Ultra Brune
Brasserie Scassenes

Ultra BruneUltra Brune
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From:
Brasserie Scassenes
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
10%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.85 | pDev: 10.13%
Reviews:
52
Ratings:
60
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 24, 2014
Added:
May 21, 2003
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Underrower
Reviewed by Underrower from Georgia

4/5  rDev +3.9%
Celebrator but with better hidden alcohol even though Ultra Brune has more alcohol. Unbelievably well hidden alcholol. Same smell as Ayinger's Celebrator. Taste is remarkably similar (just no booze). Who knew a dopplebok came as a quad. A feat of beer engineering. I have always called Celebrator my dark mistress but she has been out darked and out mistresseded. CHEERS!
Sep 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by mattfancett from England

Sep 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.98 by dcmchew from Romania

Nov 10, 2013
Photo of patre_tim
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

4.4/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A: Medium to dark brown with an amber tinge, many dark floating particles of yeast, with a beige head that is huge. The bottle was a gusher without any prior agitation.

S: Caramel, dark fruits, Belgian yeasts, some snow, some cherries, a little banana.

T: Memories of Chimay or a nice solid Belgian dubbel, dark fruits, cherries, not overly sweet, well balanced and smooth, no defects.

M: Smooth medium body, medium carbonation after the gusher.

O: Very nice, very smooth balanced Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Really hides the 10% alcohol VERY well. My first from this brewery. I love the style and the fact I’ve never heard of this brewery, and now I am enjoying a great beer from them. Feels like I’m visiting Belgium! Brewed Jan 14th 2013, drank on Oct 26 2013.
Oct 26, 2013
 
Rated: 3.38 by desint from Belgium

Aug 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Bix from New Jersey

Jan 18, 2013
Photo of kawilliams81
Reviewed by kawilliams81 from Illinois

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 8 oz glass.

A- Pours brown with a 1 finger tan head. No lacing remains on the glass.

S- Sweet cherries and brown sugar.

T- Very similar to nose. Sweet brown sugar followed closely by cherries and dark fruits.

M- Medium body and carbonation. Slick feel.

O- Decent for the style. Nice sweet change of pace kind of beer.
Sep 23, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by buzze40 from Illinois

Sep 12, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by ridgeline23 from Pennsylvania

Jun 16, 2012
Photo of CloudStrife
Reviewed by CloudStrife from New York

3.67/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
11.2oz bottle poured into a chalice.

A: Pours a deep ruby color with a 1 finger off white head. Perhaps I poured too much as there is a lot of sediment floating in the body.

S: Very sweet smell of raisin and other dark fruits. Alcohol and almost bourbony like qualities. Roasty sweet malts as well. Molasses, carmel, toffee are all present.

T: Sweet roasted malts up front with a yeasty after taste. Carmely sweet. Reminds me of a dopplebock on steroids. Slightly too sweet and one-dimensional for me.

M: Fairly easy to put back, booze is well hidden. Warming. A little syrupy.

Overall an interesting beer that is a little too sweet for me. This was on sale so I figure it might be fairly old.
Jun 03, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by dcellis from South Carolina

Feb 02, 2012
Photo of mrfrancis
Reviewed by mrfrancis from Kentucky

3.97/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Pours a dark brown with very subtle ruby highlights and a creamy, compact beige head.

S: Aromas of milk chocolate, candy sugar, caramel, raisins, and figs are immediately evident. There is a bit of an alcohol scent as well, but nothing too off-putting.

T: This ale definitely leans toward the sweeter end of the spectrum, with notes of heavy cream, milk chocolate, candy sugar, caramel, plums, raisins, figs, and anise on the palate. The finish is silky and long with notes of cream, chocolate, and candy sugar mingling with a hint of jam-like fruitiness.

M: Full bodied, creamy, and silky in the mouth. Carbonation is rather subtle. The alcohol is not all that noticeable.

O: This is a nice Belgian strong dark ale that is just a little too sweet for its own good. Still, I can see myself buying this one again. Overall, I would have no problem recommending this ale to fans of sweeter beers.
Dec 04, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Nov 25, 2011
Photo of mandolinhomebrew
Reviewed by mandolinhomebrew from Austria

3.8/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
poured from Belgian stubby style .33 liter bottle into Duvel tulip.

A - very dark brown with red hues when held towards light. big poofy tan head, lots of carbonation

S - a bit sweet & fruity (particularly on the fig & raisin direction), medium to dark caramel, for 10% the alcohol is definitely not blasting out of the glass.. detectable but well hidden

T - follows the smell for me, but is always slightly changing from sip to sip as it warms in the glass. it's on the sweet side, but not cloyingly so. caramel and fruits (again in the fig & raisin direction for me) take the stage, but there is a slight, slight hint of roastiness. alcohol is more apparent in the finish, but really well hidden for 10%. bitterness is fairly low and i can't detect any hop character in terms of flavor or aroma.

M - it's really well carbonated, even after a half hour in the glass. mouthfeel is what i would call medium.

