30 Anniversaire
Unibroue

Cellared a year. Opaque blackish brown body, light brown head. Maple candy and wheat nose with mild earthy esters. Taste way more wheat, maple more syrup form now but muted a bit, hint of chocolate in the back backbone. Feel is great as it is based on the full yeast and wheat textures with an airy finish, sugar kept in check the whole way.

 

Maple syrup bomb, drank on beach with family, great beer

 

30e Anniversaire – from Unibroue. &%) mL cork and caged bottle picked up at Total Wine, Selma, TX, 13/11/23, $15.68 (Including tax), $ 0.926/fl oz. Reviewed 10/02/24 (Review 3242). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Printed on the bottle shoulder in VERY easily read yellow ink “BB 10-05-27”. Stored at room temperature at the distributor, 34 degrees at home. Served at 56.4 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 59.0 degrees F (Printed on bottle “Serve at 50-57oF). When the bottle was opened, the cork came out with a loud “POP” and the aroma of maple syrup.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), slight haze.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, light penetrates at the bottom edge – amber.
Head - Large (Maximum 6.5 cm, aggressive center pour), wheat, high density but quickly developing holes, fizzy, short retention, dropping to a jagged 0.5 – 0.9 cm crown and a rocky complete cap.
Lacing – Poor. Just a few tiny dots left behind.
Aroma – 4.5 – Maple syrup. No yeast, no hops, no malt, no alcohol (10 % ABV as marked on the label).
Flavor – 4 – Begins sweet (but not cloying) with maple syrup. No yeast, no hops, no roasted malt. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No ethanol. A mild gastric warming occurs.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium; somewhat syrupy; soft carbonation. A bit thin for any stout.
Final impression and summation: 4 Fortunately I love maple syrup – I’ve been known to chug it. Unfortunately, the only thing I can taste or smell in this beer is maple syrup – no dark fruitiness, no alcohol, no roast malt, no alcohol, no spiciness. For me, this is a one trick pony, but fortunately it’s turning a favorite trick!

L: Black with a thin, tan head.
S: Maple is more upfront than I expected. Underneath is Unibroue house yeast (Belgian yeast usual suspects characteristics), heavily roasted, almost burnt malts, and some booze.
T: Flavor is big on maple, vanilla (does it have vanilla extract?), and leather, and it really overtakes the rest. Secondary are the roasty stout qualities, and much further on the back are the Belgian yeast notes. Alcohol heat. Sticky sweet.
F: Full and slick. It could use some more carbonation to provide some lift.
O: Overall not bad, but I felt the vanilla took over. I wish they would have stuck to maple only. It could be a bit drier too.

 

They knocked it out of the park with this one. Excellent body/feel, and a great chocolate taste. I only get a hint of the maple syrup in my Teku glass for some reason. I get more chocolate. I don't taste the alcohol at all. Most excellent.

Looks black at first, but when held to the light there is a reddish brown tint to it. Forms about an inch of a tan colored head.

I love the smell of this. The main smell to me is the maple syrup, but there is caramel and chocolate as well, maybe a hint of dried fruit.

Very much on the sweet side, the maple syrup is very much present. Very spicy, has a peppery hint to it, but also hints of toffee and coffee and dried fruit.

Very tingly on the tongue, but pretty think as well, it is a tongue coater.

Very much a unique beer, has nice Belgian characteristics, but the maple syrup gives away its Canadian origin. Worth a try, as it is a nice unique beer from one of my favorite breweries.

 

From a corked, caged bottle with a BB date of 10-05-27. Sampled June 4, 2023.

The appearance is lovely with its jet black pour under a soft, delicate mocha colored head. Loads of lacing.

The aroma is dark roast, maple, smoked, and dark dried fruit.

Medium heading toward full mouthfeel. Breaks down a little into bubbles.

The taste is a rich dark roast, toffee, maple syrup, with cranberries or a darker fruit. Light bitterness and no noticeable booze. Balanced.

