Oh Canada! Unibroue at Peaks and Pints

Unibroue has long set the standard for Belgian-style ales in Canada. Yeast is a large part of the story, providing secondary in-bottle fermentation and contributing typical fruity and spicy flavors.

Peaks and Pints will get our Unibroue on at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, inviting the Quebec brewery to pour five beers at our weekly Lodge Meeting, as well as raffle off all the schwag. Peaks and Pints’ kitchen manager Lindsay Giantvalley will prepare a special dish to pair with a Unibroue beer.

Unibroue founders André Dion and Serge Racine took beer-brewing techniques used by Trappist monks of Belgium and brought them to North America. After acquiring La Brasserie Massawippi brewery in Lennoxville, Quebec in 1990, the Quebec team brewed their first abbey ale. A few years later, they were shipping their beer internationally. Even after Sleeman purchased Unibroue in 2004, and subsequently by Sapporo in 2006, it has maintained the culture and flavor of a craft brewery.

PEAKS AND PINTS LODGE MEETING WITH UNIBROUE, 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, Peaks and Pints, 3816 N. 26^th St., Basecamp Proctor, Tacoma, no cover

Below is the Unibroue tap line-up. …

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

5% ABV, 10 IBU

An ode to a city in the southwestern region of Quebec, Blanche de Chambly is not a traditional white beer. Pouring a light golden haze with a fine carbonation, the nose gives a distinct sweet and sour aroma, settled by a hint of coriander. The sweetness carries through to the taste with an additional yeast character, a signature of Unibroue, known for brewing beers on lees, which means it’s rested on the residual yeast deposits, fats and proteins that settle to the bottom of an aging vessel after secondary fermentation.

Unibroue 25e Blonde de L’Enfer

10.5% ABV, 14 IBU

Last year, Unibroue celebrated its 25^th anniversary, offering its US fan base its own take on a classic style, the Belgian strong golden ale. It’s a complex, smooth ale with malty and citrusy flavors, topped with a pale straw head. The subtle balance of spice, malt and hop flavors, combined with a fine, champagne-like effervescence, makes it an awesome beer for celebrations, such as our Lodge Meeting with Unibroue.

Unibroue Fin du Monde

9% ABV, 19 IBU

The name translates as “The End of The World.” If this beer is any indication of the end of the world, bring on the apocalypse! This beer actually reminds us of the beach with the golden orange color providing the sunset, the pineapple and nut aromas giving it a tropical nose, and the strong alcoholic taste, followed by sweetness, completes the sense of drinking on the beach, minus the cocktail and the mini-umbrella. Even with its tropical vibes, La Fin du Monde upholds its light Belgian character.

Unibroue A Tout Le Monde

4.5% ABV, 22 IBU

Peaks and Pints’ kitchen manager Lindsay Giantvalley arrives to Peaks and Pints first daily. She cranks the kitchen radio and preps for the day, listening to a wide range of music, including the occasional metal. Currently, her favorite beer gives nod to one of metal’s best, Dave Mustaine. The frontman for Megadeth hangs with Unibroue Brewmaster Jerry Vietz. The two friends brewed À Tout Le Monde, a refreshing and artisanal Belgian style dry hopped saison named after a hit single from the Youthanasia album, the song was a departure from the traditional sound of thundering double kick drums, amps on 11 and Mustaine’s angry “through-the-teeth” vocals.

Unibroue Lune de Miel Honey Belgian Strong Ale

8% ABV, 22 IBU

Lune de Miel, first brewed in 2016, is an high ABV Belgian-style amber ale that is chock full of floral notes, spices and a smooth honey character. The beer’s aroma and taste, however leads in with a solid yeasty trait and gentle funk before those flowery and herbal notes join in — amplifying more as the beer warms in the glass. The honey lingers long into the lightly warming and drying finish of the medium bodied ale.