I know what you’re thinking. This isn’t a holiday beer! Well, it is one of Unibroue’s year-round brews, but the story behind it is rather interesting. The word “Maudite” means “damned”, and the story follows a group of French-Canadian woodsmen who made a deal with the devil to make it home by Christmas by flying their canoe (this is apparently a variation on a class of flying canoe legends). One of the woodsmen broke the pledge, and thus the canoe plunged to the ground. Pleasant story, eh? For a more detailed telling of the legend in a funny French-Canadian accent, check out the video on Unibroue’s website. Anyway, let’s drink this thing:
Unibroue Maudite – Pours a deep orange brown color with a lot of white head. Aroma is full of peppery Belgian yeast and dark fruits. Taste is very sweet, lots of that fruitiness coming through strong. Plenty of spiciness here too, and no real bitterness at all. Extremely well balanced taste here. Mouthfeel is a little on the harsh side (in a good way). In the past, I’ve always found this beer to be undercarbonated, but this time it seems just right. Overall, it’s quite a nice beer. A-
Beer Nerd Details: 8% ABV bottled (11.2 oz). Drank out of a tulip glass on 12/10/11.
Unibroue has one of the best year-round lineups out there, and this one is widely available and usually pretty cheap too. Well worth a try this holiday season!
Huh, I’ve often wondered why there was a flying boat on the Maudite label, good to know!
I most of what I’ve had from Unibroue, especially the Maudite. They can get on top of you, though, I got pretty blitzed by accident once upon a time drinking these…
I’m sure I’ve mentioned it, and I’m sure you’ve seen them (possibly even reviewed them?), but Unibroue does yearly offerings that are usually pretty damn good, and I suspect would age well. It’s been a few years since I had one, but I recall them being pretty good.
I haven’t had a beer in weeks. Three or four weekends ago, maybe? I had something or other from Smuttynose.
Unibroue doesn’t mess around. I don’t think I’ve had their seasonal stuff, though the last time I was at the (Maryland) liquor store, I spied a couple bottles I didn’t recognize. I’ll have to pick them up at some point!
And yikes! Well, actually I have been trying to cut down on my beer intake. I’m generally limited to Friday and Saturday, with the occasional happy hour. Good times!