L - Deep brown with a tan large head that dissipates slowly, leaving behind a nice cap and lacing
S - caramel, bready yeast, and maple syrup. Along with dark dried fruits, dates, and hints of chocolate and toffee
T - bready Belgian yeast up front and throughout along with complex but well intermixed notes of caramel, dark dried fruits - dates and raisin, chocolate, toffee. Some spices and herbal notes
F - medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation
O - a pretty fantastic and complex Belgian stout

L: Pours a lovely brunette that forms a thick, frothy khaki head that fades slowly, leaving behind plenty of lacing and a foamy retention on top. Held to the light, this beer has a dark chocolate hue.

S: Maple syrup, pepper, spices (cinnamon & vanilla), toasted malt, chocolate, dark bread, toffee.

T: Interesting - detecting earthy flavors, healthy amount of roasted malts, chocolate, maple syrup, sugar, and dark-roast coffee. Toffee, hints of dark fruit, anise, cinnamon, and licorice, and a touch of tobacco as well. A medicinal flavor, certainly more bitter than I was expecting.

F: Medium-bodied. Plenty of carbonation, a bit sticky and creamy, yet lighter than I initially expected.

O: This beer is an interesting case. On the one hand, I appreciate the roasted malts, chocolate, and spice, yet the Belgian stouts generally lack the full coffee-roast character that elevates RIS and AIS. This beer felt a little thin, despite the flavor and aromas being very enticing. Great to try out once, but probably won't be returning to it.

Appearance: Unibroue knows what a Belgian should look like so it is not surprise that a buoyant two finger ecru head emerges over the dark brown liquid; decent retention and squiggles of lace

Smell: Peppery chocolate joins an earthy mushroom aspect along with a sweet tone coming from the maple syrup

Taste: Chocolate and earthy phenols greet the palate, bringing maple sugar sweetness with the Belgian yeast strain adding a bready element; there is also a dark fruit aspect of plum and blackberry; the finish has an herbal character

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with a sprightly carbonation

Overall: While I find Belgian stouts to be interesting (and too rare these days), there is something I can't put my finger on that I am not enjoying here but it is in the herbal aspect that arrives in the finish

 

 

 

750mL corked and caged bottle, split with the Mrs. My portion served in a Tripel Karmeliet glass. Best before 10-05-27. K052208490FL.

Appearance: Black, rocky thick dark tan head, some strands and islands of lacing.

Smell: Lots and lots of maple syrup. Some toasted malt and coffee notes as well.

Taste: Maple syrup, coffee, roasted malt bitterness, aspects of maple syrup + waffles, bit of licorice, molasses, and a hint of that Belgian yeast unique fruity ester flavor. Mild noble hop bitterness at the finish, but the roasted malt is providing most of the bitter flavor with this beer.

Mouthfeel: Brisk carbonation, a bit sticky on the teeth, surprisingly dry finish.

Overall / Drinkability: A very unique stout. Belgian stout doesn't appear to be a style on Beer Advocate, but this beer certainly strikes me as a Belgian take on a stout. It's not Russian or American in style. The maple syrup dominates the flavor of this beer, but in a very good way. A very nice slow sipping and savoring beer - well done!

I enjoyed this beer on a special evening celebrating the departure of a deer friend to the hinterland of Lubbock, TX. Very pleasant evening, very pleasant beer! Sipped it most of the evening and used it to toast our guest of honor.

Beautiful beer! Poured from a bomber into a snifter. Rich dark brown color with a magnificent creamy, foamy brown head and great curtain lacing. Smell and taste of dark chocolate and dark berries. Licorice, vanilla and a hint of the maple syrup. This was good because the beer was almost dry with the sweetness of the syrup opening up as it warmed. Smooth full feel. I think I will see if I can find another bottle.

Poured at fridge temp. Pours black with a wonderful amount of light brown head. Tons of strong lacing. The nose is full of maple, burnt toffee, lavender, coriander, clove, a touch of cinnamon, dark chocolate, dark bread, marzipan, and cherries. The taste is incredible. Maple, a touch of tobacco, coffee, chocolate, licorice, burnt toffee, bread, coconut, marzipan, dark fruit, and again that nice mix of spices. Wow. Intense and complex. The mouthfeel is fairly thick and creamy, and the aftertaste is nice slightly bitter roasted malts. Overall, a great beer.