Brewed by Unibroue (Sapporo) in the Style of a Belgian Strong Ale from the cure metropolis that we know as Chambly, Canada. (The Avoidance systems have kicked in about Sapporo....)Strong Belgian type ale similar to a Port wine ! Is as dark as can be, mellow in taste with an aroma of ripe fruits. It can be compared to an old porto and is brewed from well roasted malt.
Small (by the way of things) 355ml bottle of a 9% ABV beer, really really well presented with loads of silver foils and prettiness. Lots of warning and advice about glass type and not pouring the dregs at the bottom of the bottle. IBU of 16 and calories at 270. Drinks of 2.5 units in kiwiland.
Said to be a Strong malt flavour roasted aromas with chocolate, brown rum, and spice and an expected flavour of Slightly sweet. Enhanced by accents of roasted malt, cocoa, ripe fruit and dark spices with a smooth finish like an old port.
Brewed with roasted malt, this beer has a rich, smooth texture, and bottle conditioning gives it a very distinctive flavour. It has an aroma of ripe fruit and a pleasant aftertaste that lingers like old port wine. It is excellent with pasta as well as game meat and wild fowl, and enhances the flavour of desserts like chocolate mousse and fruit salad.
I might put this back in the fridge the mouth-watering already done. I'm getting a bit emotional.
An almost disappointing aroma on opening. Dark treacle dark but not a "thick" pour with a quick disappearing head. Loads of rich fruits when poured.
Aroma is then transferred into that of rich fruits and alcohol laden warmth. Slightly over carbonated as the fixx gets to you first, hiding the up front bitter-sweet note. The alcohol astringent note gets you at the back though.
A much easier beer to deal with based on the label and then the expectations. I would fair put money on this in a blind taste comp about country of origin, which is really stupid, since the underlying yeasts are from somewhere else. Cleverly used though, and that's a winner.
This then should stand alone as just a good beer. It lacks though the layer of malt sweetness that you could expect, the 'over sweet' thickness that you could expect to be present, giving way to to a soft bitterness - a gap - and a fruit laden finish. What I could expect is a bash of sweetness up front, a strong sweet middle and an astringent end. This seems to buck that and do it in a different, or even with those elements and not some other, order.The pdubyah-o-meter, I know you scrolled to this point, and this is as arbitrary as anything you can think of, or as relevant. For me, or the pdubyah-o-meter, based on the up front carbonation hiding the initial taste, what seems to be a missing middle, and the token alcohol finish would make is about 7.5, better than just good, but not close to very good.
I go against the grain often, I'm often cowered by what people might think of me, I don't think the brewer is going to call and compiling I was harsh. I'd smile if they did.
I'd like to tell you I was listening to music, but I'm watching football (association) and the local team is winning 3-0
If I was listening to music it would be this, and I will be listening to it Sunday morning, loud, whilst I get my A in to G .
David Bowie - Low.
I much prefer Station to Station and would happy to be sent to desert island with just that, but Low has it's moment, notable perhaps "Sound and Vision" from about 7:06.
The Rib Eye on the barbecue was stunning, the trick is two things. Agree with a partner the timing and the duration of cooking, and more importantly to end and with a stunningly cooked piece of meat start with a good quality piece of meat. A lesson I should have learnt many cookings ago.
BELGIAN STRONG ALE
Belgian Strong Ales can vary from pale to dark brown in color, darker ales may be colored with dark candy sugar. Hop flavor can range from low to high, while hop aroma is low. The beers are medium to full-bodied and have a high alcoholic character. Types of beers included here include tripels, dubbels and ultra-strong abbey ales.
Funny you mention to agree with a partner about cooking of meat - that's so true. Good post.
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ReplyDeleteThank you. I've learnt over many burn offerings that if we both make a mistake it's a story and not a silence is golden moment.
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