Noire De Chambly / Chambly Noire - Unibroue

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

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 341ml. bottle.

Appearance: Half the glass fills with an ecru colored head with a dark brown body with deep red tints.

Smell: Figs, dark fruits and plums. A nice strong aroma.

Taste: Plum skins, wood, dried fruit (mostly raisins) and a bit of candied sugar.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy with average to low carbonation. Starts strong but finishes a bit weak and watery.

Overall: A decent effort. Nothing to get excited about but still good.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2011 12:07:14 | More by papat444

julian89

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was the fourth on my 3 day Unibroue tour.

Appearance: Purplish brown, with an inch head and minimal lacing.

Smell. Some plum and raisin notes with a dark malt sweetness.

Taste: Apples with spice, kind of like a cider, with a sour mash mix of raisin and plum.

Mouthfeel. Medium bodied smooth taste and carbonation.

Overall: This is a lighter dark belgian brew. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great dark Belgian. I'm tired from the day, so I feel this brew did not receive the thorough review it deserved.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 03:08:59 | More by julian89

mactrail

California

3.43/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I was glad to try this on tap, as it has a nice fresh and uncomplicated flavor. Sharp on the tongue with some burnt malt flavors, toffee, and a touch of smoke. Watery but pleasing mouthfeel. Tastes like Schwatrzbier with very little hoppiness, and a very modest amount of Belgian character compared to some other Unibroue concoctions.

A decent quaff with an interesting touch of spicy yeast and a hint of burnt raisins. At Ritual Tavern in San Diego.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2011 05:24:34 | More by mactrail

TheAlamoWrocker

Texas

2.4/5  rDev -35%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Reviewed November 4th 2011. 750 mL bottle poured into a Tulip.

A: Poured half a finger head, but it sadly quickly disappeared. There is very little carbonation is rising to the top. The body is as dark as I like them, reminds me of a nice quality stout. I am preparing myself for flavor.

S: I smelt the standard dark fruits, figs. Dark chocolate is present, but nothing too strong which is quite sad.

T: Those dark fruits are what hit me the most. Malts and possibly sugars are present which make up theses drinks sweetness. Some minor dark chocolates appear on the palate for a very quick period of time and then they leave.

M: This body feels close to a medium body, but it could be considered thin. The carbonation was something that just felt lacking to me. The carbonation was almost absent from the mouthful, but after I saw how fast the head left then I could almost assume this is what this drink offers. I would almost suggest swirling the glass to get more carbonation out of this drink before consuming.

O: This drink simply does not do it for me. It's decent for a bit, but consuming a whole 750 mL I have grown tired of it prematurely. I will simply avoid this drink in the future. Even a pint glass is too much of this for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 04:03:47 | More by TheAlamoWrocker

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz.

Pours a dark, almost completely opaque black with a brown hue around the edges. Raw sugar colored head is half an inch, dissipates to a film and holds there.

Smells of fresh grain malts, citrus, coriander, and champagne grapes.

Tastes mildly fruity, grape and citrus, with some subtle toastier malts underlying that.

Feels is medium with light frothy carbonation.

Tastes good, easy to drink, unique profile, definitely worth trying, but it loses some points for me in having a taste that's a tad bit watery. Wish the flavor was more potent.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 22:35:52 | More by Cylinsier

HotHands

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - pours a jet black with a large tan head that quickly fades.

S - apples, plums, Concord grapes.

T - some apple, caramel, raisin, plums, dark fruits, dried fruits, etc. It's fine.

M - body and carbonation are fine for this style.

Overall - It's pretty good, but nothing special. Definitely Unibroue's weakest offering; I really love their other beers. That said, I picked this up for $4/4pack. I don't know of any beer that's as good as this for a buck a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 23:57:07 | More by HotHands

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.45/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

My last review of this was of a bottle that was several years beyond the best by date, which had not aged well at all. Now I have found myself in possession of a much fresher bottle, so I have deleted the old review to replace it with this one.

A. It is still dark molasses colored, but now sports a tan creamy one finger head, and very mild levels of lacing. Carbonation is also a lot better than before, even though I would dare call it on the low side...

S. Plums and very heavy black licorice and heavy candied raisin smell, but now there is also that Unibroue signature nose of peppery spice, and psuedo-belgian yeast earthy funk...much better than before!

T. Tastes of all sorts dark fruit esters, with lots and lots of pepper sprinkled all over, some hints of breadiness pop up here and there in between faint bursts of roasted character and there is still an occasional unwelcome metallic flavor, although it makes an appearance much less often and not nearly as strongly as the way past best by date bottle had..

