Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2009
Trader Joe’s 2009 Vintage Ale
You might be used to seeing vintages on wine; not so much on beer. And that’s what makes this ale so special. Trader Joe’s Vintage Ales were developed, crafted, brewed and bottled for us in limited quantities this year. Its flavor, color, texture and overall character are different from our Vintage Ale of 2008, and in 2010 it will be different once again.
The 2009 Vintage Ale
It is an opaque black color and features an impressive coffee-colored foam. In a glass, it boasts cocoa and malt aromas, with a subtle hint of lemon and ginger. A sip from that glass really brings out the best in this ale - malty and mildly sweet, with hints of cocoa, citrus and spices.
Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale is ready to enjoy right away, chilled but not ice cold. Unlike many beers, though, this one will age for a few years, and its flavors will become more complex and interesting as time goes by.
What’s that? You’re a beer geek? We love that. You’ll love this. And we assume you’ll want to know this is a dark ale on lees, 9% ABV (that’s Alcohol by Volume, for the non-beer geeks). Oh, and it’s brewed exclusively for Trader Joe’s, of course.
Best Before 09-12-2012
You might be used to seeing vintages on wine; not so much on beer. And that’s what makes this ale so special. Trader Joe’s Vintage Ales were developed, crafted, brewed and bottled for us in limited quantities this year. Its flavor, color, texture and overall character are different from our Vintage Ale of 2008, and in 2010 it will be different once again.
The 2009 Vintage Ale
It is an opaque black color and features an impressive coffee-colored foam. In a glass, it boasts cocoa and malt aromas, with a subtle hint of lemon and ginger. A sip from that glass really brings out the best in this ale - malty and mildly sweet, with hints of cocoa, citrus and spices.
Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale is ready to enjoy right away, chilled but not ice cold. Unlike many beers, though, this one will age for a few years, and its flavors will become more complex and interesting as time goes by.
What’s that? You’re a beer geek? We love that. You’ll love this. And we assume you’ll want to know this is a dark ale on lees, 9% ABV (that’s Alcohol by Volume, for the non-beer geeks). Oh, and it’s brewed exclusively for Trader Joe’s, of course.
Best Before 09-12-2012
3.7
187 reviews
Monrovia, United States
Community reviews
Brown black with tan head and lace. Aroma of dark brown sugar or molasses. Sour brown sugar sweet malt and a sour finish. Medium bodied and fizzy.
750mL bottle, pours an opaque dark amber brown with a towering foamy beige head. Aroma of spices upfront, bubblegum, licorice, and some mild candied sugar. Flavour of spices, dark fruits, brown sugar, and some caramel. Complex, more spicy than the last couple of vintages, with medium carbonation that brings out the complexity perfectly. Great stuff, but inferior to the last couple of vintages.
Sample from a 750ml bottle, shared by tmoney99. Dark brown but clear color. Minimal khaki head, little lace. Nice estery lightly spicy nose. Soft, light to moderate carbonation. Dry texture. Nice spicy flavor. Light belgian yeast, little roasty malt. Hint of smoke. Liking this.
750 ml bottle to snifter (thanks tmoney99). Looks good; black with thin off-white lacing. Smells and tastes malty and a little boozy with notes of lemon and ginger. Average on the palate. Enjoyable.
12 oct 2012, bottle. Brown/dark ruby. Nose is warm apple pie, heavy on apple and cinnamon, not as much pie crust. Thin body and moderately fizzy. Tastes of spicy cinnamon apples. Really nice
Black with tawny edges and off white head. Aroma of cola cola and twizzlers. Effervescent anise and dark fruit. Slight green apple taste. Weird mix of flavors but not bad.
Bottle Jeff brought to James’s place. Pours a dark brown, auburn hue, with boatloads of khaki head. Aroma has cloying ntoes of butterscotch and candied sugar. Flavor has tootise roll notes and butterscotch stickiness. Some slight sweet spices and cocoa. Sticky sweet despite the thin body and prickly carbonation. Actually pretty good stuff.
March 4, 2011 - with blankboy, garthicus, gregclow, jerc and mabel: 750ml corked & caged bottle via trade with irishboy (again, thanks, Richard!). Clear, deep, bright brick red; bubbly with a long-lasting creamy/fizzy tan head. Like the ’08 (spice/yeast/sweet caramel/ some booze) but roastier, maybe yeastier, definitely darker and more dry herbal bitterness. Taste follows right on from the aroma, a little warming. Average body, solid carbonation, a bit more bitterness and dry character in the finish.
