Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Unibroue - Raftman

Raftman is another beer from Unibroue that was included in the taster pack at Trader Joes. So far, these things haven't been half bad and this one is definitely a step above the previously reviewed Chambly Noir. There are two left in the taster and I'm expecting good things from them.

Raftman pours a dark amber color with a pretty generous white foam head. The head fades fairly quickly and doesn't leave a whole lot behind. The smell is full of malt with a little pepper and lemon mixed in. I can't put my finger on what it smells like exactly, but Unibroue's offerings all have the same type of yeast smell and it's very present in this beer. It smells a lot like a Trader Joes Vintage Ale, so I think I'm going to like it.

Raftman is a rather unusual beer in that it's brewed with whiskey malt. While this doesn't make the beer taste like whiskey, it gives it a kind of rough malt flavor that works really well in the beer. The malt is slightly sweet and is balanced nicely with the yeast. As I got further and further into the beer, I found myself less interested, but overall, it's really not a bad beer. Too bad it's so hard to find on its own.

Final Grade: B+

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