M. Still light bodied in nature, but doesn't dip into wateriness levels of thinness. Carbonation is only somewhat stronger than my old bottle, but that is still an improvement.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 21:05:59 | More by WastingFreetime

Crossmd

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on draft at Forquet Fourchette in Chambly, served about 55 degrees Fahrenheit into a Unibroue beer flute?

Came an opaque, black (as the name suggests..) with lighter hints of translucent red as the glass bottom tapers. No head was present on receiving it, but it had a sticky, light brown rim that would lace throughout.

Smell consisted of a well projected sweet malts, dark chocolate, and smoke.

The taste was generally reserved, really getting started as it was starting to dry down, rushing at the end into a blend of the same qualities found in the smell. Just the tiniest hint of effervescence was looking to keep it from getting mired, but only did that- rather than adding real texture to the mouthfeel.

Overall, not disappointing, but probably not something that I would reach for on the shelf next to other Unibroues, or other blacks. Very well paired with smoked fish or game with corn and beans maybe. Really something food friendly (With the right cuisine, it should be noted..) I guess, before it's looking to stand alone.

86.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2011 15:00:13 | More by Crossmd

brouwer

Montana

4.05/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I am a fan of Unibroue. I had not tried this to date. On appearance it has a opaque dark brown color. It pours with a 2-3cm head. Little lacing evident. Smell of fruit with yeast. Taste is appropriately hoppy with sweet overtones. Quite drinkable. The carbonation is somewhat lacking. Overall this is a good dark but not up to some of the other Unibroue standard.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 01:47:37 | More by brouwer

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours a deep, deep brown-red with two fingers of sticky, light tan-yellow that leave some thick lacing.

Smell. Apples, plums, spicy belgian yeast and some light grains.

Taste. Apples again, slightly sour grapes, a little spicy hops and yeast and a light, clean hint of malt. Pretty refreshing on this warm summer day.

Mouthfeel. Just over light in body with lots of super-smooth carbonation.

Overall. Pretty light body and taste in this, but as I mentioned, kinda refreshing and goes down really easy. That counts for something in my books.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 02:23:16 | More by Rutager

GallowsThief

Florida

3.13/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured out of a 12 oz. bottle into my Duvel tulip.

A – Light cola brown color with just a touch of off white head that recedes quickly and settles. Spotty lacing.

S – Has almost a wine like aroma. Lemon and citrus.

T – Some dark fruits are balanced with citrus. Has a bit of toasty malt flavor. Caramel sweetness but not much. Drying towards the finish. Rather ho hum honestly.

M – Solid carbonation. Smooth on the palate. Medium bodied. Leaves a bit of sweetness behind as well.

O – Ok brew here. I expected more and perhaps it didn’t live up to that. This falls into the sure I will take another one but I really don’t care on way or another.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 23:51:44 | More by GallowsThief

brystmar

Texas

3.18/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark brown to black, fizzy, minimal tan head with poor retention, no lace. Trademark Unibroue yeast in the nose, but it's more recessed than usual. Dark fruits, phenols, a touch bready.

Sadly, the taste is rather bland and boring. Sure, the signature Unibroue Lees are here, but similar to the aroma they're recessed and don't do much. All I really get here is a bit of candied sugar and some toasted malts for darkness. Slightly watery too.

The lightness on flavor is matched by its fizzy body. But truthfully, more body and less carb would help this brew tremendously.

All things considered, this isn't a bad beer; it's just disappointing considering Unibroue's other excellent offerings.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 05:49:50 | More by brystmar

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.2/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a tulip

A: Pours a medium brown color, settling into an unexpectedly opaque dark brown. It has an eggshell head with huge bubbles and a bit of sediment at the end. The appearance is perplexing; it has the combined qualities of a heavy stout and an effervescent Belgian.

S: Smells almost exactly like apple juice.

T/M: Taste is a lot like apple juice, too. It’s extremely light and has a high amount of carbonation, but it’s apple juice.

I could pick out some aromatic nuances and subtle flavor discrepancies here, but nothing would describe it as well as apple juice. Not as sweet and sugary and of course much, much lighter, but a carbonated apple juice nonetheless. This is a very strange brew, with its dark color and light flavor, it’s a paradox in a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 23:25:25 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

musicforairports

New York

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

Brown in color, with ruby hues when held up to the light. Small head and no lacing.

Smells of dark fruit and a banana/clove component.

This beer reminds of of a dunkelweizen, though the fruity banana esters never really blossom once they come in in the middle. Otherwise it's dominated by dark malts. Nothing overpowering.

