Unibroue Trois Pistoles

We sure do like our Belgian style brews here at finebrewreviews, so we've got another one, the Unibroue Trois Pistoles. This Belgian Strong Ale comes in a respectable 9% alcohol and pours an extremely dark red/brown. Like usual the head on this brew disappears quickly into a small off-white ring. The smell is what I would expect from a Belgian Ale: roasted malts, brown sugar, molasses. The taste is quite pleasant as well and I can pick out notes of roasted malt, plum, sugar, and alcohol. Not much body to this brew but it is still smooth and enjoyable.

Appearance - 3.9

Smell - 3.7

Taste - 4.0

Texture - 3.9

Overall - 3.88/5.0

Shmaltz Brewing Co. HeBrew Rejewvinator 2008

Another contender courtesy of Shmaltz, the Rejewvinator 2008 edition. This American Strong Ale (at 7.8% alcohol) pours a nice dark brown with subtle red tints throughout. Just like the other HeBrew it has a nice large head at first but quickly fades into nothingness. One whiff of this brew brings thoughts of fruit, flowers, hops, and several malts. At first taste it is bitter, but it quickly fades into a nice fruity/earthy aftertaste. For some reason this Strong Ale reminds me of a weaker Belgian Dubbel. If your looking for something a little different but still quite drinkable I recommend you pick this up.

Appearance - 3.6

Smell - 4.3

Taste - 4.0

Texture -4.1

Overall - 4.0/5

Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Fuck the French. Okay, now that I got that out of the way, this is quite an alright French brew. They're more well known for their wine, but apparently they can make a good brew. But their wine-making expertise shows in this brew.

This was a very dark brew with a slightly orange tint to it. It left behind a huge head that collapsed pretty quickly. It did leave an almost soda-like carbonation film behind though. This carbonation carried through for the rest of the tasting. It was a very sweet-smelling brew but otherwise it was a little bland - Fonnie and I couldn't ID any specific scents aside from that. It tasted very sweet and fruity. It also had a little bit of a dry taste to it - like wine. Basically, everything up to this point was reminiscent of wine. ...And it didn't stop there. The texture was very smooth but it had very little body. There was no bitterness though - it was all sweet and it had a very nice flow of flavors throughout the tasting.

Overall, I think I gave this a pretty average rating. It is a pretty average brew. It's something new and interesting, at least. But, it's evidenced that the French are good at making wine in this brew because I think it reminds me more of wine than beer.

Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.2
Taste - 3.9
Texture - 4
Overall - 3.75/5

Shmaltz Brewing Co. HeBrew Rejewvenator 2008

Here at RBR, we love the Jews. Fonnie technically is. They produce a damn good brew. And at the suggestion of Ms. Komadina, who graced us with her thanks in our last HeBrew review, we have gotten a hold of the Rejewvenator.

This brew produced a nice brown, almost Coke-like color to it. It had a nice, but short-lived head that left a nice ring around the top. It was very dark but some light got through which prevented me from giving this the "motor oil" rating. It had a very fruity, sweet aroma. There was a dash of hops in there as well and the overall scent actually reminded me of the Samuel Adams Double Bock - very pleasant. As evidenced by the smell, the taste followed suit with a fruity palate. It had some nicely flavored hops in it as well. It started a little bitter and mellowed out very quickly to end smooth. Although, there was a very quick flow of flavors and it wasn't very lasting.

Although the duration of the flavors was a little disappointing, while it lasted, they were amazing. This was a very well-crafted brew. Yet another gold star for Shmaltz Brewing Co.

Appearance - 4
Smell - 4.2
Taste - 4.2
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 4.05/5

Brew Tasting the Seventh

Well, yesterday I got two brews. And I said that was all we had. So...guess what we're tasting tonight? List after the break...

1) HeBrew Rejewvenator 2008
2) Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Brew Run the Third

This was a desperation run. We are totally out of brew. I needed to pick two tasters up real quick today so this is a little bit of a half-assed effort but some research was involved. Let's hope these are some good brews. Full listing after the break.

1) HeBrew Rejewvenator 2008
2) Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Westmalle Dubbel

The Westmalle Dubbel is something you have got to try if you have already had the less expensive Chimay Red. This Abbey Dubbel pours a dark reddish brown hue with a small off white head. It reminds me a great deal of other Abbey Dubbels just by appearance but the greatness of this brew is realised when the aroma is sampled. There is a lot of stuff going on with this beer: it is flowery, fruity, a good mixture of malts. The taste is even better. I can pick out banana, raisins, chocolate, plums, and other dark fruits. This is a very good beer and also a good step up from the Chimay line.

Appearance - 4.1

Smell - 4.2

Taste - 4.3

Texture - 4.3

Overall - 4.23/5