Blonde De Chambly - Unibroue

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

341ml bottle poured into a 16oz cervoise. This will be my first saison.

A - Foamed ridiculously after I opened it. Lost a ton of beer thanks to that... Big, billowy, snow-white head. The hue of the beer is a hazy golden-yellow color with a touch of orange in it. Pretty nice. The head settles down to a thin film of foam, but doesn't leave any lacing.

S - Smells great. Tons of wheat, yeasty bread, dried bananas, apricots, cloves and light spices. It has a really fresh sweetness in it as well. Some lemongrass, herbal hops, and light honey sweetness in the finish.

T - Follows the nose beautifully. This brew is packed full of light fruitiness, with bananas, apricots, oranges, and citrusy zest. The bready yeast character is delicious as well, coupled with tasty cloves, coriander and other light spices. Overall this beer tastes extremely fresh and sweet. The hop presence is very subdued, but it works great here. Aftertaste is honey, light fruits, zesty citrus, muted sour funk, fresh hay, and yeasty Belgian wheat. Fantastic.

M - Light and refreshing. The body has a light feel to it, complimented nicely by zesty, bubbly carbonation. The spices are done just right, not too much, not too little. No bittering hop presence detectable, which works perfectly here. Fits with the flavor profile perfectly.

D - After this beer fizzed all over the place when I opened it, I was pretty much ready to hate it and give it a sour review in spite of that. But this was way too good for me to even care about some foam. I can't comment on this beer in context of the style, as this is my first saison; but this does bare a striking resemblance to another Belgian style ale in the witbier. More specifically, this reminds me a lot of a Hoegaarden to be honest. As far as my opinion goes on this as a beer in general, I love it. Maybe even the perfect beer for a hot summer day. Refreshing, delicious, light and irresistible. Like sunshine in a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 01:03:41 | More by Converge

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: 1/2" white head that dissipated quickly over honey/amber coloured liquid.

S: Honey, yeast and sweet malt. Very nice.

T: I am used to more yeasty taste for a Saison, such as the taste profile of Saison Dupont; but this is very nice. Slight citrus taste along with honey, sweet bready malt, and soft yeast; this is a beautiful taste profile.

M: Medium viscosity and a medium level of fine carbonation.

O: Overall, for the style I have to give this full marks. It is incredibly delicious and the easiest drinking Saison I have had to date. A must try.

*Note: when compared to the style such as Saison Dupont and Fantome, I have to say that this is incredibly tasty and easy drinking. I am quite shocked at the ratings other people have given this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 06:47:09 | More by DaftCaskBC

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Mondial beer festival. Poured into a La Fin Du Monde tulip. Orange in color with a lovely haze. Intense, Belgian yeast aromas bursting from the pour. Fruity and yeasty with flavors of oranges and lemons. This one is very sessionable, Belgian-style beer, full of flavor. This one is listed as a Saison? Not sure I agree with that category, although I think there are some saison-like qualities to the beer, I would say its not sour/tart enough to be a saison. Declicious, any way you slice it. Unibroue, please send this south...

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2010 04:27:43 | More by KickbacksSteve

nickfl

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - The beer has a clear, golden body which is topped by one finger of perfectly white foam. The head dissipates slowly and leaves light lace on the glass.

S - Herbal hops with lots of sweet, bready malt character.

T - Sweet pilsner malt up front with notes of honey. More rich malt in the middle with grassy, spicy hops coming out as the beer finishes.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a slightly sweet finish.

D - A rich and malty blonde ale, this almost comes across as a pilnser but has just a touch of yeast character to mark it as Belgian in style. Very drinkable, I wish it was available at home.

Serving type: on-tap

12-25-2011 18:34:36 | More by nickfl

zachloveshisbeer

4.28/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Take this blonde out on a date, you will both thoroughly enjoy yourselves and you may ask her out again. Poured from a 750 mL bottle with an impossibly difficult cork. Once I finally got the cork out, I fit most of it into a Pilsner glass, which may not have been a good choice being that the head was quite intense. Perhaps a snifter next time - lesson learned. I quite liked many things about this beer: lovely banana yellow colour, smells fresh and inviting, very drinkable, head retention was on-par. Maybe what I didn't like was the blasted cork, but I liked it in the smaller bottles that come in the Unibroue mixed pack. Assume nothing about the beer till you try it, and then and only then, can you decide if it's for you. Like Quebec, you have to visit it to understand its charm and dry sarcasm are a beer lover's mecca.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 18:52:59 | More by zachloveshisbeer

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

4.23/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance- Pours a hazy straw colour with a finger widtth of bubbly white head. Moderate bubbles present.

