Noire De Chambly / Chambly Noire - Unibroue

mobyfann

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Paid $9.99 for Party Source to fill my growler...

The beer pours a very dark brown base, with a medium white head, 20 minutes of head retention and a speck or two of lacing on the glass. The smell is of roasted malt and sweet, like caramel mixed with oranges.

The taste is a little disappointing from a wonderful snif... slightly overbalanced in sweetness to any of the above smells, which all exist in the taste. Very light on the mouth, low carbonation, clean delivery. As a session beer, this comes close to perfection.

Final Thought: I bought this beer for a second time this month, so that says a lot; especially since I like to experiment with new growlers/beers. Impressive brew!

Serving type: growler

01-19-2008 02:52:01 | More by mobyfann

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

3.51/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle poured into a goblet. ABV 6.2%.

A - Poured a very dark brown highlights and a 1cm beige head. Head quickly reduced to a ring of bubbles and a few small clusters. Minimal lacing.

S - Yeast, spice, some dark fruits, a hint of banana.

T - Dark fruit, hint of toast, some fruity sourness, mild bitterness. Aftertaste is a lingering fruity sourness.

M - Medium carbonation, medium body, a bit syrupy with some stickiness, somewhat dry finish.

O - Noire? Not as roasted or toasted as I'd expect for the name. Flavour wise still is a decent Belgian. For those who haven't tried it yet just don't expect the same complexity as Unibroue's stronger offerings.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 02:39:02 | More by decimator

TheDoctor

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A:
Pours a nice brown-amber color with a fluffy beige head that dissapates really quickly leaving a patchy coating with a bit of lacing.

S:
Nice crisp smell with really strong clove notes and a hint of citrus and pears.

T:
Smooth, unoffensive flavor overall. Soft hop notes and some light sweetness. No super-strong flavors one way or the other, though.

M:
Predominate carbonation presence throughout. Kind of orangey/spicy up front with a clean, semi-hoppy, nutty finish.

O:
Good beer. Not life-changing but worth the taste if you get the chance.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 23:28:14 | More by TheDoctor

Stuffman

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bought a bottle from a local restaurant that has a very good selection of beer. I wanted Rochefort 10, but they wanted $15 for the bottle. Picked up this instead as I just got done drinking the Unibroue Sommelier 6-pack and this wasn't included. Got home and opened the cap only to be greeted by a seemingly-endless-yet-very-slow stream of overflow head. Poured it into a tulip to begin. Out of curiosity, I checked the date code... February 21, 2006! This is either going to be really good, or really really bad.

Appearance (4) - Extremely dark brown with just the slightest hint of red. Very light head reminiscent of that of what you'd see on a root beer float; quickly subsided. No head to speak of after a few minutes. Looking into strong light reveals faint hints of active effervescence. Fairly opaque/hazy.

Smell (4.5) - Yeast, dark brown sugar/molasses, faint hints of banana. Typical Unibroue.

Taste (4.5) - Primarily delicate yeast and strong malts. Very dark molasses with barely-perceptable traces of burnt sugar on the finish. Hints of dark fruit, dark maduro tobacco, and the slightest tinge of banana. Pleasant light lingering aftertaste. Nearly no traces of hops or alcohol.

Mouthfeel (4) - Light with very little carbonation. Drinks very smoothly despite the lack of effervescence.

Overall (4.5) - Very good. I would certainly like to try a much younger version to compare it to, but I'm going to go back and buy up all the old bottles that I can. Not my favorite Unibroue, but yet another solid offering from what is perhaps by favorite brewery. On a side note, even though there was almost no indication of alcohol, this hit me a lot more than I'd expect 6.2% to... probably got a bit higher during its aging.

Hmm... maybe they have some old Maudite/Trois Pistoles/La Fin du Monde laying around...

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 03:27:32 | More by Stuffman

Beelzebeer

Newfoundland (Canada)

3.91/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

341ml bottle, a little over a year old, served in an oversized tulip

A - Black body, with a 2" head you had to work to get. Quickly dissipates. Could be from the age.

S - Slight phenol, maybe, again, from age, light sugars, some dark malt, but not that "dense"

T - Darker raspberry, sugars, some caramel, some roast, but not a whole lot.

M - Medium-light on the carbonation. I liked the level. I remember there being more the last time I had it. Medium density.

O - Not bad. For an easy drink, it would be good to have.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 03:09:45 | More by Beelzebeer

Haydn-Juby

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from a 750ml bottle.

A: Very dark in color. Cloudy brown tinges when pressed to the light. One to two finger beige head that died down fairly quickly. Some lacing.

S: The typical Unibroue yeast strain smell. Some cloves with a touch of sourness.

