Canada's Finest Belgian-Style Ales
Unibroue is a North American hidden gem of a Belgian-style brewery located in Chambly, Quebec, Canada. Unibroue was founded by Serge Racine and André Dion in 1993. It is currently owned by the Japanese conglomerate Sapporo, who purchased it in 2006. Fortunately, Sapporo has let Unibroue run the business as it always has, maintaining the focus on quality and innovation. While not all of Unibroue’s beers are Belgian style brews, most are, and they are made in the true Belgian tradition.
Unibroue’s Beers
Unibroue is a brewery of true craft brewers, and their beers have won numerous accolades and awards over the years. Many of the beer names are tied to French-Canadian history.
Blanche de Chambly was Unibroue’s first classic beer and is still one of their best-sellers. It is a Belgian-style Witbier (Biere Blanche) that is pale golden and hazy with spicy, fruity notes from the coriander and bitter orange peel used. It is lightly hopped and finishes dry with an ABV of 5.0%. Blanche de Chambly is named for Fort Chambly, the city where Unibroue is located.
Don de Dieu (Gift from God) is named after the ship carrying Samuel de Champlain and other French explorers. It is a strong white ale that is spicy, fruity and complex with 9.0$ alcohol.
Maudite (Damned) is a Belgian-style Dubbel - reddish amber with caramelized malt, spice, orange and alcohol of 8.0%. Its label depicts the Quebec legend of the flying canoe and men who would make a pact with the devil for a night of fun.
Ephemere (Short-Lived) is a series of seasonal fruit beers released throughout the year, although the apple version is brewed year-round. Other fruits included as part of the Ephemere series include blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, peaches, blackcurrants and raspberries. The base beer is a lightly spiced white beer with 5.5% alcohol.
La Fin du Monde (The End of the World) is Canada’s most acclaimed beer, having won more international awards that any other brewery in the country. It is a 9.0% ABV Belgian-style Tripel highlighting grain, spice, fruit notes and a measure of bitterness. It honors Quebec, a place 16th century French explorers thought was the end of the world.
Ce n’est Pas La Fin du Monde is a fusion of Tripel and new world IPA, in the style of Belgian Hop-Accentuated Ales. It is pleasantly hoppy from the liberal use of Pacific-Northwest hops. 9.5% ABV
Trois Pistoles (Three Pistols) is a dark brown ale (9.0%) in the tradition of Belgian Dark Strong Ales. It is made with four different malts and four spices. It is dark brown in color with notes of cherries and dark rum. It is named after a city in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. A Pistole was an old French coin.
Unibroue 17 Grand Reserve is a Belgian-style Quadrupel aged on French oak. It’s a big powerful beer with an ABV of 10%.
A Tout le Monde (For Everybody) is a dry-hopped golden Saison with spicy, fruity and hoppy notes and 4.5% alcohol. It was brewed by head brewer Jerry Dietz to honor Dave Mustaine and his heavy metal group Megadeath. A Tout le Monde is named after one of the group’s songs.
Terrible is a 10.5% Quadrupel that is rich and complex with complex flavors of fruits, spices, roasted malt and notes of Madeira wine.
Tradition, innovation and uncompromising quality are the hallmarks of what is undoubtedly one of Canada’s finest breweries. If you haven’t tried their beers yet, you owe yourself a tasting. Santé!