Smell- Citrus (orange, lemon) aromas with a hint of apple. Some spiciness is detected as well.

Taste- The spices (touch of clove and coriander) and citrus notes are the predominant flavours, supported by bready, earthy flavours.

Mouthfeel - Light to medium bodied with a very tingly effervescence. Nice fluffiness to it.

Overall - An enjoyable saison from Unibroue. The flavour combination in this brew create a lovely warming sensation. The tingly carbonation is also quite pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 04:48:26 | More by leaddog

SFLpunk

Vermont

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

11.2oz brown glass "pry-top" bottle. Thanks to my homeboys at Uni for bringing this down for me! Shoulder stamped F0810Q CSP, whatever that means.

Appearance: Hazy/cloudy amber orange with virtually no head.

Nose: Filled with citrus aromas, orange, lime, flowery yeast and something spicey, maybe corriander. Website claims it a saison, so it must just be from the yeast. Very fragrant.

Palate is crisp and gripping some mild acidity. The yeast rules the roost here. Spicy and zesty! Lime zest shaved on top of coriander husks, something like cola, and fresh hay. Finish is crisp and bright.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 04:58:39 | More by SFLpunk

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours a hazy straw-amber with a small, bubbly white head. Tons of fine bubbles rushing up.

Smell. Light grains, very fruity yeast and a little more fruit in behind that.

Taste. No surprise to find a nice hit of that fruity unibroue yeast. A little bit of light grain and cloves, and a very subtle tartness. Finishes pretty clean.

Mouthfeel. Lighter body with full and lively carbonation.

Overall. Great stuff. Goes down too easy.

Thanks DaftCaskBC!

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 03:54:13 | More by Rutager

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

341ml bottle poured into pint glass nov29 2010

A quite cloudy golden orange and I can barley see some bubbles feeding a very fast falling thumbs width of foam that left a few patches of lace where it existed

S yeasty apple with a little bubblegum

T not far from the smell but with some spice, pretty tasty stuff, not as complex as some of their bigger beers but far from boring

M thick for the color and very creamy from the bubbles, flavors linger and that's a good thing in this case

D I could drink quite a few of these with no problem, quite good for 5% I'd recommend it

its been a while since I had a Unibroue product for the first time and this one didn't disappoint. respectable beer for the strength and I'll be drinking this again but I may wait for some better weather

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2010 07:44:57 | More by wordemupg

Haydn-Juby

Quebec (Canada)

4.11/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

served from a 341ml bottle to a tulip

A: Yellow orange color. When yeast is poured in it provides a nice cloudiness. Small one finger head that died down pretty fast and left very little lacing.

S: A degree of sourness is available. Coriander and citrus are also there.

T: Very refreshing beer. The coriander and citrus in the aroma is leading the taste. A little bit of clove is around too. Pleasantly spicy. Bitterness and hop profile is fairly low. Balance is appropriate and well done overall. A lot of this beers character comes from its yeastiness and spices.

M: Smooth drinking. Not extremely carbonated like some of the other Belgian styles. Very drinkable.

O: Pretty good beer overall. Very refreshing and crisp, some of the qualities that make a good traditional saison. I could see my self drinking a few of these on the porch at the end of a hot day and I probably will seeing as I bought a few more and a 750ml to share.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 22:22:32 | More by Haydn-Juby

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Part of the new mixed pack , this is the beer I have been waiting for from Unibroue, lot of Belgian yeasty flavours and a lively nose but low in ABV. I really enjoyed the complexity matched with the drinkability and hope to see this in six packs in the future

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 18:31:48 | More by canucklehead

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - very cloudy unfiltered golden appearance with a tower or fluffy white head that dissipated evenly
S - strong fruity aromas of apricot, banana, and pineapple, slight sour yeastiness, with some fresh grains
T - nice yeasty mix of sour fruit and gentle spice, big bready malt, and light leafiness on the late finish
M - big carbonation, full bready feel from top to bottom, and a light spice tingle
O - this is a very refreshing and drinkable saison that hits all the elements, a little disappointed that I've only seen this in the odd Unibroue mixer pack, no 6ers or bombers around in Alberta :(

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 02:55:21 | More by joemcgrath27

Durge

Connecticut

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed at My Place in Newtown, CT this saison shows a cloudy light amber color with a sturdy white cloud on top and fair lacing. The aroma brings light lemon grass peppercorn, just as advertized. Crisp wheat biscuit and a hint of white wine. Clean and light but very classy. The flavor follows with herbal tea and thin musty wheat and a lazy lemon. I get a vague grass hop and clove as well. A nice flavor for something subtle and delicate. Light to almost medium bodied with a very delicate carbonation and a crisp, even feel that drinks easily. I liked it for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2012 18:17:46 | More by Durge

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Appears to be bottled October 21, 2010.