T: Not to deep and roasty and once again relies on that Unibroue yeast character for the major backbone building. Some roasted malts however but fairly faint. Bitterness is low and so is hop character. Some cloves and candied fruit as well. Nothing overpowering and pretty well balanced overall.

M: Pretty crisp and the beer is quiet effervescent. Bubble and high carbonation make for champagne like experience. After taste does linger seemingly forever though.

O: It was a pretty good beer although probably not something I would buy again. Not to flavor intensive but very easy drinking at 6.2%. If it was one sale i'd get it but other wise it was passable.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 20:06:57 | More by Haydn-Juby

ZorPrime

Quebec (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

The beer is black, not too dark. The head is beige in color. It disappear quickly. Quite effervescent. The aroma gives notes of unbroken yeast (typical), some fruits and a little bit of chocolate. On the taste side, the beer is typical unbroken. Slightly spicy with a good presence of roasted malts. Quite effervescent in the mouth. The taste lingers in the mouth. Smooth in the mouth also... Strange because the carbonation is quite present but it feels smooth. I'm surprised in a good way by this beer. A good one.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 14:17:08 | More by ZorPrime

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

for some reason i remember this being much much darker, nearly black, and thick, and scary. i was maybe too young to know any better, but i remember this being too much for me as a young craft beer drinker. revisited again and it seemed so basic, not intimidating at all, dont know what the younger me was thinking. the pour is dark dark brown, but letting some light through. inch or two of tan head rests lazily on top. the nose is more german than belgian to me, like a dark lager or schwarzbier. i smell a similar malt bill with similar roasty properties, and the belgian yeast is very understated. the yeast comes out more in the taste, where the dark malts give way to some sweeter notes and the spice surge of the yeast, but this still tastes to me like a german dark lager. it finishes oddly quick and dry, which to me wass a knock against this beer, i like the richness of the malt to linger on awhile. full bodied and brightly carbonated the feel is nice. i could drink several of these, but i must admit it was somewhat disappointing from what i had remembered of this deep dark mysterious liquid. maybe the recipe has changed, maybe my palate has matured, but this is still a great beer by any measure.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 17:15:23 | More by StonedTrippin

SLeffler27

New York

3.4/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark walnut and clear with a thin, fine, beige head that leaves little lace on the Dogfish Head snifter.

The aroma is a bit yeasty with surprising clove and banana. Malt follows with some molasses and sweet plum pudding.

The flavors are surprisingly subdued for this style. Dark fruits are there, as is some candy sugar. Overall, Chambly is not too sweet and has a light, lingering finish.

Medium body and well carbonated with a watery texture.

Enjoyable with friends or food, but lacks any wow factor. It is a good relaxing beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 21:15:53 | More by SLeffler27

PDXHops

South Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -16%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle poured into a Maudite snifter. Exceedingly dark brown topped with a finger or so of tan foam, but this shrinks to nothing but a thin collar in short order. Little potential for lace, and that potential is fulfilled.

Nose features a pleasingly potent combo of baked apples, molasses, sweetened tobacco and red grape juice. Plentiful malty and fruity sweetness, perhaps a tad much for my liking, but a tangy yeast presence goes a long way toward balancing it out. Dryish finish. The flavor profile really doesn't deliver the complexity I'd hoped for, but it's a decent sipper.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 01:33:33 | More by PDXHops

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled March 30, 2011.

Very dark brown, almost black. A small off-white head. Fades fairly quickly.

Very malty scent. Yeast, a bit bready. Fairly simple. A bit of dark fruit (raisin) but not much.

Taste is like the smell. Very malty (almost like malted milk), a bit of dark fruit but this is very minimal. Yeast is there.

Medium bodied, moderate carbonation. A bit lighter than expected.

Overall, not bad but pretty simple. OK.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 01:44:06 | More by jrenihan

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 10/2010 notes. Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a dark red tinted brown with a thick light brown head that dissipates quickly, leaving a ring and lacing. Aroma of dark fruit and light malt. Light fruit, cloves, cinnamon, light malt, slight nuttiness. Somewhat dry, bitter finish. Less assertive flavors than other Unibroues. Medium bodied. Interesting, but not impressive.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 19:13:30 | More by LiquidAmber

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 Oz botle pored into a pint glass
Dated best before 10-29-10 ... oops

A- Black, but clear and with reddish hues. A one finger off tan head with quick dissipation.

S- Caramel, raisins, dark fruits, rum, spices. A rum soaked raisin would describe this brew well. Such a strong smell from only 6.2 is impressive.

T- I get a bit of the dark fruits at first. A lot of caramel and toffee, a spicy and zesty end to each sip. A smooth caramel cream taste and feel.

M- The feel is a bit light in my opinion. The beer does have a slight creaminess to it and goes down quite smooth. There is high carbonation and a spicy aftertaste.

