seem as much like that as I expected. There isn’t the bubbly sour tang that a Kriek has. This is more like a mulled wine. I guess that’s from the fact that it is supposed to be heated. I drank cold at first, but let it warm. Aroma is sweet and fruity. There is more of a cinnamon flavor up front than cherries. Not sure I would run to this beer, but given what it is, it is a good brew.

Bottled 50cl. Sampled both hot and cool. Rather drinkable despite its rather high sweetness. Pleasant. It reminds me a bit of root beer. I wasn’t too impressed.

I drank this cold. Ruby red and a tan ring of bubbles for a head. Surprisingly sour nose, though it’s balanced by the sweet cherries and some great spice. Flavor is strong cherry and too sweet and syrupy for me despite the spicing, Palate isn’t nearly as lively as I’d hoped, like a slow, mud covered behemoth, but with warmth it shows some life and a long, nicely balanced sour cherry flavor. Overall decent, but KRE steps all over this.

Beautiful ruby red color with no head. According to the bottle, you can have this hot, warm or cold. It was very hot outside so I had mine cold. Wonderful aroma of cherries. Taste is sweet and tart. Alcohol is so well hidden you can put a lot of these down. Beware.

Delicate, no head or carbonation to speak of. Similar to a lambic but with less carbonation and a more concentrated taste. Has a bit of a barley-wine feel. Tastes strongly of tart cherries. I could sip on this all day long. IMO ties with 2004 as the best of the Unibroue beers.

Bottle from acknud - thanks! Although I hear there is a variety of temps to choose from, this was poured this near cellar temp. Very much a reddish brown pour with a smaller head. Nose is instant fruitiness. Reminds me of pie cherries. Tastes rich with cherries, a tiny bit medicinal, hints of spices, and a neat amount of sweet and tart. Fun brew from up north.

Deep amber body with a very little head; Very fruity sweet cherry spiced nose, a very little oxidized; Medium sized fruity acid sweet balanced body; Long intense spicy cherry finish.

Quelque Chose comes in a 750ml corked bottle. When I popped her cork, there was very little evidence of carbonation, but that is not unusual for this particular beer. She poured a dark red-brown with tinges of amber light glinting through along the edges of her glass. Almost murky in its browns and reds, but in a good way. The nose speaks of elegant ripe cherries, sour cranberries, and a tinge of graham cracker crust. I am reminded of the canned dark cherries I used to eat as a child. Not overly sweet in the nose, sour notes keep Quelque Chose from being cloying. Her body is smooth and sweet up front with the crisp puckering sour notes coming in a close second. She is not super sour like some other sour beers, but instead a pleasant compliment to the sweet cherry notes. Faint hints of vanilla and cinnamon can be found in the warm spices. Quelque chose has a full mouthfeel, though overall I didn’t find her to be a heavy beer. A good balance of depth and weight. I imagine she may be more viscous and heavier when warm, though the opposite may be true. A hint of fresh cranberries near the finish which remind me of a tart. Quelque Chose finishes not with a bang, but a smooth caress of sweet canned cherries, sour cranberries, and spice.
Quelque Chose is meant to be drunk hot, though I partook of mine this time cool. I am looking forward to picking up another bottle and enjoying her ripe cherry depths and addictive sour notes warm instead.