Pours a translucent light blonde, somewhat orangey. A small white head disappears immediately.

Light fruit and white pepper in the nose. Unibroue yeast is there as well, as is a biscuity malt scent that has a hint of sweetness.

Taste has lots of white pepper, coriander and other spices, coupled with a big dose of light fruit. Some biscuit malt flavours. Finish is fairly dry and focused on the spice. A bit of a funky barnyard flavour from the yeast, but not strong.

High carbonation, light bodied. A bit aggressive on the bubbles but pretty good.

Overall, really quite nice. I confess that I didn't know this was a saison when I picked it up- assumed it was a Belgian pale ale. Glad to be wrong. Enjoyed it very much.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 03:17:28 | More by jrenihan

Genuine

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the foil topped bottle into my Sam Adam's Sensory Glass.

Poured golden in color, clear with a bright white fluffy head. Head didn't stay around long but did lend to a beautiful aroma.

Smell - Very crisp, clean and fruity, this Saison smells exactly how it should, even more so at 5%.

Taste - crisp, almost champagne like bubbles great you first, then the sweetness and fruity flavors come out next. not much for hops, if any. Nice, light and sweet, I can see this will go excellent with most foods.

Mouthfeel - I want to say on the lighter side of medium, as it wasn't light in body, carbonation was very nice, not over done.

Drinkability - Very easy to drink beer. I could imagine this would be very refreshing on a hot summer day, or paired with your favorite meal. At 5% this is a beer you can have a few of without worrying too much.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 23:22:41 | More by Genuine

joefinnigan15

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: dark yellow/golden. Poured from bottle into pilsner glass. 2 finger head, lingers but not for too long

Smell: strong spicy smell, cinnamon, ginger

Taste/feel: more woody/spicy than fruity. Almost like gingerbread. 

Overall: great, like all unibroue. Another keeper.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 01:23:18 | More by joefinnigan15

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: It has a cloudy golden/orange like colour. It has a nice thick white head that dies down moderatly and has a bit of lace on the glass.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of fruit such as apples and citrucy notes along with spices and malts.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a slight apple taste to it but ends on more of a lemony spice but is generaly very smooth. It also has a nice balance of matls and hops.

Mouthfeel: It's a smooth low/medium carbonated beer. You can taste the hints apples and spices.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth, light tasting, drinkable beer accompanied with great flavours.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2011 01:44:31 | More by SebD

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Single 341mL bottle brought back from Montreal. Love the bottle design as always - looks like the Filles du Roi have just arrived!

Poured into my trusty Duvel tulip glass. Pale golden straw coloured, slightly opaque, about a half inch of head with a dash of lacing. Not much retention there.

Nose is pleasant and floral, with notes of lemon, yeast and a bit of spice.

A tasty brew this is - crisp, with a lovely yeast and citrus tang, yet sweet enough to pair well with my spicy Thai soup. The lemon and pepper flavors come out nicely in the finish.

Zesty carbonation, slightly thick with some sediment.

A nice little beer for the evening, fresh, clean, floral and citrussy. A good little saison, I have to say. Low ABV and the flavor profile makes this one a good session brew that would pair with summer dinner fare. I would absolutely love a corked 750ml of this over the summer - methinks a trip to Quebec be in order.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2011 03:02:33 | More by JohnnyBarman

emerge077

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Draft in a 12 oz. goblet. Pours a bright golden color with rising trails of visual carbonation. Thin cap of frothy white foam that sticks nicely to the glass.

Earthy grassy hops and honey malt sweetness in the aroma. Somewhat subdued and simple but with an added layer of complexity from the yeast, which is fairly understated for a Unibroue beer. Crisp and effervescent body, flavors of apple, pear, honey, and crackers. Light feel, and again the yeast is never flavor dominant as in most of Unibroue's beers. Thirst quenching on a 90º+ day, much needed and true to style. Would pick up a bottle of this to revisit.

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2012 03:50:34 | More by emerge077

eat

Quebec (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a milky straw-yellow with a thin cover of bubbly white head. Head and retention could be better. No lacing.

Smells like citrus, Unibroue yeast, a bit astringent, little peppery, light floral hops. It does smell somewhat like a saison.

Nice and peppery. Lemon, floral hops, nice subtle spice blend (coriander, nutmeg, cardamom). Pretty good, if maybe a little on the light side.

Light body and slightly over-carbonated. I'd prefer the body to be at least a bit fuller.

