Vintage Ale (2016)
Trader Joe's in Monrovia, California, United States 🇺🇸
Brewed at/by: UnibroueBelgian Style - Strong Ale Regular Out of Production
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Score
7.12
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Unique and limited edition, this Belgian-style ale is crafted once a year as a special treat for those of you who appreciate flavorful, bottle-conditioned ales with character.
Our Vintage Ale is a rich, dark, and full-bodied ale with a fine and generous coffee-colored, beige foam. It's ready to enjoy right away, but you may also wish to cellar a few bottles. It will evolve interestingly well, developing more complex flavors as the years go by. Keep the bottle upright in storage.
Brewed with a delicate balance of noble hops, roasted malts, and spices, this is a remarkably smooth ale with a wonderfully complex finish. It is best served slightly chilled, around 53 degrees Fahrenheit and pairs exceptionally well with grilled salmon steaks, curried lamb, beef or tuna au poivre.
Our Vintage Ale is a rich, dark, and full-bodied ale with a fine and generous coffee-colored, beige foam. It's ready to enjoy right away, but you may also wish to cellar a few bottles. It will evolve interestingly well, developing more complex flavors as the years go by. Keep the bottle upright in storage.
Brewed with a delicate balance of noble hops, roasted malts, and spices, this is a remarkably smooth ale with a wonderfully complex finish. It is best served slightly chilled, around 53 degrees Fahrenheit and pairs exceptionally well with grilled salmon steaks, curried lamb, beef or tuna au poivre.
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7/10
Still good at 5 years.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Nov 2021
at 22:31
7.6/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Dec 2017 Vertical at Goose Island's monthly staff bottle share: Last year's bottle is distinctly "fresh" here. Or perhaps we're more in tune with how it was meant to taste. This does hit the right notes for a stronger Belgian ale: aromatic malts offer an air of black pepper and anise, with hops only serving to keep sweetness in check.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Feb 2018
at 21:01
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 3.5
From a 750 ml bottle. It is a cloudy brownish black with a massive tan head. The Aroma is earthy and the taste is somewhat sweet flavor with hints of cola and finishes that way
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Nov 2017
at 20:10
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
From a 750 ml bottle. Pours a clear cola with a massive tan head. Spicy aroma with caramel and fruit cake. Sweet flavors. Sticky mouthfeel.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Nov 2017
at 20:03
7.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
750 ml bottle. Awesome bargain as it is every year. Aroma is lightly herbal, a bit of toffee, rich dark bread, some Unibroue house Belgian yeast. Lots of dark fruit. Just soooo much dark fruit. Sweet finish, toasted malts, mild spice, modest toffee. Medium bodied with average carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 May 2017
at 22:53
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle - Spiced dark malts. Deep dark brown with a nice beige head. Dark sweet and a touch of spicy malts. Very cola like spice. I like them with a bit more age.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Mar 2017
at 22:41
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
750mL bottle, pours a deep dark brown with a small beige head. Aroma brings out the characteristic Unibroue Belgian yeast, lots of Belgian spices such as coriander, and a touch of candied sugar. Flavour is along the same lines, with Belgian yeast, coriander, light sugars, and some earthy oaky notes. Pretty spicy, but not too dominant in the coriander (which is a nice change from the previous few years). Highly carbonated, with medium complexity. Very good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Mar 2017
at 22:17
6.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Dark brown. The aroma is spicy, liquoricey, anise, vague esters and just a touch of coriander. A bit fizzy, a touch thin, and with a fair amount of liquorice and coriander. I would like a bit more sugar to really carry this across the palate. To me, this is not one of the better ones.
Tried
on 23 Mar 2017
at 22:14
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
11th Feb 2017: was really looking forward to this, having enjoyed the 2015 Vintage bottle last year. Sadly I didn’t think this one held a candle to that one (my opinion, others may differ), even though it is still a very drinkable beer. Almost black in colour as it poured from the cork and caged 750ml bottle into three ’La Chouffe’ badged tulip glasses at my daughter’s new place in Laguna Niguel, the head a tanned affair. Figs, plums, raisins, all play apart in the yeasty aroma and initial taste, sweet malty molasses then take over flavour wise and I didn’t like the switch over from fruitiness to ’over sweetness’ with ’spice’. Strange how we rate beers really, I seem at odds with so many in my assessment of this years brew.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Feb 2017
at 01:49
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Floral aroma and some prune like old people’s necks. Some citrus. Black pour with decent head and lacing. Light smoke. Light sweet finish. Awesome balance. Bottle.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Feb 2017
at 10:01