New Obsession: La Maudite (Unibroue)

[Paco]

I too am a big UNIBROUE fan. In fact, I drink it about every week or so. Chambly is about an hour and a half from my place.

This is an interesting thread. I can't wait to see if you guys come up with a good clone.

I made a quick search last night; I thought that could be of an interest to some of you.

UNIBROUE

UNIBROUE on Wikipedia

UNIBROUE beers

Cool UNIBROUE downloads

Chasse-galerie (related to the La Maudite label)

On Wikipedia

A version of the story of the Chasse-galerie​

Actually, La Maudite and La blanche de Chambly was my number one and two but now that I have tasted La noire de Chambly and La Don de Dieu, they have retrograded...

 

[Evan!]

I too am a big UNIBROUE fan. In fact, I drink it about every week or so. Chambly is about an hour and a half from my place.

This is an interesting thread. I can't wait to see if you guys come up with a good clone.

I made a quick search last night; I thought that could be of an interest to some of you.

UNIBROUE

UNIBROUE on Wikipedia

UNIBROUE beers

Cool UNIBROUE downloads

Chasse-galerie (related to the La Maudite label)

On Wikipedia

A version of the story of the Chasse-galerie​

Actually, La Maudite and La blanche de Chambly was my number one and two but now that I have tasted La noire de Chambly and La Don de Dieu, they have retrograded...

you mean they let furriners on this board? agh!

 

[Paco]

Eeeuuhhh... f-u-r-r-i-n-e-r-s? Sorry but what is that?... I'm mainly French so I sure need help... thanks...

 

[gonzoflick]

I have read they use three different types of yeast. The one used at bottling is strictly for carbonation/conditioning and can not be cultivated to make that unique taste. That is a yeast which is filtered before bottling.

 

[DeathBrewer]

i've heard the bottling yeast still makes good belgian-style brews

 

[Torchiest]

Eeeuuhhh... f-u-r-r-i-n-e-r-s? Sorry but what is that?... I'm mainly French so I sure need help... thanks...

He meant foreigners, but he was making a joke with a bad spelling of it. Pretty ironic that you didn't understand because English is your second language.

i've heard the bottling yeast still makes good belgian-style brews

I've heard Chimay bottle yeast was good for that, but Unibroue wasn't. It would be interesting if anyone on here has ever tried and could report results.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

I absolutely loved this beer.

 

[jvh261]

So I just read this thread. Did anyone actually make any of the propsed Maudite clones? I was thinking of buying some Wyeast 3864 since its available for another few weeks and giving a Belgian (hopefully in the ballpark of a Maudite) a shot at some point.

 

[Glibbidy]

not yet. I put it on the back burner for awhile.
My basement may be too cold for that kind of thing now.
thanks for the bump.

 

[sirsloop]

I've got 5 gallons of pistoles in primary and another 5 on the way that'll get dumped on the cake. Great stuff! A good time is getting a bunch of unibroue 750s and inviting some friends over

 

[Paco]

For those who have enjoyed La Maudite from UNIBROUE/UNIBREW, you might want to see if you can get Blonde/Brune D'Achouffe from Brasseurs RJ. The Spéciale Ambrée was pretty interesting too. Those are, from my point of appreciation, in a similar spirit than La Maudite though absolutely not the same...

I'm not sure if they export but I thought it was worth mentioning...

I've picked up two of their seasonal and I can't wait to try 'em. I couldn't stand the Coup de grisou; I guess I don't like buckwheat in beer...?

Cheers!

 

[ρ®ïMσ]

I opted for La Maudite because

the don de deu imho is damn tasty and its 9%:rockin:

 

[Torchiest]

So I just read this thread. Did anyone actually make any of the propsed Maudite clones? I was thinking of buying some Wyeast 3864 since its available for another few weeks and giving a Belgian (hopefully in the ballpark of a Maudite) a shot at some point.

