Terrible

Another Monster from Chambly, Quebec's Unibroue, Terrible is a force to be reckoned with. It weighs in an an unforgiving 10.5% and comes in an imposing, corked 750mL bottle that features simple, stark packaging.  Well done, marketing folks. Well done.

Terrible is an abbey-style ale and a dark ale on lees. According to the label, it has 15 IBUs. It's a deep, dark brown ale topped with a never-say-quit off-white head. The nose is boozy and malt heavy, with notes of raisin and fruitcake. It tastes strong, but nowhere near its 10.5%. Terrible is a yeasty brew, malt driven, with dark fruit notes. The aftertaste is very sweet and almost syrupy.

In my opinion, this is among the finest Belgian-style beers that you'll find outside of Brussels. It's dark and flavourful, strong as can be, yet nuanced and almost delicate. This is the kind of beer to savour beside a crackling fire on a cool evening. My advice is not to open a bottle of this stuff unless you're planning on savouring it.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.