Day 80: Maudite

Name: Maudite

Brewer: Unibroue - Chambly, Quebec

Style: Belgian Strong Ale

Alcohol Content: 8%


Review: Shoutouts are well-deserved. I can't be sure exactly who recommended this beer to me, but I'm pretty sure it was Gifford (not Kathy Lee or Frank), THE Gifford. You might still be able to purchase your Mike Gifford All Stars T-shirt here: http://www.seibei.com/shop/
Look at that, I'm full of shout outs today. I bet Dave and Gifford are excited to get shout outs on a blog that no one reads (including them). I'm in a nostalgic mood today. I have fond memories of college, and some of the drunk things that Lugo, Gifford, others, and I used to do, as well as some of the more boring nights reading about the worst video games ever, and downloading them (http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/egm.htm). Drinking Maudite did nothing to help me relive any of those memories, but it did satisfy my need for a good tasty dark Belgian beer. The last couple days I had been tirelessy working on publishing my research as well as assembling my new commuter bike, so the dishes started piling up. I was left with just a glass boot in which to drink this beer. Perhaps a snifter would have been more appropriate, but I was sweaty and had grease and blood all over my hands. There's something oddly satisfying about getting dirty and sweaty. Now that you understand that state I was in, let me tell you about Maudite. I heated up some leftover pasta and prosciutto, and cracked open the Maudite. What a perfect combo. Firstly, the amber color of the beer paried well with the pasta. I took a wiff of the beer and knew I made a good selection. It was rich, with a sweet caramel spicy aroma. It was unmistakenly Belgian. It had a fairly smooth feel with medium body. I like my Belgians to have some depth in the mouthfeel. I think the bottle fermentation of the Maudite helps in that area. The mouthfeel was well-developed, as was the flavor. The flavor was sweet, dark, and slightly spicy. I'm not great with describing spiciness, but I would characterize it as a fall/winter spice character. What impressed me, was how this beer was just spicy enough to subdue some of the sweet malt, but it left a very dry finish for such a sweet beer. This made it very drinkable, and I polished it off all too quickly. On a side note, I finished my budget commuter. It's outfitted for some trail duty and basic commuting. I have some things to tweak here and there, but overall it's ready to ride. I think I built it for a shade under $500. I'm hoping it can keep my legs in tune for those days when I have no time to ride. And perhaps it'll save me a couple bucks on gas. It'll also be a good way to work off all the beers I've been drinking.






Rating: 4.25/5

Recommend? YES. very very drinkable dark belgian/dubbel. I highly recommend it