La Fin Du Monde - Unibroue

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.65/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy gold color, with an incredibly effervescent carbonation driven thick off white head. Aromas of garden fresh vegetables, spicy yeast, cider, and blooming fields of wild-flowers, all waft from my glass. I am greeted by a refreshing, spicy, sweet first draught of this effervescent brew. It tingles on my tongue as it goes down. An incredibly smooth, well integrated brew, it just seems to want to be quaffed, which, is quite dangerous given a beer of this strength. La Fin Du Monde indeed!

Quite appropriately this is sharp and spicy at various points. I get note of hay, bergamot, hint of pepper, lemon, an herbal bite, and some vanilla. Overall it definitely has some interesting soft citrus notes as well as some appetizing acidity. This is an awesome brew from a currently great brewery, let’s hope it stays that way.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2004 17:13:41 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.7/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a pint glass.

A: The beer is a hazy pale yellow color with large foamy white head that leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: Heavy yeast aroma with a touch of alcohol.

T: The same bready, yeasty character, from the smell, comes out strongly in the flavor and dominates throughout. There are touches of honey, malt and just a bit of alcohol (but not even close to 9.00% worth).

M: Light-to-medium body, crisp and very smooth, medium carbonation and a very clean finish.

D: The yeast character masterfully disguises the alcohol content, which, along with the smoothness, makes this beer very drinkable. This was the first beer that I’ve had from Unibroue. It has left me with the impression that this brewery doesn’t mess around.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2006 05:59:22 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This brew poured out as a hazy yellow color with a billowing white head on top. The foam leaves some scattered lacing on the glass with each sip. The smell of the beer is a little citrusy and has some sweet grainy aromas too in there. The beer smells refreshing, very lively. The taste of the beer was a little spicy, a little fruity and had a nice amount of bready yeast in there too. The mouthfeel was smooth and rather easy to drink, even for a strong brew like this one. Overall it's a damn good brew and I would enjoy this one again someday for sure.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 01:53:03 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.5/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

750ml BBD 07-18-09

Pours an effervescent strawberry peach color with finger of white head. Superior head retention & good lacing

S: Fruitty with staw notes. Some phenolic notes as this warms

T: Pears, apple skins & dryness up front. Warming booze & citric hops (lemons& grapefruit) follow, along with jammy notes. As this warms I get phenolic, earthy & mushroomy (?) notes along with hints of shorbread. Finishes with warming to almost hot alcohol, appleskins, pears, & lemony hops

MF: Medium-bodied, pretty active carbonation fits the style

Drinks a bit slow, I'm sure this is better more matured. I fear this bottle has been opened at least a year too early.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2007 06:31:55 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

4.15/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle

A: Cloudy yellow with a huge amt. of white foam.

S: Apples, oranges, lemon.

T: Much of the same as in the smell, with that great Unibroue yeast ester character.

M: A little on the thin side for me for this style of beer, very spritzy when a little colder.

D: Fair, due to the high alcohol and the complexity, but still a very good brew from Unibroue.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2007 06:59:17 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

4.7/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I drink this brew all the time and never got around to reviewing it. Pours a slightly cloudy yellowish-orange color with a thick frothy 2 inch head. The aroma contains tones of yeast, citrus, floral hops, and spice. The flavor components make up a perfect combination for the tastebuds - orange, lemon zest, yeast, coriander, and vanilla, balanced with perfect levels of malt, a nice complimenting bitterness, and mild alcohol.

Mouthfeel is very crisp on the tongue. Medium bodied beer. The finish is dry and the flavor components ride the tongue long after swallowing. It is extremely drinkable and one of my favorite brews.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2005 12:26:55 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4.72/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a Unibroue tulip glass:

Pours clouded golden with a large white head that soon fizzles away.

The smell is of orange peel, frangrant spices, floral, bready notes in the back. Alcohol adds a touch of pepper.

Incredibly delicious! Sweet malt mixes with perfumy spiciness - orange peel, clove...touch of peppery alcohol gives it a warming finish but is so well-balanced that it is not raw, harsh or interfering.

Smooth and creamy, the taste lingers after a long, dry finish.

Very drinkable despite the high abv. One of the world's great beers, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2007 13:40:29 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

650ml bottle. This was the first Unibroue offering that I tried back in university in the mid-90s when they first shipped it out West. It was quite the eye-opener to my Big Rock-loving self at the time. Now, at a nice little university area bistro, one neither at the End of the Universe, nor the end of the world, for that matter, I revisit it years hence.

This beer pours (into a properly branded chalice, no less) a hazy orangish yellow hue, with a few fingers of puffy, bubbly white head, which leaves some streaky soap film lace around the glass as it quickly beats in outta Oka (what, too soon?).

It smells of sharp grainy pale malt, earthy yeast, fruity dry apple and pear, cracked black pepper, spicy cloves, a slight minerality, and herbal, dead leafy hops. The taste is big, blended orchard fruit - apricot, pears, banana and orange - edgy yeast, peppery cloves, grainy pale malt, sugary honey, and mild floral hops. Only a slight tingling is detectable for the elevated ABV - neat.

