20 April 2006

Unibroue Trois Pistoles

In a followup to the post from two weeks ago, I'm trying another great Canadian beer from Unibroue. Tonight it's the Unibroue Trois Pistoles, a strong dark ale from that great brewery. The malts are really quite prominent in this beer, and that's a good thing. Additionally, there's flavors of dried apple all over the place, with hints of coffee and chocolate. I don't really get the Port comments that everyone makes about this beer, but I certainly agree that it could be enjoyed in the same manner as Port. Certainly at the end of the meal, with some cheese and fruit or even a bit of cheesecake.

It has a slightly sticky feel in the mouth on the aftertaste, with lingering cherry flavors when you lick your lips. At 9% alcohol, you've got to be careful--one regular bottle is basically like half a bottle of a light Riesling or some other mild white wine. As for the name, the English site doesn't give any clues, but the French site seems to hint at the legend of a black horse that signified the devil, which would make sense with the flaming winged equine on the label. You know, these are great beers, but all of the names and labels seem to come straight out of a Goth's daydreams.

I'm still amazed that a single 355mL beer bottle can provoke such thoughtfulness. I just wish it were colder--my AC is out at the moment and it's been up into the 90s this week. But I'd still highly recommend this to anyone that wants to drink a beer that they can savor and taste and appreciate over the course of an hour.

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