The Bar Towel

According to Unibroue's website, Blanche de Chambly should hold up ok for 2 years max (though they do go out of their way to mention "the younger the better"). If a blanche bottled in early Dec 2015 turned sour within 4 months then I have to think it's due to the presence of a batch flaw, not because it's "too old".

Also, I can't be the only person here who thinks 4 months is not all that old, at least in the context of Belgian-style ales. Freshness is important, but avoiding 4-month old Unibroue is taking that mentality to a rather silly extreme IMO.

It's not uncommon or improper for Witbier to have some tartness. "Sour" would be a defect, but a tangy, tart taste is definitely acceptable for the style, desirable if you ask me. For what it's worth I've always found Unibroue to be an incredibly consistent brewery.

biegaman wrote:It's not uncommon or improper for Witbier to have some tartness. "Sour" would be a defect, but a tangy, tart taste is definitely acceptable for the style, desirable if you ask me. For what it's worth I've always found Unibroue to be an incredibly consistent brewery.

And La Fin du Monde can be quite tart and tangy. Drop a orange slice in it and that'll get it back to being sweet and wheaty.

Re: Blanche du Chambly Dec 2015,

Winter I have never had a BDC turn 'sour' and that includes bottles past five years in my cellar.

They do drop golden-clear and develop a deep mysterious fruity complexity, so they can eventually change but these are bottle-conditioned ales that should hold up perfectly for a few months.

Something really must be up with that bottling or else they were much abused. Honestly, Unibroue are one of the few really solid brews sold everywhere IME.

Please don't tell me this brewer are dropping quality, UB were once such a steal and then finally upped the cost per bottle a fair bit. More recent Trois Pistoles I bought was less punchy and bright in the flavours than I seemed to recall, but memory can do that to you as well so it's hard to say.

All teh Unibroue I've had recently has been great as usual, with one exception - Had La Resolution on tap a couple of months ago and it was too young and sweet. That's a beer that needs some aging.

Here's a few sippers I'd like to see return:














Okay, the last one is unrealistic. But some fond memories from all the above. And I'd still like to sack who ever made the nincompoop decision to scrap glassware giftpacks at Christmas, which ranks as one of the dumbest LCBO moves of all time.

+1 for everything on Lukie's list (glassware included). Would also love to see Gouden Carolus Tripel make a return.

Provost Drunk wrote:+1 for everything on Lukie's list (glassware included). Would also love to see Gouden Carolus Tripel make a return.

Agreed. And while we're at it, might as well bring back the Hopsinjoor and become a little less obsessed with these IPAs from the States (of late), which are stale before they even get here.

Great pics and selections of those Belgian brews....had, and miss, them all.
I luckily grabbed enough Xmas packs over the years to have a nice collection of westmalle, maredsous, chimay and other glasses...the recent Xmas options haven't been nearly as fun, so I've barely bought any.

El Pinguino wrote:Great pics and selections of those Belgian brews....had, and miss, them all.
I luckily grabbed enough Xmas packs over the years to have a nice collection of westmalle, maredsous, chimay and other glasses...the recent Xmas options haven't been nearly as fun, so I've barely bought any.

I'm in the same boat when it comes to recent giftpacks. LCBO sure put a damper on the unique beer shopping experience during this time. The giftpacks were wonderful not only for the practical souvenir but also for sampling many beers that weren't available otherwise. In addition, they made for great, reasonably priced gifts for friends and family. I used to have a large collection of most of the glasses but sadly it's been dwindling due to accidental breakage, so lately I've been resorting to generic glassware from Winners. Just not the same.

I work at The Prenup Pub in Toronto (sister bar of Sin and Redemption, Town Crier & Village Idiot). For those interested in glassware, we have a pretty huge selection, and the owner sells them for $6 a glass. Just ask your server.

Some of the glasses we're short on and can't part with, but I mean you could feasibly pick up glasses for La Trappe, Rochefort, Chimay, Duvel, Weihenstephaner, Maredsous, Erdinger, etc.

Orval_Al wrote:I work at The Prenup Pub in Toronto (sister bar of Sin and Redemption, Town Crier & Village Idiot). For those interested in glassware, we have a pretty huge selection, and the owner sells them for $6 a glass. Just ask your server.

Some of the glasses we're short on and can't part with, but I mean you could feasibly pick up glasses for La Trappe, Rochefort, Chimay, Duvel, Weihenstephaner, Maredsous, Erdinger, etc.

Oh man...I broke my Rochefort glass a while back....might have to visit and try and replace it. Cheers!

El Pinguino wrote:

Orval_Al wrote:I work at The Prenup Pub in Toronto (sister bar of Sin and Redemption, Town Crier & Village Idiot). For those interested in glassware, we have a pretty huge selection, and the owner sells them for $6 a glass. Just ask your server.

Some of the glasses we're short on and can't part with, but I mean you could feasibly pick up glasses for La Trappe, Rochefort, Chimay, Duvel, Weihenstephaner, Maredsous, Erdinger, etc.

Oh man...I broke my Rochefort glass a while back....might have to visit and try and replace it. Cheers!

Yeah I've been meaning to snag one of those for a while. In my opinion, the nicest Trappist glass around. Maybe the nicest beer glass I've ever seen even. So wide! The flavours really expand.

Orval_Al wrote:I work at The Prenup Pub in Toronto (sister bar of Sin and Redemption, Town Crier & Village Idiot). For those interested in glassware, we have a pretty huge selection, and the owner sells them for $6 a glass. Just ask your server.

Some of the glasses we're short on and can't part with, but I mean you could feasibly pick up glasses for La Trappe, Rochefort, Chimay, Duvel, Weihenstephaner, Maredsous, Erdinger, etc.

Duvel tulips are my personal go-to whenever I'm looking to do a tasting of Belgian ales. The shape of the glass is almost a cross between a chalice and a tulip because it is so wide but still flares in; I find it's the best glass for really bringing out the aroma and flavour in beer. I had two from the old LCBO gift packs, but I really wanted more for those circumstances where I (with friends or alone...) am tasting more than two beers. My wife was able to procure 4 more for me from Town Crier as part of my Christmas present (she is much more thoughtful/creative with gift giving than I am). It would be nice to add some Rochefort or La Trappe chalices to the collection for style points. I have an Orval chalice that I brought back from Belgium that is a prized piece. Trappist glassware is quite elegant.

FYI, http://www.truebeer.com/ has a pretty good selection of Belgian beer glasses including most of the Trappist beer glasses. Fairly reasonably priced and they ship to Canada too.