O- This beer is very much a Unibroue beer, only turned down a bit. I think they should stick to their stronger offerings but this is a decent enough entry level for them.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 01:31:59 | More by TwelveOunces

mscudder

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz best by 10/29/10. Lets hope it isn't skunked.

A - Dark raisin colored beer with a thin tan head. Little retention.

S - Dark fruits, cognac and a bit of molasses to keep it all together. Pretty good.

T - Interesting... Dark fruits are the primary thing going on here but there is also a presence of some bready malts, vanilla, pepper and a touch of tartness. Good but not great.

M - Light body for a dark beer carrying a considerable amount of carbonation. Slightly creamy during the taste and finishes fairly dry.

O - A fair beer, but I expected better from Unibroue.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 05:11:38 | More by mscudder

superspak

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, best by 4/2/2010. Pours slightly cloudy very dark reddish brown color with a foamy 1-2 finger light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a very thin cap that lingers for a bit. Some decent spotty lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of big prune, plum, caramel, apple, pear, molasses, clove, earth, tobacco, toast, and yeast spiciness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity. Taste of caramel, toffee, apple, pear, toast, clove, molasses, prune, tobacco, earth, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of caramel, toffee, pear, apple, molasses, prune, clove, toast, and yeast spices on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance of malty and fruity sweetness with spiciness; with no cloying sweetness at all. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy, slick, and lightly prickly mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with pretty much no warming noticed at all after the finish. Overall this is a damn good Belgian dark ale. Extremely nice flavor balance and complexity; very smooth and enjoyable stuff. Very well done.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 01:47:40 | More by superspak

chinchill

South Carolina

3.96/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle dated best by Feb. 2011, so more than a year past this, but a higher ABV beer properly stored, bottle refermented, and with no signs of deterioration in the pour. aroma or flavor. A good bit of sediment left on the bottom of the bottle, some of which was added mid-taste. Served in a Unibroue snifter.

A: Very dark brown; a vigorous pour raised a creamy but short-lived tan head. Lasting partial top coat and ring.

S: Sweet smell, mainly of dark fruits (cooked raisins and a bit of dates and prunes) and cognac.

T: Plenty of dark fruit flavor with prunes and raisins dominant. A yeasty dark bread flavor as a base. Hints of vanilla, cooked peaches, white pepper and cognac. A touch of tartness keeps the sweetness in control.

M: Very good, medium-low carbonation; creamy smooth; slight dryness in the finish.

O: Another fine, complex and unique beer from Unibroue. Not one of my favorites from them but easily recommended.

UPDATE: ages well, based on a Best Before 2009 bottle consumed in Jan. 2013.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 00:51:45 | More by chinchill

ksimons

New York

3.15/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A-a dark chestnut brown with a fingers worth of creamy head

S-pale malt, molasses, and a bit of mild dark fruit

T-pale malt which is surprising for how dark the beer is, very light molasses and dark fruit. Not much else going on.

M-thin body, high carbonation, light dry finish

Overall, its not too great, a little boring, a little watery and thin. Too bad since I am a big fan of other Unibroue beers.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 01:50:33 | More by ksimons

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.58/5  rDev -3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

We pour a molasses colored brew. It holds a one finger head of creamy, active tan bubbles. This retains nicely, leaving bits of lacing and a ghostly sheet around the top of the glass. Carbonation appears to be average, and sediment is hard to note, but nothing is grossly identified. The nose is malty and fruity. The grain bill is wrought with barley and pales, despite the darker coloring. They dip a bit darker with warmth, becoming more buttery, but by no means does the grain give caramel, chocolate, or roast. The closest thing to this is on the far back, as a tootsie roll darkness/sweetness rumbles about. The other primary aromatic is fruit, with boozy fig, fresh strawberries, and a sugary sweetness. Lactics eventually seep out, giving a little sour to the sweet for balance. As always, there is that obligatory Unibroue yeasty goodness. As we sip, black cherry hits up front. This mixes with the malts, which are puckering and souring, making for a decent balance. There are flashes of sugary sweetness, but the middle takes the sourness to a new level. This peaks, almost in the same sense as a lambic might, but with less overt and residual sugars. The dry fruity component, however, remains, along with an additional flour aspect to the malts. We finish on notes of booze, souring lemon, and a faint juicy hop stem. There is a certain mustiness about it, as well, with a final saltiness. The aftertaste breathes with peppery booze spice, coiny metallics, and a vegetable freshness. The body is medium and the carbonation is average. There is a nice creamy slurp to each sip, with bubbly froth and smack. The mouth is left with slight astringency. The abv is appropriate, and the beer has decent drinkability.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the fruity inclusions throughout the aroma. This was not expected, and added a souring component to the flavoring. Where we lost points, actually, was in this same vein, as the souring grain become overbearing at points, taking away from an otherwise tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 01:09:20 | More by TheBrewo

Steasy66

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A Dark Chocolate, light head that fades fast
S Candy Sugar, Red fruit, and a hint of dark malt
T A bit of dark malt, very little hops, overall fairly mild flavor
M Thin with less carbonation than I would like for this type of beer
O Overall, nothing special, nothing awful.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 03:47:49 | More by Steasy66

TownDunkel

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Chambly Noire - a sweet looking bottle at the beer store, so I figured this Canadian beer was worth a sip

Appearance - the best appearance I have ever seen in an ale or almost any beer style. It is so dark that you can put it in a glass, put it in front of a television and only see the beer. That is what I am talking about.