Funny thing. My fifth batch was an attempt at a belgian ale, and it was extremely fruity and estery early on. However, I let a few bottles age for about a year, and had one over the holidays, either Thanksgiving or Christmas. It was phenomenal. Just a few weeks ago I had a Maudite, and it was really really close to my own brew. Here's the recipe I used:

9.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract
1.00 lb Caravienne Malt
1.00 lb Munich Malt
0.25 lb Special B Malt
2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (20 min)
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80%] (10 min)
0.75 lb Molasses
0.75 lb Brown Sugar, Light
0.50 lb Honey
1 Pkgs Trappist Ale (White Labs #WLP500)

Like I said, it was only so so for months, but a full year of aging really helped it out a ton. I think I have one bottle left. I should brew this again so I can get to aging it. My Trois Pistoles clone has been bottled for almost ten months now. I had one of them over the holidays as well, but it wasn't as good as the other. I've got one chilling in the fridge, and I plan on drinking it today. I'll report the results back later.

 

[Glibbidy]

the don de deu imho is damn tasty and its 9%:rockin:

I found the Don de Dieu to be to sweet for my taste.

 

[slimer]

Isn't one of the most recent Wyeast VSS the Unibroue yeast?

 

[maltMonkey]

I generally like the Unibroue beers. Maudite & Don de Dieu are my favorites amoung the seven I've tried.

My problem with them is that they taste more like a champagne to me than a beer. I like champagne and I like Unibroue's beers, but the taste doesn't register in the realm of "what I think of as beer".....so I never buy them. They are also too expensive, IMO.

They are a nice change of pace, however.

 

[Torchiest]

Where I buy Unibroue, you can get four 12oz bottles for about the same price as one 750mL bottle, so I always get the small ones.

 

[Glibbidy]

I have read they use three different types of yeast. The one used at bottling is strictly for carbonation/conditioning and can not be cultivated to make that unique taste. That is a yeast which is filtered before bottling.

They actually use several different strains of yeast for their line of beers, but not more than two strains per beer. They use one for fermentation, and a second (always the same) one for refermentation.

 

[noisy123]

Anyone ever come up with a clone they are happy with for Maudite? Its my favorite brew, and although I have no time to brew right now I sure would love to try it next.

 

[Torchiest]

The recipe I posted in post #73 came out pretty close, after months and months of aging. I'm going to brew it again, after my Peanut Butter Brown and Christmas ale.

 

[noisy123]

I think I really taste bitter orange in there. Have you thought about adding some?

 

[Torchiest]

I've never used bitter orange in my brews. I've used sweet orange peels a number of times. I might try using bitter the next time I brew a basic wit, but I haven't missed it so far. Also, I wasn't directly attempting to clone, so the similarity is just coincidence, rather than something planned. I'm happy enough with the way it came out to basically stick with the recipe in its current form.

 

[Malticulous]

My first PM recipe came out tasting very much like Maudite. It should have not been as dark but I think boiling the orange peel for 30 minutes made the color darker (half of the peels from a small thin skinned navel.). I used Wyeast 3724. 7# Pilsner LME, 1# Vienna, 1# Torrified wheat with Spalt, Saaz and Strisslesplat hops, 1 tsp crushed coriander and a pound of corn sugar.

 

[benthegrate]

Maudite is absolutely, hands down, my favorite beer. I stumbled across it in Quebec...bought it because I was at Winter Carnaval, and the convenience store owner explained the flying canoe label this way:

Back when Quebec was still almost entirely wild country, a group of fur trappers was up the St. Lawrence trapping beaver when a fall storm blew in and froze up the river. The trappers desperately wanted to get back to Quebec City in time for the drunken debauchery of Winter Carnaval, so they struck a deal with the devil. In exchange for their souls, the devil provided them with a flying canoe, so they could soar above the frozen river to the city to participate in the drunken revelry.

Great story...better beer. Maudite was what inspired me to start brewing. If it wasn't so ruinously expensive here in Texas, I'd drink nothing else.

