La Fin du Monde

First Brewed: 1994
Brewery Location: Chambly, Québec, Canada
ABV: 9.0%

History & Availability: Almost certainly Unibroue's most famous beer, La Fin Du Monde (End of the World) is also Canada's most award-winning beer and consistently one of the highest-rated beers worldwide. I can often find it in any specialty shop in NH or Maine, but since we're essentially south Quebec I'm not sure how much further south they penetrate, and the internet isn't being very helpful with distribution figures. Nevertheless I bet special order will be fairly successful with this beer given its high standing among beer enthusiasts.

Appearance: This beer is an slightly cloudy, translucent pure yellow color. Carbonation appears pretty high and similarly the barely off-white head pours very thick and high, staying at a half-fingerwidth after receding. It's actually very much reminiscent of the UFO Hefeweizen in terms of color: brilliant straw-yellow and hazily unfiltered.

Smell: Light and flowery with a bit of citrus and the slightest hint of Italian spices. Totally inoffensive unlike some overbearing citrusy beers. You can smell a little bit of alcohol, which doesn't really surprise me given the high ABV that comes with the tripel style.

Taste: You can taste the yeast here which follows from the beer being unfiltered. In addition the alcohol makes an appearance, as one might expect it might as we near double-digit ABVs. More prominently the beer follows through on the scent's promise of sour citrus; grapefruit or lemon more than orange or anything like that. The aftertaste is warm and surprisingly low on the alcoholic taste, and is definitely more fruity than anything. But despite the above, be aware that this isn't a traditional "fruity" beer. It's actually a lot like a slightly more sour version of Magic Hat #9, which I think you'll agree isn't overwhelmingly fruity, prominent though the taste may be.

Mouthfeel: 8/10 on the smooth scale. It's the slightest bit rough around the edges, intentionally. I think it's probably just a function of the high alcohol content, but it's definitely noticeable. Other than that dry alcohol feel, the carbonation is not too heavy which is a plus, especially since it still stays high enough to keep the head rolling. (I feel like I'm repeating myself here but it's important to recognize this delicate balance.)

Drinkability: Pretty darn good. It's light enough in body that it's really easy to drink the full 750 mL bottle without difficulty. The only thing that you might have trouble with is the classic "taste overload." The beer is complex enough in general that this shouldn't be a problem, but I could definitely see it happening under the right circumstances, and so I can't really discount it.

Overall verdict: A-, it's several of my friends' personal favorite, but not among mine.