The carbonation is noticeable, but mostly in a frothy sort of way, the body a sturdy medium weight, and a tad cloying in its sugary sweetness, but I've come to appreciate this as just a sad fact of the style. It finishes off-dry, the fruit and sugary malt lingering harder than the yeast and/or spice seem to be.

Homerism (hah - this is too much of a big-ass, geographically speaking, for now, country for that) aside, this is really a rather good example of the style, going down nice and smooth in spite of the big boy booze quotient. It's been their flagship beer since day one for a reason, and it's not hard to see why.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 04:22:40 | More by biboergosum

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a pretty nice beer, don't get me wrong, but I've tried it numerous times and still don't think it lives up to the hype. It's pretty with a tall white head and hazy straw yellow body.It smelled sweet and spicy (corriander) with a similar flavor. I just find the flavor to fall flat, I get some, but not a great complexity out of it. Still, it's very easy to drink and with little hint of the alcohol. I'd probably go for Duvel instead of this though.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2007 17:11:48 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.88/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I am drinking a vintage 2005 750 mL C&C bottle poured into my bran' spankin' new Pauwel Kwak tulip glass. The ale is at an
optimal temperature of 45-50 degrees.

Appearance: The ale pours as a nice deep goldenrod color, with a nice head that leaves a pleasing lace down the sides of this long-necked glass. THe alse is not quite clear, but close enough that one can make out whatever is on the other side of
the glass.

Smell: The smell of peppers and spices jump out immediately. The pepper is very obvious and adds a hint of spicy heat to the nose. There are also sugars, imparting a slightly sweet note.

Taste: The taste of candied sugars hits the tongue immediately, providing a sweet taste that slowly turns into a strong alcohol presence. Beyond that, the spicy taste of black pepper makes itself known. The malt character is fairly low key, but the hop presence is equally restrained, creating a very smooth evenly blended ale.

Mouthfeel: The ale sites very nicely in the mouth, with the pepper and sugars providing a sweet and bitter interplay. Keep the ale in your mouth and allow it to warm, the alcohol character becomes very apparent.

Drinkability: Despite the 9% abv, the ale is very drinkable, tasting so smooth and balanced, one does not even realize the alcohol until it is WAY too late. An excellent ale from a top notch brewery.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2006 02:26:49 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nice 750ml corked bottle that pours a deep golden orange sunshine tone with a gleaming white head leaving a fair amount of lace around my tulip glass. High carbonation that tickles me nose hair and contains a deep syrupy sweetness with traces of honey and spice in the aroma along with the complement of the yeast strain scents. Tastes a very full complex sweetness with shots of bitter and dry sensations that run down the palate. Within the sweetness of the flavor lies a spiced up fruit like, thick mouthfeel of straight up refreshing goodness. Unibroue is amazing they are definitely capable of bringing the magic of Belgium beer to the North Americas, and for that I raise my glass to them. For making a beer with nine percent alchol that contains this level of drinkability and at the same time is staying within the guidelines of the style of any classic triple. Very good!!!!

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2003 07:09:59 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

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

Pours an orange touched brown with a pillowy thick creme head. Nose is citrus, dough, and a minor funk. Flavor is an excellent mix of citrus, yeasty funk, sweetness, earth tones. It's all here. And in perfect harmony IMO. Feel has a full carbonation and the liquid is well bodied. This is an excellent beer. To have access to something so good at such a reasonable price is something that should be routinely taken advantage of.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2008 06:12:10 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

4/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a cloudy yellowish amber color with good carbonation and a white head. Nose is fruit, hops and belgian yeast. Taste is fruit, belgian yeast, spice and warming. I thought it was pretty good and smooth on mouthfeel and drinkability. It was warming, spicy and fruits on the mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2009 03:12:26 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours with a mighty head that dies a little too quickly. No real lace. Cloudy and light amber in color

Aromas of orange rind, all spice and alcohol.

The flavors change rapidly from sip to swallow. It starts smoothly, even innocently, but quickly transforms to a nearly mulled taste of spices. Still, this is not a sweet beer. Very high carbonation, perhaps too much so given the body which is not nearly as full as some of this style. The aftertaste is strong alcohol with a lactose sourness.

Honestly, I prefer the Maudite from Unibroue, but that's like saying I prefer lobster to cavier. This is delicious beer that begs to be savoured.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2006 19:07:04 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

4.47/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - 750ml bottle Pours a cloudy pale yellow color, tons of carbonation, very nice white foamy head, tons of lacing throughout the drink.

S - Scents of malts, yeast, citrus, and some spices.

T - The taste is sweet but tangy, with a nice dry finish. The alcohol content is hidden very well.

M - Medium body, nice carbonated feel, well rounded brew.

