Schneider Weisse, Hefe-Weizen (The Original German Hefe-Weizen, Ale)

Schneider Weisse, Hefe-Weizen: German Style Wheat Ale, ? ABV, 1pint 0.9 oz, Bottle Fermented

Brewed by G. Scheidner & Sohn according to the Reinheitsgebot, product of Bavaria/Germany.

The first thing you will notice is that this Hefe-Weizen is darker in color than it’s U.S. counter parts. The aroma is malty with hints of clove. The taste is sweet with hints of spice and cloves; there is no need for any additional fruit flavor so put away that lemon. The mouth feel is light and refreshing and has the feel of a sweet Champaign. It’s hard to belief that they got such a great beer while sticking to the Reinheitsgebot law.

I would combine this brew with any summer time favorite Grilled Chicken, Roasted Pork, Watermelon, or hey what the hell more beer.

After a long day of working on tile it feels good to sit down to a nice German Hefe-Weizen. This is an excellent summer beer and happens to be one of my personal favorites. I recall spending at least an hour in front of their booth at a Hops Festival and spending most of my chips drinking one after another. Trust me this beer may be more expensive than your average brew but it is worth it.

Next Beer: Ninkasi’s Total Domination IPA

La Fin Du Monde (The End of the World)

La Fin Du Monde (The End of the World): Strong Triple-style Golden Ale, 9% ABV, 1pint 9.4 oz, Bottle Fermented

The sweet fruity aroma is delightfully mouth watering. A true Belgium Triple with all the fruit and spice with the warming effect of a big beer. As with the other three brews this beer is big without the bite, it is well balanced.

It’s late at night and I just got home from the gym so I won’t be pairing this ale with anything. But for those who plan on having it with a meal the brewery suggests that you pair it with aged cheese, scallops, filet mignon, or duck.

This one ends my tour of the Unibroue Brewery and it’s one tasty end. So if you happen to pick up one of these brews I suggest you share what you think of this beer.

Next Beer: Scheider Weise Hefe-weizen

Maudite (Damned)

Maudite (Damned): Strong Amber-Red Ale, 8% ABV, 1pint 9.4 oz, Bottle Fermented

The aroma is mostly malt with just a slight hint of spice. This Red is big and robust in flavor with a nice hop finish. Although not as high in alcohol as the previous 2 beers this beer differently has the warming effect of a big brew.

The brewery suggests some ideas of dinning with this beer such as a stew or pork tenderloin but, I think this beer is filling enough on it’s own. If you do want to pair this up with a meal, think hearty.

In closing I think this beer would fit in perfectly with the Winter Ale Festival (Portland, OR) as it’s all that is expected of a big dark beer on a cold night. It is filling, warming, and will get you slurring your words in no time.

Funny Note: Earlier today a friend and fellow drinker said that he thought the fad of the Red Beer is all but gone, I say to him: Taste This Beer!

Trois Pistoles (Three Coins)

Trois Pistoles (Three Coins): Strong Dark Ale, 9% ABV, 1pint 9.4 oz

The aroma was of malt with a hint of ripened fruit. The flavor was very robust with a nice sweet fruit background, it reminded me of raisons. Once again this brewery is great at hiding its alcohol profile, it's hard to believe that it's a big beer.

The brewery suggests drinking this beer after dinner as they feel it’s an ideal companion to desert, artisan chocolate to be exact. I decided to take their word for it and armed myself with the Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate and Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Filling squares. It was movie night so I figured why not.

First I tried it with the Troblerone, it was a good pairing, not great but good. The sweetness and fruit flavors seemed to go well with the smooth chocolate. Then I tried it with the Ghirardelli raspberry filled squares, wow, the robust coffee and fruit flavors of the beer mixed perfectly with the smooth sweet taste of raspberry. It reminded me of when Max Tieger, former brewer at Tuck’s & Max’s Fanno Creek, made a Framboise and refused to serve me a glass unless I drank it mixed with a Stout. Great combination of flavors!

I suggest if you plan on trying this beer you pick up some chocolate to pair it with.