In short: A liquefied Mars bar with hot spiciness. Good beer
How: Bottle 750ml, consumed when a little over 2 years of age. Bottle sent to me by
The look: Very dark mahogany body with red highlights topped by a large beige head with good retention
In long: Nose is slightly phenolic, sweet soft candies and a spiciness that is usually found in light refreshing beers (coriander, lemongrass). Taste is sweet cereals, nougat, watered down toffee, candi sugar, hot spiciness (black pepper, ginger, more…), milk chocolate, almonds, fruity notes of apples. The various flavor elements of the beer (nougat, milk chocolate, caramel, hot spiciness, etc.) gives the sensation of drinking a hot-spicy liquefied Mars™ bar. Carbonation is a bit on of soft side and the mouthfeel is a bit slimy. Somehow the beer never felt too sweet and drinking a full 750ml was an easy task. Overall, a pretty decent beer, this one had the potential to be one of the best Unibroue but the slimy mouthfeel was a letdown and I would have preferred the spiciness to be a more discreet. I’m also pretty sure this was inspired by Trois Pistoles or even was a blend that uses Trois Pistoles. It angers me that the Unibroue Trader Joes and brewed 20 miles away from my home but are only sold in the USA, I almost feel like hating the USA but it is useless, nobody hates half of the USA as much as the other half of the USA.
Black with tan head, cocoa, malt, bready yeast aroma. Dark fruit, toffee, and coriander taste. Easily the best vintage produced so far.
Wow. Thanks a lot to MeisterbrauMHB for this! Pours a deep, opaque mahogany color. Thick foamy tan head. Aroma is a rich malt, apple, and clove, with coriander notes. Flavor is very complex, with a strong roasted malt backbone and cocoa notes galore. Yet it’s surprisingly drinkable. Holy cow. This is really quite amazing, and worth the wait. Thanks again!
22oz bottle courtesy of Headbanger at gathering on 1/10/10. Color is a deep dark brown that is near black. Carbonation is good making for a nice tan head. Aroma is rich and sweet. It has a full body with a rich mouth feel. Flavor is spicy with rich caramel and dried fruit ending with a light bitterness. Overall its a very good brew.
(From notes) Bottle, New Year’s Eve of 2009. Dark brown color. Off white to beige head, retaining. Aroma: spices (ginger, aniseed), dark fruits, (milk)chocolate. Flavor is medium sweet, spicy & malty. Quite strong alcoholfeel. Medium bodied. Flavor lingers on (no new flavors). On the spicy side, but nice winterwarmer.
I always like these. This is black and imparts a huge, billowy head. Smells like Unibroue and Coriander. Light in the mouth. No heavy alcohol. I waited two years to try this. I’m not sharing it. Quite good.
Been saving this one for awhile. Poured deep ruby with a light tan head. Aroma is dark fruit, raisins, Belgian yeast, caramel, toffee, super complex and earthy. Some strong vinous notes. Flavor is similar to aroma. Sweet dark fruit, malt. This beer was excellent.
Brown bottle, 750 ml, from Philippe Boutin, savoured on October 21 2011; eye: dark brown, opaque, no effervescence, tiny sheet of beige head, no lacing; nose: coriander, yeast, fruity, candied sugar; mouth: coriander, yeast, fruity, candied sugar, ginger spiciness, light alcohol, finale in ginger spiciness with presence of coriander, medium-full body, good carbonation, foamy texture; overall: fine
FRANÇAIS
Bouteille brune, 750 ml, 9 %, de Philippe Boutin, savourée le 21 octobre 2011; œil : brune foncée, opaque, pas d’effervescence, petite couverture de mousse beige, pas de dentelle; nez : coriandre, levure, fruité, sucre candi; bouche : coriandre, levure, fruité, sucre candi, piquant du gingembre, léger alcool, finale en piquant du gingembre avec présence de coriandre, corps moyen-corsé, bonne carbonatation, texture mousseuse; en résumé : bien
Bottle: Poured a dark brown color ale with a large light brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma consists of candi sugar and coriander with the typical Unibroue yeast profile. Taste is a very nice mix between some sweet Belgian malt with light notes of candi sugar and quite a bit of coriander. The Unibroue yeast strain profile can also be easily detected but I find the light fruity ester it provides very enjoyable. Body is full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Well brewed with some complexity and easily drinkable characteristics.
