For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be traveling back to Chambly, Quebec, Canada and trying the Unibroue Seigneuriale produced by the Brewery Unibroue.

I had yet to a bottle of this at my liquor store, so when I saw one I had to pick it up and give it a try.

Unibroue has the best website (unibroue.com) of any of the brewery’s in my opinion, but for some reason the Seigneuriale was not one of the brews featured there, so instead, let’s see if we can find a commercial description from ratebeer.com.

Beautiful orangey-amber colour, with a generous head. Very effervescent. Notes of citrus, spices, caramel in the nose. Very complex. Sometimes vanilla. Full bodied and complex, sweet, followed by and explosion of flavours. Clearly the best.

How ’bout a pour???

This beer had an ABV of 7.5% and it came in a 25.4 oz. bottle.

It poured a very hazy caramel to dark orange color.  The crown was off white, of great size, soft and creamy.  The retention time was more than adequate and the lacing was very satisfactory also.  It looked pretty good standing in the tulip glass.

The aroma was very complex and sound.  Aromas of baked and sour dough breads were intermingled with a heavy load of caramel and toffee sweetness.  Maybe even a touch of molasses in there too.  Some dull apple fragrances gave it a subtle fruity tone.  It smelled very herbal and spicy with hints of some funky yeast added for good measure.  There is, literally, a lot going on here.

The taste didn’t seem quite as boisterous as the aroma, but it was still nice and had plenty to be accounted for.  The fruitiness seemed to be a little easier to detect.  I received hints of pear and apple.  The apple, in some ways, reminded me of apple cider.  More inklings of bread and yeast, however the caramel and toffee sweetness seemed a touch light and not quite as vital.  At the back end I began to decipher a light tartness along with a peppery spice.  The overall taste was balanced well and it seemed very “earthy” and “round” for the most part.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  It was mostly dry, lightly chewy and semi-smooth.  It was sort of refreshing too.  A fair amount of flavor was left behind, which gave me something to ponder in between sips.  

Well, this beer was not bad at all.  It was well worth the test drive honestly.  It had quite a bit going on with the aroma and flavor that’s for sure.  I can’t say that this was a “world class” beer, but it definitely had enough character to satisfy most any craft beer drinker in my humble opinion.  At 7.5% ABV it was relatively easy to drink and would bold well as a late night sipper or as a refresher during warmer weather.  Frankly, I don’t think that I would turn this brew down if it was offered.  With that being said, give the Unibroue Seigneuriale a try if you can find it.  It was very tasty.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Feel free to contact me via Twitter (@BeerApprentice and @shrews824) or Google+ (Scott Shrewsberry) if you would like.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.75 out of 5
Grade:  B