The beer guy at the local liquor store, CSN, has been telling me for quite a while now that I needed to try this beer. For quite a while now, I have looked at it, only to shy away and buy something else. If only I had known. I know that Unibroue has fantastic beers (most of which will be reviewed later). I should have picked it up. But I didn't. Now that I have I'm very glad I did.This beer is Quatre-Centième which translates roughly as Four-Hundredth, referring to the four hundredth anniversary of the founding of Quebec (1608 - 2008). So yes, this beer is four years old. Unlike most beers, Unibroue beers are bottle conditioned meaning they will improve with age, like a good wine.
When I first took a whiff of the beer in my glass, I got the subtle hint of apple. In the glass, the Quatre-Centième looks very similar to a white ale, pale and foggy. The taste however, is nothing like a white ale. The first sip gives you a decent hit of citrus with a nice touch of hops that provides just the right amount of bitter. There is a lot of malt in this beer (indeed in most Unibroue beers) but it's not overpowering. There is the smallest hint of fruit and boy does it make a huge difference. Like most Unibroue beers this one has a relatively high alcohol content at 7.5% but the alcohol doesn't really make it's presence known. You can taste the alcohol, to be sure, but it's not overpowering and is not a strong presence in the taste. All I can say is this beer is fantastic!
The coat of arms on the bottle is the coat of arms of Quebec City with the motto Don de Dieu feray valoir, I shall put God's gift to good use, and boy have they! This may not be my all time favourite beer, but it is certainly up there! If you can still get a hold of a bottle of this fine vintage, do so. You will not regret it in the least!
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May your glass always be full of good beer!
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