A dark brown ale with a thick big bubbled mocha head. In aroma, loads of coriander spices, with plums, candy sugar, Italian herbs, quite nice. In mouth, a smooth sweet dark fruits with candy sugar, and light sugar, ginger notes, very nice and smooth. Tasted Oct. 21 2011 with GRM and Boutip. Merci Phillipe.
Tasted bottle into tulip glass. Poured an opaque black color with crazy thick beige foam, extremely persistent, fine Belgian lace. Strong perfumey aromas: pepper, clove, and other unidentifiable spices, citrus zest, alcohol. Large list of flavors: malt, bread, toast, caramel, molasses, plums, black licorice, dried cranberries, hops bitterness, roasted barley. Very fruity, tart and tangy, lasting aftertaste. Very warming alcohol, it’s impossible to completely hide 9% ABV, after all. Interesting and tasty, definitely to be saved for special sipping occasions.
(bottle) deep brown/black with hints of red. Aroma was overwhelmingly ginger. Taste was also overwhelmed by the ginger, with other spices, some bitter chocolate, slightly sweet dark malt.
Bottle. Dark rudy brown, foamy light tan head. Dark fruits, spice, nutmeg, light chocolate, and light roast. Plenty of the unibroue yeast. Overly carbonated. A basic dark belgian spiced christmas beer from unibroue, which isn’t such a bad thing.
Brewed by Unibroue and described as a (Belgian) Dark Ale Brewed on Lees, and certainly not a Dubbel.
Serving glass: Poured from bomber into Snifter.
Appearance: Extremely dark opaque brown with a billowing cappuccino head that quickly disappears, leaving nothing behind.
Aroma: Dry musty malts, wood, cocoa, Belgian yeast, lemon and ginger.
Taste: Earthy, musty and woody with cloves, lemon and cocoa. Way too musty for my liking, like sucking the liquid from the wooden walls of a dank cellar.
Palate: Moderate carbonation, medium body, dry but still seems cloying.
Overall: While not a bad beer, I don’t particularly like it.
Thanks to Leighton for bringing this to MesandSim’s tasting to celebrate my 1000th. Pretty much opaque black with a nice beige head. Lots of great aromas, smells like a Mongolian barbie. Cake, lots of ginger in aroma and flavour, sherry and red wine, ribena, meat, red black and green fruit pastilles, christmas type spices, hints of chocolate. Complex and different. Very drinkable and tasty.
750 bottle-thanks Brent-distiller for sharing-pours a foamy tan head and brown/copper color. Aroma is medium malt-caramel. Taste is medium malt-caramel, spice hops. Effervescence on ther front of tongue.
750 ml bottle. A nice begian taste. Chocolate and nutmeg come through nice. Nice and drinkable just a tad thin.
Bottle with Andrew, Carla and Nathan. Pours a dark brown with dark tan foam. Smells sweet with hints of saparilla and chocolate. Tastes oaky with hints of vanilla, nutmeg and vinigar with surprisingly little roastiness. Feels very thin.
Bottle from bhensonb. Pours dark murky brown with a massive tan head and a slightly smoky chocolate aroma. There is a spicy chocolate and plum flavor with a dry citrus finish.
My friend Matt brought this one up from Virginia. Sampled from a 750 ml corked brown bottle this beer poured a very dark brown color with a huge foamy tan head that lingered and produced good lacing. The aroma was tart and yeasty with notes of cherry, nut, maple, malted milk and nutmeg. The flavor was dryish and yeasty with notes of vanilla, malted milk, cherry, faint vague spices, cocoa and nutmeg. The finish was medium length vanilla, yeast and cocoa. Medium body. Nice.
Pine, caramel, minor honey smell but not much carbonation. almost tastes like a barleywine.
Bottle picked up at Trader Joe’s in Alexandria - Winter 2009. Reviewed from notes.
Pours a nice dark mahogany-brown with a thick off white head with a bunch of lacing as it goes down. Smells like dark fruits and some mild caramel along with a bit of creamy alcohol. Taste brings dark fruits, dates, and dark cherries along with a bit of alcohol and dark, sweet malt flavors. Good creamy mouthfeel with a bit of alcohol. Drinks quite well at a really tremendous price.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 10-24-2010