Today I'm going back into my hoard to sample something that hasn't seen the light of day for a long time - almost 14 years in fact - Unibroue's Noire de Chambly bottled in May of 2012. I should know better than keeping beers aging but I always think "what if I want to celebrate?" Well, it never gets to that point. From the label: Noire de Chambly honours the brave soldiers of the fighting Carignan Salièrs Regiment, saviours of Nouvelle France. Dispatched by King Louis XIV in 1665 to protect Montréal and the colony, they built a string of forts on the Rihelieu River including historic Fort Chambly. This led to the legendary Iroquois peace of 1667. Officers and soldiers were encouraged to stay. A number of them married Filles du Roi, raised large families and prospered. Noire de Chambly has an opaque black colour with beige coloured foam. Its roasted malt character complemented by spicy, mildy smoky notes and surprisingly clean dry finish. 6.2% ABV
Appearance: You immediately tell that this isn't fresh but I'm doing this to show how beer ages - it's a deep black body that reminds me of cola and it initially has a bit of a fizzy carbonation to it but the head diminishes fizzes off immediately, there's a couple bubbles near the side of the glass but not much, really.
Appearance: You immediately tell that this isn't fresh but I'm doing this to show how beer ages - it's a deep black body that reminds me of cola and it initially has a bit of a fizzy carbonation to it but the head diminishes fizzes off immediately, there's a couple bubbles near the side of the glass but not much, really.
Aroma: The first whiff was very oxidized (a bit of cardboard) but once it warms up after a few minutes it has a rich molasses/brown sugar sweetness to it, a mildly peaty/smoky aroma to it, quite sweet and slightly oaky at the end.
Taste: Molasses, peat, caramel, hint of woodiness to it, and a hint of raisin and fig at the end. Watery to the mouthfeel but still somehow an enjoyable slow sipper. The aftertaste is a hint of burnt caramel and a bit of roasted maltiness that lingers for a good moment or two.
Overall Thoughts: Noire de Chambly was one of the harder Unibroue beers to get in Manitoba, I only ever saw it maybe three or four times so I never did a proper review of it. I looked at my Untappd tasting notes and pretty much everything I stated showed up in this well aged bottle - so that's a win for me! RIP Noire de Chambly. The last time I'll ever have Noire de Chambly was right before having an interview with Jim Koch from Sam Adams/Boston Beer Co to shake the anxiety.. that's almost seven years ago already and the day before I found out that my weekly beer column in the local paper was going to end.
Taste: Molasses, peat, caramel, hint of woodiness to it, and a hint of raisin and fig at the end. Watery to the mouthfeel but still somehow an enjoyable slow sipper. The aftertaste is a hint of burnt caramel and a bit of roasted maltiness that lingers for a good moment or two.
Overall Thoughts: Noire de Chambly was one of the harder Unibroue beers to get in Manitoba, I only ever saw it maybe three or four times so I never did a proper review of it. I looked at my Untappd tasting notes and pretty much everything I stated showed up in this well aged bottle - so that's a win for me! RIP Noire de Chambly. The last time I'll ever have Noire de Chambly was right before having an interview with Jim Koch from Sam Adams/Boston Beer Co to shake the anxiety.. that's almost seven years ago already and the day before I found out that my weekly beer column in the local paper was going to end.
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