Smell - A very complex smell but no single flavor or scents come to me. It reminds me of a oak age barrel

Taste - The taste is complexly delicious. Starts off smooth with hints of oak and then turns into a darkly coffee and cream flavor. Also, hints of mild fruits come around after several seconds.

Mouthfeel - The carbonation isn't what I was hoping for, but than again this is no porter or stout. It's head goes quickly unfortunately and it doesn't stick around for more than a minute in your head.

Overall - This may be the king of dark ale's for me. It's as dark as a stout but still light enough for an anytime drink. Must buy.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 05:05:24 | More by TownDunkel

Scrapss

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: black as night. Brooding. One finger brownish collar settling into 1/8" thick tight collar.

S: ripe plum, figs with a hint of tobacco and vanilla, musty leather. It has port barrel aged qualities.

T: vanilla spice undertones, then washing away into fig and toffee. This is a pleasant taste, but not what I'd expect in Belgian Dark Ale style. I want more ripe/sour fruit flavors in this genre.

M: smooth for this style. Thin, but not in a bad way. Kinda reminds me of what could be described as java-infused Remy Martin at this ABV might be like.

Complex enough to keep me interested and not slamming me over the head with any one flavor. Very well balanced. Very good. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 04:51:47 | More by Scrapss

soulfly1492

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Aroma: Dark roasty malt. Apples, mild yeast, some spices, brown sugar. No alcohol. Expecting this brew to be much sweeter than bitter.

Appearance: Black. I can see some brown when looking at a small volume at an angle. Pours a tall light brown head. Good retention, dissolved leaving a thin layer that sticks around for a while. No initial lacing, although the brew is still very cold. Lots of sediment at the bottom of the bottle after the pour.

Taste: Sweet malt. There's those esters in the form of apples. Sweet molasses. Mold spicy yeast. The aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Moderate carbonation, which was a bit surprising. Slightly drying due to the bite of the carbonation.

Overall: A bit light, but nice flavor. Very smooth and easy to drink, which is refreshing for a dark beer with moderate alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 21:07:44 | More by soulfly1492

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- Cola brown with a thin tan head that does not retain well or leave much lacing.
S- Aroma is more tart than I expected with a bit of a red wine presence, cocoa, dark fruits and a bit of alcohol.
T- Dark fruits with a bit of chocolate, and a flash of acidic wine tartness. More dark fruit and less wine character than on the nose.
M- Medium-light body, a bit acidic on the tongue.
O- I like most of Unibroue's stuff, but this one will probably be a pass in the future.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 02:34:44 | More by jsprain1

JuliusWolf

Florida

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: This is just an average dark appearance. It has an almost lack of head, with minor lacing.

S: Moderate sour/acidic and alcoholic malt smell, that isn't overpowering (nowhere near as strong as something like a flanders red, but enough to pique your interest). There there is a dark ripened plum smell accompanying the sourness in a complimentary fashion.

T: The taste is very complex. It starts with the sour taste akin to the smell, quickly followed by strong malty, slightly fruity flavor. The malt is then succeeded by the fruitiness growing stronger. This fruitiness is reminiscent of grape-wine and plum.

M: This beer has moderately strong effervescence which almost masks the slight silkiness.

O: This is a well crafted beer that strikes the tongue with 3 distinct stages of flavor. The beer sweetens as it warms (starting from 55F to just below room temperature). Buy one and share it with a friend. or buy 4 and share it with 7 friends, your call.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 22:28:42 | More by JuliusWolf

dpasotti

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very dark brown with woody highlights at the edges. Fairly small creamy beige head on top that leaves adequate lacing. Nice aroma of red grapes, ripe apples, plum, and a little caramel.

The flavor is disappointingly flat, so much so that it's hard to describe. A little fruit and spice upfront, but no depth at all. I was expecting much more based on the great nose, but the taste just can't stand up.

The body is thin and, in my opinion, under-carbonated. Chambly Noire is not bad, it's just forgettable. Actually it could make a great darker beer for summer, when you might be in the market for something with a little less substance.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 00:40:10 | More by dpasotti