I searched for a clone last year and this was what I found:

20 litres Maudite

7 lbs 2 row malt
6 lbs light Munich malt
2 lbs wheat malt
0.25 lbs Belgian Aromatic malt
0.25 lbs light crystal malt
0.10 lbs chocolate malt

Mash at 69C for 90 minutes

1 lb brown sugar added to boil for 20 minutes
then 1 oz Tetnanger 5.7% AA for 60 minutes
0.5 oz Hershbrucker 4.9% AA for 20 minutes

pitch with White Labs Trappist Ale Yeast

Fermented at 20C

 

[thataintchicken]

I really enjoy La Maudite.
There are fond memories in my mind of fabulous dinner parties where I paired La Maudite with a big fat pasta dish.

The first time my father came to visit me in Monterey CA, I grilled some steaks and served La Maudite.

Good times.

 

[noisy123]

Here is one I found on the net. . This brewer is on his fourth batch and claims to be getting close. For a smaller batch could you just cut all the ingredients in half?

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 13.00
Wort Size (Gal): 13.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 36.50
Anticipated OG: 1.076
Plato: 18.44
Anticipated SRM: 13.9
Anticipated IBU: 22.3
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 15.29 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.065 SG 15.82 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------

Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.

Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Rager

Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %


Grain/Extract/Sugar

Amount Name Origin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
82.2 30.00 lbs. Pilsener: Germany
2.7 1.00 lbs. CaraMunich Malt: Belgium
2.7 1.00 lbs. CaraFoam Dextrine
2.7 1.00 lbs. Aromatic Malt: Belgium
3.4 1.25 lbs. Biscuit Malt: Belgium
3.4 1.25 lbs. Special B Malt: Belgian
2.7 1.00 lbs. Turbinado Sugar: Generic

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.00 oz. Hallertau Hersbrucker Pellet 2.67 22.3 60 min.


Extras

Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 Oz Bitter Orange Peel Spice 15 Min.(boil)
7.00 Unit(s)Clove, whole Spice 15 Min.(boil)
1.00 Oz Corriander Seed Spice 15 Min.(boil)
6.00 gm Grains of Paradise Spice 15 Min.(boil)
1.00 Unit(s)Whirlfloc tablet Fining 15 Min.(boil)
6.00 gm White Pepper Spice 15 Min.(boil)


Yeast
-----

WYeast 3864 Canadian / Belgian


Mash Schedule
-------------

Mash Type: Single Step

Grain Lbs: 35.50
Water Qts: 36.52 - Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 9.13 - Before Additional Infusions

Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.03 - Before Additional Infusions

Saccharification Rest Temp : 152 Time: 120
Mash-out Rest Temp : 170 Time: 10
Sparge Temp : 170 Time: 10


Total Mash Volume Gal: 11.97 - Dough-In Infusion Only

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[gonzoflick]

I've heard the strain they use to bottle is a neutral, while their fermentation strain is a house secret

 

[noisy123]

I am brewing Maudite in the next week. The recipe I will use is cited here and is called Ky's Maudite. It won a Canadian gold medal for homebrewing in 2003.

In other forums on the net, this beer seems to have sparked some discussion as to whether the spices flavoring Maudite (such as coriander, cloves, pepper, orange) result from the yeast used by Unibroue. Should I add any of these spices?

 

[niquejim]

I am brewing Maudite in the next week. The recipe I will use is cited here and is called Ky's Maudite. It won a Canadian gold medal for homebrewing in 2003.

In other forums on the net, this beer seems to have sparked some discussion as to whether the spices flavoring Maudite (such as coriander, cloves, pepper, orange) result from the yeast used by Unibroue. Should I add any of these spices?

If you're going to do it, Do it right

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/wyeast-new-vss-strains-95963/

Use the Unibroue yeast

 

[noisy123]

If you're going to do it, Do it right

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/wyeast-new-vss-strains-95963/

Use the Unibroue yeast

I know. I am sooo psyched. After Maudite, I'm going for a fin du Monde. (By the way... I love the avatar - makes me laugh every time I see it.)