Unibroue Terrible

Unibroue Terrible is anything but. In my mind, it is Unibroue's best offering. Actually, I had Unibroue 17 a few years ago at the Philly Craft Beer Fest and thought it was pretty spectacular, but Terrible truly achieves what seems to be just out of reach for most of the rest of their stable.  Honestly, I've been up and down with Unibroue's beers because to my tastebuds they seem yeast heavy.  The flavors don't shine through and the body seems to be artificially inflated with yeast rather than the malts.  I tend to like their brews but not love them.  However...


Unibroue emulates Belgian style fairly flawlessly with Terrible. The 10.5% abv is barely noticeable as it dances among the dark fruit flavors and caramel sweetness. I'm also getting a hint of cream soda and a bit of cork...not like a funky wine with a rotten cork... But a slightly woody, earthy plant-like cork.

Terrible has a rich, dark, raisiny color and swirling sea-foam head like a barleywine but the yeast profile and Belgian sweetness remind me of Chimay Grande Reserve (though it would be hard to compare any beer to the 1999 Millennium edition Chimay Grande Reserve I got to sample at the BBC10 "Night of Many Bottles"). There are tons of dark fruit aromas in there, so serve this big brew in a chalice; that's my recommendation.  Stick your honker in there and really inhale the aromas before, during, and after the sip.


This broue is complex and divine.  Read more about  UNIBROUE TERRIBLE at their website.

picture "liberated" from Unibroue's site

Terrible in a Chimay chalice

One of the most important parts of enjoying a big beer like Terrible is the sharing of it.  Now, I'd done no such thing on this particular occasion.  I began my journey through the 750ml bottle on the Saturday night of Hurricane Irene.  Rather than passing out, spilling my drink, forgetting about the balance of the bottle, and hating myself in the morning, I decided to stop up the bottle after one glass and store the Terrible in the fridge for Sunday.  Those airtight stoppers work quite well.  Sunday arrived and my brew was fresh as a daisy.  Needless to say, I didn't tempt fate a second time.  I polished it off while reading a good book on a beautiful day.  Windows open, Irene gone, and Terrible in hand.  Yes, it was a good day, thank you.  Remind me to write a review of those cool little stoppers.

taken with my Blackberry

Beer Bloggers Conference BYOB

Goodness Gracious! There was a ree-diculous amount of beer at the Conference's BYOB event.

I'm not even going to attempt to put all the individual pics here now, but keep your eyes peeled for a slide show coming up soon. The show-stealers were the highly sought-after Brew Dog assassins, one of which is called Sink the Bismarck ( 41% abv... that's not a typo)

One of my fellow bloggers used some descriptive words to describe the flavor of Sink the Bismarck... burning lemons. I immediately agreed.


Then there's the world's strongest beer: Brew Dog's End of History. It's bottled in 7 oz. rations and wrapped in roadkill. Yeah, I said roadkill. The particular vintage that I got to try was sitting inside a stoat. Don't believe me? Check out the proof.





This inhuman concoction tasted a little more like whiskey. It burned going down, but that's to be expected at 110 proof! Actually, it tasted a little better than Sink the Bismarck. I can't very accurately describe the flavor, since I only had the teeniest sip, but suffice it to say that it's a little over-hyped in terms of quality, but certainly not in extremity! Definitely worth putting to your lips, just to say that you've done so.


Now the award for El Presidente's Personal Butt-Kicker is Erik Peterson from the Bull & Bush Pub and Brewery. Not only did the Presidential Motorcade spend Thursday afternoon checking out the B&B's fine fare, but Erik was a part of the Beer Bloggers Conference's Night of Many Bottles. He brought some serious stuff, including a 1.5L bottle of Chimay Grande Reserve brewed in honor of the Millenium changeover in 1999. Unbelievably smooth, with subtle notes of dried fruits like raisins, figs, and dates, it retailed for $61.00 on the Vintage Bottle list at the Pub, but we got to sample it for free! And I might add that all the tasters were quite generous and willing to share sips of stuff that had been just about drained. Here's a picture of the Chimay:





Erik was also responsible for bringing my two personal favorite brews of the night: the Royal Oil Barleywine (10% abv), a sweeter treat than most barleywines, with flavors like coconut and vanilla coming through by virtue of the oak aging. Slightly floral as well due to masterful hopping, Royal Oil reminded me ever so slightly of Stone's Old Guardian, but it seemed more complex and a bit richer than the Stone. Will that happen every batch? I guess I'll just have to go back to the Denver area to find out.



And I love a good rye ale, like Dock Street's Rye IPA, Founders Red's Rye, Terrapin Rye and Rye Squared, et al. But Bull & Bush's Pimp My Rye, a Rye Wine with claws, was a resounding success and overwhelms the rye field wtih flavor that can kill a man. Pimp My Rye weighs in at about 11% abv.







The finishing touches to a great event came when the party dispersed into various rooms after hours. El Presidente got to chill with Eli and Erik from Beertap TV, Dan from Life on Tap, and the 2beerguys guys, as well as assorted other chilled-out folks who needed (or didn't need, in my case) a few extra beers to cap off the night. I had brought Victory Hop Wallop for my fellow bloggers to try, and the stash made it onto the BBC's photo coverage! Check out beerbloggersconference.org for a recap of the events and some cool announcements!



Thanks again to Allan Wright and everyone at Zephyr Adventures who made this event possible! Be sure to keep checking back throughout the next week or two for follow-up posts and slideshows that will help bring the event together. Next year's event may possibly be in Portland, Oregon... sign me up!