Pour Man: Unibroue beers live up to legend(s)

• Reprints

Unibroue's Blanche de Chambly, a delightful white ale made in the Belgian Abbey style in the Quebec town of Chambly.

Updated: January 10, 2012 12:16PM

I didn’t plan it this way, but it was apropos that the first Unibroue beer I tried was the first one the Canadian brewery made.

Let me straighten that out. It was not the first beer they ever made; it was the first style of beer they ever made, in 1992, and they named it Blanche de Chambly. About a decade later, late one night, I was in search of something to wake up my mouth after a procession of rich foods and heavy beer. A savvy bartender recommended that he pop the cork of a delightful white ale (thus, “Blanche”) made in the Belgian Abbey style in the Quebec town of Chambly by a relative newcomer of a brewery, Unibroue.

I had no reason not to trust him. Out came the oversized bottle, and out of that bottle came the Champagne-style cork, and into my glass flowed a cascade of cloudy pale brew topped with a creamy head. The beer was citrusy and spicy, dry and crisp, with lots of tiny bubbles — like Champagne. My mouth was alive again. It was exactly what I was looking for and I had not even known it existed. I was so pleased that I offered the bartender a pour from my bottle, and he graciously accepted. We clinked glasses. People helping people.

The bartender went on to tell me that the ladies love Blanche de Chambly as much or more than fellas do. With that suggestion I shook him down for a blank guest check and a pen so I could write down the name of the beer and keep it on file. I have yet to wow a lady with this lively brew (the best laid plans, etc.) …), but I’ve enjoyed lots of it with friends since that first revelatory bottle.

Blanche de Chambly was my foray into the Unibroue collection and I have happily tasted my way through several of their other widely available concoctions, including the similarly refreshing Ephemere Apple, which is another white ale (and white ales are wheat ales) but subtly flavored with apple must giving it a slightly sweet yet acidic kick; the triple wheat ale Don de Dieu, a heavier beer that is fruity and nutty; the strong amber-red ale Maudite, which is spicy and hoppy; the strong dark ale Trois Pistoles, which is malty and chocolaty, and Unibroue’s most popular beer, the Triple-style golden ale La Fin du Monde, which is fruity, spicy and dry.

Besides the interesting, harmonious flavors, Unibroue beers also have names inspired by great Canadian legends. My favorite is the one about the eight lumberjacks flying across the moonlit sky in a canoe, with the help of the devil. To see them in action, check out the label on a bottle of Maudite.

All of these beers are cloudy to some degree because they are bottle-conditioned, which means fresh yeast and sugar are added to them just before they are bottled. Embrace the cloudiness because it only adds to the complexity of the aromas and flavors. It also generally allows for longer aging if that is your game. Most of these beers, with the exception of Blanche de Chambly and Ephemere Apple, will sneak up on you with their high alcohol content (8 or 9 percent) if you do not drink them slowly.

Blanche de Chambly and Ephemere Apple clock in at 5 and 5.5 percent, respectively, but even those brews are best enjoyed at a slow, thoughtful pace. When you drink slowly you notice the layers, you appreciate the robustness. You retain the power of coherent speech.

You can find Unibroue beers on tap and in 12-ounce bottles. But they also come in 750-milliliter bottles — the same size as a standard wine bottle — so they are fit for sharing. Whichever style you choose, bartenders all across town will be happy to help you finish yours if you happen to be alone. If you are a sharing a bottle with a woman you would like to impress, apparently that bottle should be Blanche de Chambly. Then again, ladies, if it is a guy you have your sights on, he’ll probably like it, too.

Michael Austin is a Chicago free-lance writer.