O - imho it's a well made Belgian strong dark ale. if you've had a fair share of examples of the style, then you're not in for any surprises here. very very drinkable for 10% though.. which is not always the case.
Oct 27, 2011
Photo of atr2605
Reviewed by atr2605 from New York

3.42/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A-pours a very dark brown with a tan head with about average retention that clings to the glass. Lots of floating debris hanging in suspension
S-Sweet malt, plums, figs, raisins, low hop aroma
T- More of the same in the flavor, with the plum flavor being dominate, leading into a bit of a molasses taste and ends with the hop bitterness and a sweet dark cherry flavor in the finish. Alcohol is fairly well hidden
M-medium bodied
O-Not bad, not great. there are better examples of the style but still a nice beer.
Sep 23, 2011
Photo of skandha
Reviewed by skandha from New York

3.62/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: prettily dark with a distracting amount of floating detritus; settled in the glass it looked like a heavy fountain root beer with a handful of kitty litter dropped in.

Smell: overripe fig fruits, and a pungent, grainy scent that reminded me of horse oats left to sit in the hot sun.

Taste: very raisiny and forwardly sweet. Finish is smooth and a little port-wine syrupy. 10.0% ABV is hidden with stealth..

Mouthfeel: mild carbonation, and the deliberate sweetness is not too evidently thick on the tongue.

Overall: pleasant dessert-type beer, but I certainly wouldn't want to drink more than one. Lacks any counter-structural depth or bitterness to make it more than just a sweet digestif.
Mar 27, 2011
Photo of number1bum
Reviewed by number1bum from Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a semi-dark brown, darker in the glass than when being poured, with three fingers of tan head. Head is pretty creamy and keeps pretty well; almost has a slightly reddish tinge to it as well. Lots of floaties settle to the bottom.

Smell is very sweet with big doses of dark candi sugar and raisins. Has some dark caramel as well. Also figs and prunes, very fruity. It's somewhat one-dimensional but smells pretty good.

Taste, luckily, is not as sweet as the nose was. I was worried this was going to be a syrupy mess. It's still sweet but the fruit flavors are more pronounced - figs, dates, prunes, raisins. Still a lot of sugars going on here, caramel and dark candi sugar. There is a subtle woodiness in the finish that gives just a touch of contrasting flavor. I'd even call it a smokiness. Good flavor, and reasonably well balanced.

Mouthfeel is on the plus side of medium bodied but is not as full as you'd expect at 10%. Not super creamy either, with above average carbonation. Overall I'd say the body is off and this is a touch over carbonated.

This is pretty good, nothing spectacular but a nice drinker. It's relatively simple, fruity and sweet. No alcohol is really present. Not too shabby.
Feb 11, 2011
Photo of wisrarebeer
Reviewed by wisrarebeer from Wisconsin

4.23/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A: incredible deep rocky head and I only poured half a bottle!, near opaque deep, dark rosey color
S: medium nose, musty, earthy character, charred and/or burnt licorice, interesting, reminded me a bit of a deep chocolate pudding
T: very nice, well-balanced, no unusual or outstanding flavors but just a well-made dark ale, roasted malt, smattering of hop finish but more malt base, treacle-toffee finish
M: creamy and velvety, very well balanced
D: very drinkable for ABV, smooth
Nov 04, 2010
Photo of lightindarkness
Reviewed by lightindarkness from Florida

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
750mL bottle into a large Brother Thelonious chalice. Cork had a best-by date of "7-12-20_0" - likely not july of 2020, but rather the cage rubbed off the marking, so I'm not sure what to make of it.

Very little action with the cork, and only some light carbonation shows initially in the pour. More builds eventually and leaves a fine film of dens tiny bubbled foam, which makes for some attractive but sparse lace. Beer is dark murky brown, as expected, lightly dusty in appearance with some clarity.

Nose presents very nice dense aromas of lightly boozy fig and raisin with some fresh baked heavy whole grain bread.

Taste really reflects the nose quite well, grainy dough giving way to dark smooth fruits capped with just a hint of syrupy sweetness and faint influence of alcohol. Flavor decays for a nice prolonged period, with some deep overripe fruit sweetness and lingering doughiness. Heavy and a bit sweet, but not bad.

Feel is fairly standard, though seems to lack the active carbonation that lightens up others of the same style. Present carbonation is faint and tight with finely formed bubbles, making it soft, but only mildly so. Comes across as dense and on the fuller side, though still medium bodied.

Overall this is quite tasty. Heavy and well laden with all the dark fruit and dough one might expect. Seems full in sweetness, not overly so, but perhaps not as dry with grain balance as some. I could easily go to this beer to satisfy a craving for a big dark belgian ale, but in drinking much of it, abv and richness become an inhibitor.
Jul 03, 2010
Photo of Stinkypuss
Reviewed by Stinkypuss from Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Ultra Bruin pours a murky brown with some chunks of yeast hanging in suspension. Short livid head and no lacing.

Smell: Bready malts, soft fruit, alittle bit musty.

Taste: Raisin and fig notes, just a bit of green apple too. Yeasty, tangy, hop profile is on the minimal side, only there to provide traces of bitterness to round out the beer. Malty, fruity, definitely strong too but the alcohol is well hidden.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a good level of carbonation and a chalky finish.

Drinkability: A good night cap beer, strong enough to provide a buzz, complex enough to make it worth drinking. I thought this beer was pretty decent, but wonder what it would be like fresh.
May 11, 2010
Ultra Brune from Brasserie Scassenes
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 60 ratings