Light and refreshing. Maybe a bit too uninteresting for my taste but this is definitely a great summer beer. I'm enjoying it but as a side note, this is a little underwhelming a release by Unibroue considering they haven't released anything since 17 in 2007. Considering the quality of some of their other beers, this one is a bit of a let-down, even if it is a decent brew and easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2010 20:32:03 | More by eat

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

355 mL bottle from a mixed 12 with Noire & Blanche, new to the MLCC so it is fresh. Bottled coded J09101853Q. Poured into a tulip.

Pours a fluffy white head atop a clear lightly orange body. Laces very well. Aromas are light and floral, exceedingly enjoyable, although a touch muted. The body is dry without major malt presence. The beer initially gives off a light sweet lily-like flavour followed by a (at times) very intense finish of black pepper. The beer is a little thin, but overall quite nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 01:49:04 | More by kjyost

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy orange colour with thick white head. Really nice head retention, as there is a thick ring of head on top of the beer. Nice lacing around much of the glass. Smells of lemon, spices, and Belgian yeast. Almost like a toned down saison, but still smells like one for the most part. Flavour is pretty dry, some sweetness, small tartness. Smooth mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2010 00:12:22 | More by kwjd

Crossmd

Virginia

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured 45 degrees Fahrenheit into a Sam Adams pint glass.

Pours a beautifully radiant hazy golden in a vortex of tiny champagne bubbles.

Smells of yeast, some butter, and yeast or grain. Moderately projected.

Tastes much like it smells, and is generally really pretty round and flavorful, if not the most novel beer in the world. The finish is relatively short with just a hint of yeasty spiciness dissipating quickly.

Mouthfeel is relatively lush, but is lacking the really pillowy texture of some of the other Unibroue offerings.

Overall, not my favorite Unibroue, but still a delicious offering with a good degree of character. Excellent to give to a friend who only drinks macros.

86.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 04:03:23 | More by Crossmd

FondueVoodoo

British Columbia (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: cloudy golden wheat, consistent but minimal bubbles

S: beyond the immediate smell of the unibroue bready yeast scent, I get a hint of metallic ocean smell, reminiscent of freshly shucked oysters.

T: Strong yeast taste on first wash through the mouth, which on it owns is pleasing. Followed by a creamy nearly sweet milk mixed with alcohol. Lacking in any hops or heavy malt flavours, the flavour is crisp and clean easy to drink without being overwhelming.

M: light in the mouth, leaves the tongue daily and feeling like a refresher.

D: this easy drinking beer is bold in it's typical unibroue yeast flavour, but is crisp and clean and easy to drink a only 5%. A light drink which would be excellent to pair with either rich seafood or fresh light white fish and shellfish. I paired this beer with a simple winter salad (cabbage, fennel, apples etc…) and fresh garden bruschetta, the flavour was excellent to allow the food to shine through and was excellent to cleanse the palette with a clean crisp flavour. Easy to drink and better to share.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 05:09:43 | More by FondueVoodoo

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Blonde De Chambly has a deep-set haze and imperfect head that make it look all natural. There's no way a beer diluted or adjunct-ridden could look this full and flavourful. Held into the light, this yellow beer develops a glowing, almost neon phosphorescence, perhaps finally answering once and for all what was contained in that briefcase from Pulp Fiction.

Blonde De Chambly smells as much like Blanche De Chambly as it sounds like it; musty, barnyard wheat is lined with slightly tart fruit notes, lemon-y acidity and a rash of savory yeast flavours that is not yet full-blown but rather still yet in the forming stages. It is pleasantly tangy, with a well proportioned ratio of yeast to malt. Mmm, me likey long time!

Most of the barnyard mustiness and zesty yeast spice turn out to be mirages, evaporating upon hitting the line of sight (by which I mean the tongue). The beer is clean, with a simple graininess, no bitterness of note and little lingering aftertaste. Appearances can be misleading; this turns out to have the lighter, more neutral body of a commercial lager after all.

That being said, it's much more gratifying any domestic twist-off or green glass import (at least in so far as I'm concerned). For one thing, it has flavour - undiluted, unadulterated flavour at that. Secondly, it has soft, buzzing bubbles that soothe like palate like a vibrating recliner soothes the back. Also, its light tang makes it delightfully refreshing.

Unibroue really didn’t use any imagination in making this recipe; like it's name, this beer drinks remarkably like Blanche De Chambly - which isn't such a bad thing, mind you. While I don't see the logic in having both as year-round offerings, and prefer the Blanche to the Blonde, I can still see why the brewery went ahead with its production. This is a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 23:39:23 | More by biegaman