Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

Brewed By: Unibroue (Sapporo) in Chambly, Canada  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2012 (maybe 2013?)

Style/ABV: White Ale/Belgian White, 5.0%

Reported IBUs: 10

It's been a while since I've had anything from Unirboue: 

Unibroue is a brewery out of Chambly that specializes in Belgian beers. The brewery was founded in 1990 by André Dion and Serge Racine. The duo invested in the failing brewery, La Brasserie Massawippi, and became majority shareholders. In 1991, they finalized the takeover of La Brasserie Massawippi, and completely merged with their company, Unibroue, in 1992. Dion became the President and CEO, and Racine becamse the board of directors. In 1992, the brewery released their first beer, Blanche de Chambly, and decided to specialize in Belgian brews. In 1993, the brewery moved to their cutting-edge microbrewery in Chambly, Quebec, and by 1994 the brewery was exporting beer to the U.S. and Europe. In 1991, Brewmaster Paul Arnott joined the company; trained in traditional, monastic Belgian brewing, he helped release new beers including the Éphémère series of beers. 

In 2004, the Sleeman Brewery purchased Unibroue, and in 2006, Japan's oldest commercial brewer, Sapporo International, purchased Sleeman. Since then, Unibroue has been regarded as a global treasure, as they export their beer everywhere. They produce some of the best, high-quality beer in the world. These guys are one of my favorite breweries, and it's always a treat to drink their beer.

Tonight's beer, the Blanche de Chambly, is a Belgian Witbier. This one has been brewed since 1992, and clocks in at 5.0% ABV, and packs 10 IBUs. Brewed in the style of a classic Belgian White/Witbier, this one is described as spicy, with citrus, yeasty bread, coriander, clove, and wheat. Let's glass this up and see how it stacks up.

It's probably worth noting that last time I had this beer I wasn't hugely impressed...but I'm pretty sure I had bottle that wasted away on the shelf for a while. Although this is bottle conditioned, Witbiers aren't really meant to be aged far as I know.

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

This one pours a super hazy, bright and vibrant, yellow/straw color. This beer is poppin', and looks hella good. That's douche bag frat boy for "would bang." This one kicks up a couple of fingers of white head. The head is cloudy and thick, ala a WHEAT beer. In bright light, this beer is a lemony-yellow juice color, and still has a nice haze. This beer has haze. You can see mid-sized carbonation bubbles moderately making their way upwards, and the head dissolved into a nice hazy cauldron effect. Really nice looking stuff.

The aroma on this is really nice....lots of clove up front, wheat, deep black pepper notes subtly sitting in the back, and lots of light/watery citrus. I'm also getting some pears, apples, plums, and other fruitiness. There's maybe a touch of biscuit as well. 

Wow...this one is juicy, tingly, and so light on the palate. I can understand why I regarded this beer as average when I last had it, but already I'm feeling the vibe here. There's a lot of juicy and refreshing orange in here, light citrus, suggestive apples and pears, tons of mild peppery spice and clove, and a bunch of big grainy and wheat notes. 

This is very complex and balanced for a 5.0% Witbier...and it's not cloying or weird like Hoegaarden can be on occasion  I'd say this has a light mouthfeel, with medium-high and dry carbonation. Palate depth is good and complexity ain't bad either. You get refreshing carbonation up front, followed by big juicy fruits, citrus, apples, and some clove/wheat; this rolls into clove, light peppery spice, more fruits, more wheat; the back end is clove, grain, tons of wheat, and has a dry, attenuating finish. Nice!

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this beer. I still feel like the palate on this is occasionally on the lighter side of things, but that's also what makes this beer so great. This is super quaffable, and you can easily put down 750ml of this without feeling bad. This is the type of beer to pair with mild cheeses, a salad, a fruit dish, or something light. Maybe fish or chicken? As with most of Unibroue's stuff, this is all around nice!

Random Thought: I'm feeling like I could go for some unlimited soup, salad, or breadsticks in my near future....hmmm...