Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale by Unibroue

Before I begin, I apologize for not posting photos of the Chimay, I've got them, but my camera is all the way across the room, and I can't bring myself to upload them now. Sorry. I'll post them just before the pictures for the TJ's beer pics.

Unibroue is a great brewery in Quebec, Canada, they make some delicious Belgian style ales. And every holiday season, at least for the last few years, they have made a special beer for Trader Joe's. A plus for that, is TJ's sells these great beers for only $4.99, so I've started stocking up on them because Unibroues usually run between 7 and 10 dollars a bottle.

This Pint & 9 advertises itself as a Dark Ale on Lees at 9% alc./vol - great! (The on Lees refers to that fact that there is remaining yeast in the bottle.)

This is a dark beer. Looks almost like a Guiness in the glass and had a tremendous head when poured it. This beer is unusual. On the nose it smells almost exactly like the Damnation, a much lighter beer if you recall. You get the sweetness and the bananas, which are much more pronounced then they were in the Chimay. There is not strong caramel or coffee scents like you would expect from a stout. I feel like the color is caused by a black hole, because it doesn't seem to be perceptible to my olfactory. So let me taste it and see if I get sucked inside. I may end up in an alternate universe or even in the future or past... Worm Hole humor.

mmm... Huh. Baffling. Seriously, it tastes like a blonde trippel. But wait, there is some coffee on the aftertaste. Let me take a few more sips and I'll get back to you.

This beer is so good.

It's pretty much everything I loved about the Damnation with an added complexity in the flavor. It's as if Unibroue took the damnation recipe, dyed it black and toasted it for a little while. Oh and of course I'm afraid it may be too sweet to finish a 750, which officially I will stop saying that so just expect it to be a rule (unless there is an exception I will not bring it up again.)

Lead change alert!

1. Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale by Unibroue

2. Russian River's Damnation

3. Chimay Grand Reserve (Blue)

ps I don't really want to say what's up next because then I have to drink that. Come what may.

Chimay Bleu

Now; when you think of Belgian beers you probably think of monks, and Chimay is one of a handful of Trappist beers produced in Belgium, which means it is brewed within the walls of the monastery. In the dictionary there's a picture of Chimay, and their Grande Reserve in the blue bottle is the crown jewel. It comes in both their stubby bottles, and a big Pint & 9 bottle and weighs in at a very respectable 9% alcohol, which is what I am drinking this evening. This bottle is probably only six months old, even though Michael Jackson suggests it to be aged for 2 or more. (By the way I am drinking these beers at cellar temperature: and mine is about 60 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Pour it!

Much darker, I would call it a brown ale (or an auburn ale.) It doesn't have the head that the Damnation poured.

It is malty and spicy. Almost like a winter ale. It is sweet, almost syrupy. You can smell the alcohol on your nose hairs, but can hardly taste it over the sweetness. I think it has more sugar per percentage than the Damnation. There is nearly zero hops detected and the banana yeast is deep below everything else happening. Sugar, malt, spice, then yeast.

Again this sucker is gonna be too sweet if you're drinking the whole Pint & 9, by yourself, without food, but damn-it! it's my job. So here I go, I'm going to enjoy the rest, watch some American Idol, and get slightly less than enough sleep for tonight. To sum up, this is a delicious beer (despite being less "Belgian" than it's North American rival) and seems to serve as a fine Winter Ale, falling comfortably in that category; I believe.

1. Russian River's Damnation

2. Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue)

...next up Trader Joe's Holiday Ale by Quebec's Unibroue

Damnation photos

Had trouble posting the photos in the post itself (formating issue) so here they are.

"Start at the beginning"

To kick off this competition, I decided to begin where I started: Damnation. Russian River is fairly widely distributed, at least in Nor Cal and the North West. It's $9.99 at New Seasons Market (a local whole food market - it's $10.99 at our local Whole Foods) for a 750 ml, corked bottle. It weighs in at 7.75% alcohol (about a middle weight for a Belgian Style.) Enough with the "How's Your Father?" let's try the stuff.

Ahh. Lovely. See to me, blasphemy or not, Damnation is the quintessential Belgian (but then again, that's what this whole project is about.) A beautiful golden blonde. Smells sweet and fruity, with just the slightest kiss of floral hops. Light, sparkling, and sweet on the tongue; only barely bitter. The alcohol is masked by the sweetness and an absolute smoothness. That taste of Belgian yeast, that has always been bananas to me. And I don't mean crazy!

Smoothness is absolutely important to me, I'm not going to say the end all, but close. Now don't get me wrong I enjoy a little funk in my beverage from time to time, but it's more of an experience than something I consider amongst my favorite drink. Damnation is smooth, and refreshing, and sweet, and alcoholic; and a beautiful blonde to boot.

My only complaint is after "a pint & 9" it may become too sweet if being consumed entirely by itself.

So far Damnation is my favorite Belgian style beer I've tried in the competition. Ha! Right? But seriously I will try to keep a running ranking as "we" go along.

1. Russian River's Damnation

...next: Chimay's Grand Réserve (Blue)