Christmas Time in August: Something Special from Unibroue, the Quelque Chose

Arriving at Whole Foods in Venice Friday night, I walked right into an ambush/beer tasting with Unibroue sales rep Michael Smith, who interestingly enough owns a CrossFrit gym in Huntington Beach (i.e.he's huge). We tried six beers, including Blanche de Chambly, Ephemere Apple, Maudite, La Fin du Monde, Trois Pistoles, Terrible and the night's special Quelque Chose - more on that later. Apparently Whole Foods invites brewers every Friday night to the store at 7pm. For $15, a thirsty individual can receive a bunch of beer and a free meal (always different) and sometimes a free glass. Duly noted Whole Foods, you're in my calendar. I also won a free shirt for being excellent and/or correctly guessing an irregularity in the Trois Pistoles bottle (more when we profile that beer).




What I'm choosing to speak about this evening was the night's special, Quelque Chose, which is pronounced 'Quell K Shows' and means 'something'. Now, why is it special?

A). This is a limited edition Unibroue, only 750 cases worldwide.

B). It falls into the category of a mulled beer, which is basically a beer served hot (like gluvine - hot wine). Mulled beer is usually produced during the winter season. I'll tell you what, this beer is delicious any time of year. I wish it was on every street corner liquor shop.

C). Why only 750 cases? Because it takes three years to make. Ah, that's why it isn't everywhere.

Mulled beer is served at 122-155 F degrees, which is accomplished by bringing a pot of water to boil and then simply dipping the beer in-and-out of the water. It's that simple. (Hot Saki uses the same basic technique, only you have wait for the bubbles to rise).

The Unibroue website describes the Quelque Chose as a blend of Belgian Kriek Ale and a Brown Ale brewed in Chambly. Now as Michael Smith poured it, he describes it as a Sour Brown Ale, which I find closer to the truth and instantly easier to comprehend. I usually don't like sour ales but this beer changed my mind. First off, it's not super sour. The cherries come up front but quickly wash away as the heated ale rises up and then finishes with the sweetness of vanilla and honey.

This beer is arresting. The unique blend, the spices, the heat. Everyone in the bar gasped and involuntarily exclaimed 'oh my god! This is amazing.' High off winning my novelty Unibroue t-shirt, I join in with the dweeb chorus around me....but inside my mind was going YUM YUM YUM YUM like a kid who'd waited a long hot summer's day for delivery of a ice cream fudge sunday.


 
Michael promised that they would have cases in Whole Foods for the seasonal and while I'm holding out crossing my fingers he isn't one to make empty promises, I'm not holding my breath. It's just so rare. Still, if you see one BUY IT - it's one of the BAD BOYS.

Unibroue Noire de Chambly - the first 11:59PM beer

11:58 pm. Walk in the door. 11:59 pm, I pour and drink my first sip, a minute before midnight. The first time I've had to rush to drink as the day's hourglass empties but probably not the last. Phew.

"This is the part where Cameron goes berserk"

I'm not a huge dark beer fan, but I dig this. Unibroue Noire de Chambly is a belgian style black ale and it reminds me of Shiner Black, except that Noire is delicious and Shiner Black is ehh...The Noire retains the spice and boldness of a Belgium but has a thinner body, which I find refreshing. The result is a tasty beer that doesn't fill you up. I dig this fella. Welcome to THE ROCK.

Unibroue Raftman - Whiskey Malt Beer, It's...Different

This is what the Unibroue website says regarding the 'legend' of Raftman:

"Unibroue commemorates the legendary courage of the lumberjacks and log drivers of yesteryear. During their long months away from home, these hardworking men would get together and settle their differences over beer and whiskey, which are both made with malted barley. Unibroue had a great idea when it decided to bring the two together!"

Warning Lumberjacks: Do not drink and log-roll

I know Unibroue is Canadian, but that's still a cheesy idea, eh? I'm looking forward to their next beer celebrating the lives of entrepreneurial Fur Trappers and brave soldiers who battled the redman during the Beaver Wars in the 1600's. Hmm. Still, my expectations were high because I love whiskey. Whiskey, whiskey whiskey. What the lumberjacks 'settled their differences over' is what we kids now call a 'boilermaker,' named after Purdue University (*citation needed). It's a shot of whiskey dropped into or tossed back with a pint of beer. It's perfect for celebrations, becoming newly single, funerals or Thursday Nights.

Poured, the Raftman appears as an amber ale and tastes like one initially. But I couldn't get around this aftertaste. Eck is all I could muster. I don't know how to even describe the taste. I looked online and surprisingly, there are only a few who agree with me. To my aghast, it's rated fairly well. Still, every sip produced a cringe and pairing it with food wouldn't change my negative attitude.

Out of the three Uni beers tasted thus far, two of them have been busts. I will leave final judgment out until tasting the final beer, but as David suggested in the Ephemere post, I'm pretty certain that Unibroue packaged the four beer Variety Pack - sold in Trader Joe's - because they couldn't successfully sell them individually. Maybe Raftman sells really well with Axemen, but consider yourself warned: TRANSFORMERS 2 rating.

Unibroue Chambly. Yes please

Part of our Unibroue variety pack, Chambly is the white ale that serves as the base for the apple infused Ephemere we disliked so much Friday evening. Righteousness prevails!

Chambly is a delight

Chambly is delicious. Clean and crisp and pours with minimal head.  Not too heavy, not too light, it's medium bodied and just right. White ales are interesting because across the board, it's one of the few beers even picky beer drinkers will order at a bar (looking at you ladies). This is an excellent choice and a great alternative to Hoegaarden. Welcome to THE ROCK.

Unibroue Éphémère aka Granny Smith Apple Beer

It's simple. I like apples. I like beer. Combine the two and it becomes Ephemere. Maybe it's not such s a good idea.

Unibroue uses chambly fundamentally in several beers, much like George Lucas used Star Wars IV-VI as a platform to launch episodes I-III. Now, some good things happen. Noire de Chambly. Yoda flying around kicking tail. Natalie Portman is beautiful (my intern just asked me if that was necessarily relevant and I stabbed his arm with my letter opener). Some aspects that are extensions of the original are the opposite of, let's say, good. For example Jar-Jar Binks, I wish you never existed.

Here the perfectly Canadian folks at Unibroue decided to mix their delicious white ale with a green apple flavor, and it's just too much. Every sip was followed by a frown. The only thing I can say after drinking this is, congratulations on your beer being as good as TRANSFORMERS 2.