Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Watery, undefined and too sweet. Bottom line, Unibrew should have put as much artistry into this beer as they did the label.

Oh those dark fruits. Just discovered this brewery through a chance run-in with La Terrible, but I’m going to keep an eye out for it in the future. Happy time.

Pours black like strong black coffee with a one-finger head the color of cappuccino foam. Strong aromas of raisins, molasses, and alcohol. On the tongue it is a bit sweet, with a subtle tannic quality and no shortage of alcohol heat. Roasted malts are apparent. Flavor is somewhere between a ripe fig and a plum. No hops to speak of really. Medium to full body with a long finish. This would go great with a plate of over-ripe figs and creamy goat cheese.

Bomber. Pours beautifully, a very dark and hazy ruby with a two-finger beige head. The aroma is very spicy with coriander and allspice with a pomegranate tang. As the brew hits the tongue, it begins to rapidly carbonate from the temperature change. I’m not a big fan of this effect, but it’s not quite as bad as the De Dolle Extra Export Stout. The flavour also has a lot of spice, but is balanced in intensity. Plum, pomegranate, and other darker fruits are evident aside some woody notes. There’s a very subtle carmelized sweetness to this. The finish is like a dry wine with lots of spices.
I’m not a huge fan of spiced beers. But this is pretty good. I feel it’s similar to a spiced up quad.

12 oz. into pseudo trappist glass. Dark red brown pour with light offwhite head that builds well but recedes very quickly. Smells like cinnamon, candi sugar, sweet malt, coriander, and orange peel. Typical Belgian aroma. Flavor seems pretty complex; the first sip stunned and actually confused me a bit. Spicy and sweet with notes from the aroma that come out at different points: sweet at first with fruit notes (raisins, dark cherries, and prunes) and finished with a plethora of spice notes (cinnamon, coriander, and ginger mostly). A bit of a funky sourness lingers behind everything - don;t know if this pleases me or not. Light bodied on the palate with very lively carbonation - too lively for my taste, but typical of the Belgian ale style. Overall: drinkable, crisp, and pleasant example of a style that is far from my favorite.

(Bottle). Smells very sweet and fruity, as you would expect. The color is a deep orange brown, topped by a fizzy off white head. Flavor is very much in the Belgian Trappist style -- complex, many different fruits, and pleasingly sweet without being candy-ish. Altogether a wonderfully crafted ale.

Pours and odd orange-brown with some very heavy sediment and foamy, off-white head that settles slowly and leaves minimal lacing. It had a slightly spicy aroma with a citrus bouquet. Very bubbly, crisp, clean mouthfeel- even more carbonated than the Unibroue Maudite. A very bright, fruity flavor with a nice spicenote, that finishes with a slightly sour fruit- like grapes almost- and leaves with a tangy lingering aftertaste.

The sediment almost put me off at first, and not seeing it mentioned in any other reviews confuses me. Maybe I bought an older bottle. But if it were aged, it was very mellow for a strong ale.

750ml bottle. One of my personal favorites. Black coffee color with a thin, lingering head. Highly carbonated mouthfeel. Malty flavor with wine-like fruits keeps me coming back for more.