Now on Tap: Chambly Noir

Style: Black Ale Brewer:Unibroue, Chambly, Quebec Web Alcohol: 6.2%

This past Saturday night, for the first time in almost seven years, I sat down with my own bottle of an Unibroue beer. Lately, anytime I popped open one of my familial company's beers I would be sharing with someone else, or I would have one of those single-serve bottles from those little four packs. But I'm the only one in my house that drinks beer, so the large, corked, bottle was all up to me.

This was the first time I have seen Chambly Noir, out since 2005. The first thing I noticed about the drink is the familiar Unibroue bouquet; at this point I could recognize the smell blindfolded from a mile away. There were flavors of coffee beans and the slightest hint of peppering. Like most of the beers from this company, there is very little hoppiness. In fact, the Noir is pretty sweet, but not overbearingly so, like a fruit beer. This trait paired especially well with the perschutto as each worked to heighten the sweetness of the other. (All I needed to make the meal complete was some cheese and a chopping block.)

Rating: 8.1
Recommended with: cold, smoked meats