D - Very drinkable. Another excellent brew from Unibroue. Would highly recommend and buy again.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2006 19:44:50 | More by Wasatch

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.28/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

An excellent beer from Unibroue, cloudy amber color, not a lot of nose but good carbonation and frothy head that leaves a good lace. Higher ABV is hidden. Flavor is sweet citrus and yeast, smooth. $5.79 for a caged and corked 750ml bottle from Concord Cooperative Market Concord, NH.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2009 22:35:57 | More by jdhilt

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

( Served in a tall chalice)

A- This beer pours a hazy light orange with a big rocky white head

S- Orange zest and light pale malt notes with a slight tart quality and some faint hops

T- Orange notes with a nice soft malt quality. A very nice bitter hop finish that reminds me a bit of German hops. No real alcohol taste very smooth and balanced. As it warms some spicy almost peppery notes come through.

M- medium mouthfeel with a faint note of fizz. No astringency or alcohol warmth

D- Wow for having 9% ABV this was a very gentle smooth beer that had lots of good qualities and a nice finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2005 20:12:04 | More by rhoadsrage

Jason

Massachusetts

4.97/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

12 oz brown bottle with a foiled top, a best before date on the back label.

Appearance: Foamy off white head that takes a long while to subside to a sticky lace. Cloudy yet radiant yellowish golden colour shows that this is a pale brew.

Smell: Ripe sugary nectarines, a powdery yeast and a light phenolic clove and medicinal mix in the aroma. Alcoholic esters with a touch of solvent linger in the back of the nose.

Taste: Peppery clove spiciness with a warming alcohol right behind it. Estery with a hint of solvent-like character in the high level of alcohol. Malt lays down some sweetness with a thick drying pale graininess, fruity flavours of mango and pear flash on the taste buds. Bitterness from the hops melds with the thick powdery yeast and bring the mouth to a slightly dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy with a medium to high carbonation.

Drinkability & Notes: One of my favourite Belgian style pale strong ales, a bit over the top for some people and one that I respect by sipping through the night.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2003 18:12:15 | More by Jason

Billolick

New York

4.13/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Now this is more like it! Large bottle, corked and caged. Poured straw/golden and semi cloudy, white tiny bubble head and leaving lace.. Still not getting much of a nose, just a bit of wheat, bubble gum and yeast. Tastes/notes of wheat, yeast, bubblegummy phenolics, fruit, candy sugar, apricots, rum soaked grapes, yum yum. Finish is sweat and smooth. Crisp and nicely turned out Canadian Belgian.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2004 02:45:02 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

4.43/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750 ML bottle into a goblet.

a - Pours a orangish-golden color with 2+ fingers of white head. Moderate carbonation evident.

s - Lots of banana, yeast, and some spice. Masybe some other fruits as well.

t - Banana, yeast, cloves, and pears. Very nice and the alcohol is very well hidden.

m - Medium body and moderate carbontion.

d - A very nice tripel. Great fruity smell and taste and the high ABV doesn't affect the drinkability at all. A great beer by Unibroue that I've had many times and will surely have again.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2010 22:31:06 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Fluffy 1 finger fluffy head fades slowly with a bit of lacing lots of bubbles rising to reinforce it. Very hazy golden honey colored.

Nose has great Belgian golden malts, sweet malts, light Belgian yeast fruit like apricot citrus and pear.

Taste starts with sweet malts, candi sugar, Belgian golden malts, light warming booze, slightly tingly too, then more fruit with apricot, pear, citrus and light orange zest, light spices typical in Belgian tripel yeast. Finishes warm booze with sticky malts and candi sugar lingering, light citrus as well.

Mouth us a bit bigger bodied, good carb, warming bit tingly booze.

Overall great, perfect example of a Belgian tripel, but a bit hot.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 02:30:39 | More by jlindros

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle from pentathlete as part of the OneBox BIF. Thanks for the opportunity. Silver foiled cap, best before 02-01-08.

Poured into a Rapscallion glass, formed a 2 1/4" white head above the translucent dark golden brew. Pillowy head lasts and lasts, a product of the active bubbling from the bottom of the glass, with ample sticky white lacing. Aroma is effervescent spicy pale malts. Taste is that Belgian-style spicy malt that we all know, closing with the most subtle alcohol warming. Mouthfeel is nice, but could be a bit smoother, and drinkability is only limited by the fact that the sweetness and alcohol finally begin to wear after awhile. A nice treat after a snowy day.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2006 01:26:49 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appears a hazy, light gold with a small white head that slowly fades into a mild cap. Scattered streaks of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of estery pepper, cloves, citrus, and orange with a tropical fruit salad aroma coming through.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with that signature spicy tropical fruit. There is also a vanilla cream flavor that comes through in the taste.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, mildly spiced with spritzy carbonation tickling the tongue.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2008 02:01:50 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

4.38/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy gold brew.

Smell is sweet and spicy clove aroma with fruitiness. Perfume scents are in there with the alcohol scent.

Taste is sweet and spicy with a rose flavor. Lots of perfume and spice flavors to this.

Mouthfeel is good.

Very drinkable brew, I could drink this all day.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2004 00:06:10 | More by Zorro

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

One of my favourite beers of all time. Pours a very cloudy orange, huge fluffy white head, lots of sticky lace all over the place. Smell is honey sweetness, orange, coriander, yeast, some floral notes. Taste is sweet and spicy, orange, citrus, and lots of bready yeast. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, high carbonation, with a refreshing and dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2005 18:13:36 | More by Viggo