Viva la Unibroue

Yep...that's a cork.

I had a difficult time trying to really classify this next beer, and fabricating my thoughts on it into mortal words.  Having a brainwave, I then solved this dilemma by putting on my comfy headphones, visiting Digitally Imported, streaming some rather nice chillout music, and reexamining what is perhaps the most startling, and indeed one of the very best, of the many beers I've had this year.

This beer hails from Quebec's Unibroue Chambly brewery.  Yes, the French have made it onto my beer blog a second time, and indeed this one is excellent as well.  Apparently lightning can strike the same place twice.  The beer in question is Trois Pistoles, and is, in fact, the first beer from this brewery that I've tried.  Yes, I do believe that was the sound of several dozen beer connoisseurs extending their bottle openers, fully intent on gouging my eyes out with their collective bluntness.  If that wasn't bad enough, my second sin is that I knew very little of Unibroue besides that they were from Quebec.  I'd always passed on their beer because of the wine-esque look of their bottles, and the somehow pretentious looking labels, as opposed to many of the tongue-in-cheek goofy labels on most microbrew beers.  What a mistake that was, and one that is being rectified.

Truth is, this is not just a great beer, it's one of the greats.  And how wonderful was it that my expectations were reasonably high, if not exactly immense, yet were shattered all the same?  I love being surprised by beer, and Trois Pistoles did exactly that.  For what it is (a mild dark ale) it's about as close to perfection as I can see anything coming.  It smashes homerun performance on all fronts; taste, aroma, aftertaste, hell, even value (6 bucks for a 750 ml bottle of 9% excellence?  Sign me up!).

If there was a complaint to be had about the beer, it does hearken back to that small comment about pretentiousness.  This beer is pretty much exactly that.  Excellent as it is, don't expect people to give you anything but weird looks and snickers (no not the chocolate kind) when you pull out a bottle of beer with a cork in it, then proceed to explain the subtle nuances of the complex taste, the proper serving temperature, and explain the backstory behind the label art and name.  True, those elements exist for all beer, but somehow it seems much more serious and urgent with this line of beer.  This is something for the true connoisseur, and should not be exposed to mainstreamers for fear of mockery (albeit mockery from mainstream dummies is not worth much to the discerning mind) and/or the possibility of making the craft beer world appear intimidating to those attempting to break out of the mainstream.

BUT, I digress, these 'issues' have nothing to do with the quality of the beer; they are social stigmas.  If you're looking for an incredible beer, look no further.  If you're looking for something to bring to a party or impress the women folk, this is perhaps not the best option, but you could certainly find a middle ground between David Attenborough and Justin Bieber.  If you can't figure out who represents what...well just what are you doing on my blog?

Well done Quebec.  I take back at least 40% of the bad things I've said about you.

And no, this is not a good beer to cruise with.

Taste:  Not what you'd expect from an extremely dark beer, but my god is it good.  Slightly fruity and sweet, incredibly smooth, not harsh in the slightest, yet very strong and hearty; certainly a terrific choice for the coming cold weather.

Aroma:  Wow.  Believe me when I say this is, without a doubt, one of the most aromatic beers I've ever come in contact with.  Like the taste, you can detect fruity, sweet notes, and it has a whiff of port to it.

Aftertaste:  Complex and nigh-on everlasting.  It's ridiculous how long the flavour lingers, and how it never wears out its welcome.  Just great.

Recommended?:  Yes, but shut the curtains, lock the doors and don't let anyone see you.  This is a beer for you.

Verdict:  Unibroue has made something amazing, which will probably come as no huge surprise to any fan of the brewery, as they've got a reputation as outstanding as Molson's lack of integrity.  Don't forgo this beer because of its seemingly pretentious nature; it's...incredible.

Score:  10 mugs out of 10.  And quite honestly, I was half-tempted to pull that great big journalistic no-no and give this an 11 out of 10.