UPDATED: JUN 25, 2020 750ml bottle 6/25/20 (Divorce Day) 40° in Snifter. Pours an auburn brown with a small tan covering for a head. Aroma of caramel, malt, toffee, and dried fruit. Taste of the same with some oak and brown sugar coming in on the back end. This full bodied brew is well balanced and another good brew from Unibroue.

UPDATED: APR 16, 2020 Very strong, alcohol raisin heavy oak Trappist style. This is no doubt a strong beer. A bit too overpowering for my pallet. I would like to try again years from 2o20 however no need really to buy another one for me. I could see how some with more developed taste would enjoy

UPDATED: JAN 16, 2020 750-ml caged and corked bottle pours nearly opaque auburn-brown with a tiny tan head and residual lacing. Aroma: dark dried fruits, cherries, brown sugar. Flavor: raisins, plums, dates, figs, molasses cookies, fruitcake, caramel, caramelized malt vinegar. Mouthfeel: medium- to full-bodied with a slick finish.

UPDATED: MAY 26, 2019 Bouteille de 2013 bue en 2019. Bière très effervescente. Nez sur le sucre d’orge, porto, caramel. Gout de petits fruits, caramel, très alcoolisé. Un peu de tabac. Un peu trop pétillant. Super bon quand meme.

UPDATED: APR 19, 2019 I got to taste a small sample of this while volunteering for a beer tasting festival. Dark brown appearance. Flavors of caramel & chocolate malts, toffee, mild fruit, oak, etc. Pretty complex yet balanced pretty well and not overly sweet. Still...a heavy beer and you can feel the ABV%.

UPDATED: FEB 7, 2019 Thought 17 had been sampled and rated previously. Not so, actually good news since Belgian ales are a particular favorite. The 750 ml caged and corked bottle sports the note 'bb 06/12/21'. So, yes, I will be beating that date considerably. I elect to use my Chimay glass for this brew, it pours a dark brown, black, amber liquid, a bit of all with a glorious straw-tan, finely bubbled head. The scent is swell, plums, raisins, yeast, you get the idea. The payoff, a drink, a firm maltiness initially followed by dark fruit, bread dough, nectarine. Mildly spicy with an acknowledged bitterness. Just the barest hint of sweetness. The head contributes some creaminess. Very nice.

UPDATED: DEC 1, 2018 12/1/18 (Chicago): Bottle purchased in 2013, best before 2/28/18 on bottle, poured into Chimay chalice. Dark ruby pour, generous puffy off-white head leaves generous lacing as it slowly dissipates. Very nice sweet aroma, spices and fruits. This beer aged very well. Roasted malt, raisins, figs, cherry taste. The whole fruit basket, very well blended, slighly spices offsets well. Extremely mellow and smooth creamy mouth feel, carbonation holds well. Excellent beer, one of my all time favorites, well done once again Unibroue!!!

UPDATED: NOV 16, 2018 How to start! I love this beer! probably had it 50 times so far, prefered around winter to really apreciate the heat that it pack with it 10%abv. I wont talk much about the taste because they are alot of good info on that elsewere, instead i will describe the evolution of the 17. I'm much familiar with this beer aging developement, still having 2011-15 ones in the cellar, i can say some years has been better. The best one to me was the 2011 and that. every years in the cellar that one was still the winner! the 2012-2016 was great but had a bit too much of fruits acidity, that took years to mellow out to reach a good balance, some prefer it but i found that it overpower the other amazing subtle notes in that beer, leaving too much bubblegum taste. But yesterday while trying the new ones(2017) i was blown away by how spot on it was! The carbonatation was right! not too much for once, the taste of ripe fruits was there but so mellow and perfectly paired with the french oak end! The 2017 unibroue 17 will definitly be my official 2018 christmas beer! And at the price point of 9.99cad for a 750ml thats a bargain! Go get some before i buy them all! Cheers!

Pours dark brown with a medium, off white head. Aroma is dried fruits, wood and some caramel. Taste is plum and toffee, warming to wood, clove and some cinnamon. Finish is malt and Belgian yeast. A very good beer.

750ml bottle shared with George and wife. Vintage 2015, BB 2020-09-24. Pours a very dark hazy brown with a tan head. Aroma is dark fruits and barrel. Taste is similar, quite harsh. Ok.