Low-medium mouthfeel, somewhat fizzy.

I like this better than their Blanche de Chambly, but it's not as complex as some of their others.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 01:10:41 | More by musicforairports

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out looking very similar to a Delirium Nocturnum to me. The color was dark brown and had just a bit of clarity to it. The head didn't last very long and hadn't left any really noticeable lacing. The smell was kind of roasted but livened up by some fruity aromas in there. The taste of the beer had a light rusty taste to it along with a sweetness and a bit of a boozey heat to it. The mouthfeel was a little thin but could tell that from when I poured it out. Overall i personally like it more than the Nocturnum, but it's still just about an average brew to me.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 01:57:34 | More by Knapp85

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours nearly jet black, 2 fingers of tan/off white head, light lacing at top of the glass. Smell is of dark fruit, raisin, plum leather, dark cherry and belgian yeast. Taste is of dark fruit and raisin with yeast in the finish not much else other than that, lacks depth in profile. Thin mouthfeel and slightly watery carbonation a little too high. Not a bad brew but pretty one dimensional and slightly bland from a brewery of their caliber.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 21:55:51 | More by peensteen

Long813

Nova Scotia (Canada)

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

A: Dark brown body with four fingers of bubbly mocha head. Retention is good with little lacing.

S: Strong scent of figs, raisins and brown sugar. Some mild spices and other malts come through.

T: Dark fruits with sweet malts. The mix of figs and spicies is very nice. The yeast adds a nice dynamic to it.

M: Medium light body with medium carbonation. Nice velvet texure and a great spicy aftertaste. No alcohol presence at all.

O: Great Unibroue, easy drink and very complex.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 02:24:08 | More by Long813

ludachris

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Over two fingers of billowing off white head top its hazy cola brown body. Massive amounts of carbonation keep the head afloat.

That Unibroue spiciness I love is right at the front meshing with sweet dark fruits and faint chocolate notes. The strong yeasty character adds an extra kick of fruity zest. Not overly complex but still quite inviting.

Ripe plums, dates and raisons are spread across the tongue, soon mixing with a sweet chocolatey character I can't put my finger on. Some type of chewy chocolate bar comes to mind. The finish is both bready and spicy, tingling the back of the palate with some sweetness still being integrated into it.

The mouthfeel is the biggest disappointment. It's light to medium bodied but watery throughout. Much less carbonation than what I was expecting, seeming almost flat. This is very surprising when I take into consideration Unibroue's other offerings I've had to date.

I've had a fair amount of Unibroue's beers and this, for me, is their weakest offering yet and the mouthfeel more than anything is what makes me say that. Perhaps I got a bad bottle and in that case, I'm willing to try this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2011 01:13:26 | More by ludachris

secondtooth

Indiana

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

Near black and opaque upon first impression. Reasonably thick head of quickly-dissolving bubbles. No lace.

Aroma is sweet, with reflections of chocolate, raisins, and licorice.

Taste is spicy licorice and sweet dried fruit.

This is a heavily malted beverage, with plenty of flavor. Not among my favorites from Unibroue, but solid.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 00:44:18 | More by secondtooth

nickfl

Florida

4.22/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours with one finger of light tan foam on top of an opaque, dark brown body. The head settles down fairly quickly and leaves light lace.

S - Light caramel notes with some fruity yeast notes of red apple and plum in the background.

T - Caramel and toasted malt come out up front with just a hint of fruity yeast. Notes of plum and sweet red apple appear in the middle with some toffee. Things finish up sweet and malty with some nice yeast character and just a little bit of toast.

M - Medium-thick body, moderately high carbonation, and a fairly sweet finish.

D - Pretty nice, this beer doesn't taste as dark as it looks but it does have enough character malt to add some interest. The yeast is prevalent throughout with lots of dark fruit that work very well with the caramel and toffee notes. Very well done.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 06:37:05 | More by nickfl

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark brown body with a thin offwhite coating of head.

S - Pretty mild nose of some roasted grains, fruit skin, bitter grapes. Some yeast twang about.

T - Lightly alcohol soaked apple and apple skin. Mild alcohol there, and some faint yeast notes. Soft and mild spice charachter present. Faint raisin finish.

M - Semi dry medium body. Foaming carbonation.

O - So I was expecting more here. Unibroue is a pretty good brewery and Im into Belgian Darks. I think it lacked quite a bit in the taste in complexity and strength of flavors. Overall an easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 00:01:56 | More by BeerForMuscle