Was visiting my local crack dealer the other day (or beer distributor if you prefer), and I spotted a cool looking bottle of beer - 750 ml in size. The name on the bottle was simple, yet elegant, "Terrible." There were several others, namely "La Fin du Monde" and "Trois Pistoles."
So I bought the bottle of Terrible and lugged it home, not knowing what to expect having never heard of this brewery or beer. Chilled it a bit in the fridge and took it for a whirl. Nice touch with the cork in the bottle, instead of a metal cap.
Appearance - brown glass bottle, so you can't tell what's happening inside. Pours a dark, dark brown, almost black. Medium tan-brown head which didn't last that long, and doesn't look excessively carbonated.
Smell - strange combination of fruity sweetness, with a base of roasted, chocolatey earthiness. Also lingering is the scent of yeast, which is understandable since this beer is bottled with some yeast which allows additional fermentation in the bottle (bottled on the lees).
Taste - sweet fruit and a bit of bittersweet dark chocolate. An earthy wood flavor kicks in, as well as the alcohol punch (10.5%). Finishes kind of dry and crisp, not overpowering.
Mouthfeel & drinkability - seems to have more carbonation than what appears to be going on in the glass. nice balance of the fruity citrus and cocoa flavors. light finish makes this very easy to drink more than one, but have to watch out because it is quite strong.
Evidently, Unibroue brews a bunch of beers in the Belgian-style. This beer is listed as a dark brown Abbey style beer. It was really good. Can't wait to try the others. Considering that I'm more of a stout and porter type of drinker, this was quite refreshing. Damn French Canadians