Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale - Trader Joe's Brewing Company

ViveLaChouffe

Georgia

4.4/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured 12/2009

Pours a deep opaque brown, damn near black, with the signature Unibroue "voluminous head of froth". Lots of yeasty and dark fruity aromas. Raisins, black currant and a breadiness in the nose.

In the mouth, rich dark fruit, really big and deep, dark fruity flavors. So fruity and so luscious and vinous. Raspberry, black currant, ripe plum...bready too. Thick but smooth with just a hint of warming alcohol. Not too sticky in the finish though, the alcohol cleans the palate just enough to keep it from being overly cloying.

If this is not just a rebottled version of Unibroue's Trois Pistoles, it's a variation on the theme. And at $4.99 a bottle, that's a great value for a very cellarable beer. My other bottle joins my cellar collection today and I need to get out to TJ's to grab another couple bottles.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2010 12:17:56 | More by ViveLaChouffe

campfirebrew

New York

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

04-04-2013 17:38:59 | More by campfirebrew

Snodman

West Virginia

5/5  rDev +30.2%

03-24-2013 00:14:01 | More by Snodman

nzerbe

New York

3.25/5  rDev -15.4%

03-04-2013 09:29:48 | More by nzerbe

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev +4.2%

03-03-2013 16:14:54 | More by t0rin0

e30todamax

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%

01-25-2013 22:32:19 | More by e30todamax

djrn2

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

01-07-2013 17:23:38 | More by djrn2

ctenidae

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

01-06-2013 23:40:04 | More by ctenidae

Rukasu

District of Columbia

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Continuing a tradition of opening these 3 years aged, perhaps waited a little long on this one. Stored in a dark area, refrigerated a day before opening.

A - Dark cola color with a light tan one finger head that diminishes to a thin lace on the surface.

S - Sweet candied fruits (pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango), caramel, pine, yeast.

T - A little musky with aging, but still a pretty good tasting brew. Sweet candied fruit tastes come through in the taste as well. Lots of pineapple and other tropical fruits. A bit of traditional holiday spices, orange, pine, cloves. Roasted malty aftertaste.

M - High alcohol leaves mouth a bit dry, but balances well with the sweetness of the beer.

O - Not bad despite the overaging. Unibroue rarely makes a bad beer and this one certainly stands up to the years, pleasant end of the year drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 21:55:31 | More by Rukasu

cowboy83

New York

5/5  rDev +30.2%

11-18-2012 06:47:24 | More by cowboy83

mmilyko

Nevada

4/5  rDev +4.2%

09-14-2012 01:39:21 | More by mmilyko

Beer_HOPper

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Saw this lying in the back of my cupboard, checked the Best Before date = 09-12-2012, whew, time to drink this!

A dark ale on lees.

I don't know what the proper technique is in opening, but, upon popping the cork, a lot of foam came running out. Perhaps, this is past it's prime?

Appearance: Dark, Chocolate., hazy brown. Lots of sticky creamy coffee colored foam over flowing my goblet. If not for the overflowing foam, would be a 4.0.

Smell: sweet citrus and spice like christmas, yeast back-end.

Taste: sweet spice up front, then, some cocoa and malt. Finishes with heavy spice and citrus, a touch dry and bitter.

Feel: wet, slippery, initially carbonated, but, disappears after few minutes.

Overall: Spice dominates with citrus. Lighter tasting than it looks. Alcohol sneaks up on you. Enjoyed this, but, 1 bottle is more than enough.

Note: Brewed by Unibroue exclusively for Trader Joe's, of course.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 06:32:27 | More by Beer_HOPper

Zraly

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark garnet, borderline black. Opaque and thick. Nice off-white head sits nicely in a Teku glass. Strong smell of yeast.

Rich with hints of mocha, cherry, spice, and ginger, this is interesting to have in its aged form. The suggested "drink by" date is coming up: 9-13-2012; suffice to say that this might be a touch past its prime but, nonetheless, has a spicy, malty, almost sour presence to it that is really refined for $5 a bottle. Smooth. The booze is all but buried in the back, making this dangerous drinking. Cola-like in mouthfeel and actually has a "Cherry Coke" flavor to it. Medium to medium-heavy bodied but super easy on the palate.

If you have any of these lingering about in your stash, break them out ASAP. Bring out the cheese plate while you're at it.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 00:03:34 | More by Zraly

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.88/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 8/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a dark, dark red amber. Very nice heavy tan head and tons of lacing. Looks very nice. Malt and dark fruit up front with spices an fruit in the middle and light malty finish with a bit of bitterness. Somewhat of a dry, abrupt finish. Not very heavy bodied, but the flavors are well integrated. These Trader Joe's Vintage ales seem to do nicely with about a year or so of aging.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 21:45:15 | More by LiquidAmber

OldTime

Georgia

4/5  rDev +4.2%

03-08-2012 07:26:48 | More by OldTime

jumbopanda

California

4/5  rDev +4.2%

01-31-2012 04:52:30 | More by jumbopanda

ygtbsm94

Virginia

3/5  rDev -21.9%

01-30-2012 17:20:56 | More by ygtbsm94

kevgod

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +4.2%

01-14-2012 16:43:40 | More by kevgod

FreshmanPour77

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +4.2%

12-29-2011 12:28:24 | More by FreshmanPour77

DoctorB2B

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +4.2%

12-14-2011 05:37:53 | More by DoctorB2B

Shango42

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +4.2%

12-14-2011 04:19:09 | More by Shango42

Hatshep18

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +30.2%

12-11-2011 23:28:45 | More by Hatshep18

barnzy78

Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.2%

12-04-2011 22:25:33 | More by barnzy78

bigred89

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

12-04-2011 04:07:09 | More by bigred89

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

brown with a huge frothy head. Smell was very spicey, grassy and earthy tones with a hint of sweetness. The taste was classic belgian and very nicely done. Fruitness and spices predominate, no hint of alcohol, which at 9%abv is incredible. Really smooth and effortless in drinkability. This is a fantastic brew, way too easy to drink, honestly the easiest 9% I have ever had

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 18:56:53 | More by mikesgroove