Unibroue Raftman
Gold medal winner in 1995 at the Chicago Beverage Testing Institute.
It is brewed with whiskey malt in honour of the raftmen, rivermen and lumberjacks of Québec of the 19th century who finished their day with Ale and Whiskey.
It is brewed with whiskey malt in honour of the raftmen, rivermen and lumberjacks of Québec of the 19th century who finished their day with Ale and Whiskey.
3.3
846 reviews
Chambly, Canada
Community reviews
When I read smoked, I get excited from my great experience with the rauchbier, this one is far from a strong smoked. So much potential, under delivering.
On tap. This had a basic aroma of belgo yeasty and wheaty goodness. The appearance was a nice cloudy amber. The taste was a pleasant, drinkable typical Unibroue mix of belgo yeast and a smooth palate of magical smoothness. Overall, a very good beer to get a series of 3 dollar pints of during a trivia night. Good for a trivia night where one is reminded of their own mortality with the looming spectre of Walter Becker's death with a potential tattoo on a butt lurking in the wings.
Similiar to the others I had in the unbroken mixer pack. A little darker and could taste the hints of whiskey.
Bottled. Raisin colored, very lively beige head. The aroma isn’t too strong but has malts and yeast. The taste has a hint of smoke with vanilla and prunes.
I have had this many times before finally rating it. Rated in July 2017 from a 12-ounce bottle. Rated again in January 2023 from a big caged and corked bottle. This is a composite review. Pours clear orange-copper with two-inch beige, whipped-cream head and lacing; lots of south-to-north carbonation. Aroma: honey, lemon, smoke. Flavor: caramel, cream cheese frosting, smoked peat, black pepper, toast, sweet pipe tobacco, yeast. Mouthfeel: medium-bodied, dry finish.
From old tasting notes. Hazy Amber gold color. Huge rocky white head. Interesting earthy malt nose reminiscent of fresh mushrooms. Tangy, smoky malt flavor is full bodied and complex.
Mild nose, smoky and iron. The palate is slightly oily with malty nose and a slight smoky exhale. A very light beer without a strong smoke taste. Okay but not mind blowing.
Pours a hazy dark amber with a big offwhite head. There are aromas of malt, citrus and woodsmoke. The taste is sweet with notes of caramel, malt, cinnamon, orange and a touch of woodsmoke. It’s light bodied with plenty of carbonation. Smoked ales can be a bit of an acquired taste but this one is mild enough to be a good introduction to the style. It’s a bit too sweet but still good.
750ml bottle delivered from Quebec to me by friend. Rare bottle with a cork in it, but neat to undue and pour. Cloudy dark amber , good thick white head. Very malty, some sour apple, hint of whisky, very smooth texture, lingering taste apple sour acidic. this is a different beer, not bad!
Pours a light amber color. Taste is very malty and spicy but I don’t taste any smoke really.
Bottle into glass. Malty, very slightly smokey aroma. Pours a cloudy amber with white head. Taste is light sour. Medium bodied. Not bad for a red beer.
Deep amber with a generous white head. Aroma is malt and spice. Taste is cinnamon, spice, and a light hint of smoke (though not nearly as much as one would expect out of a smoked ale).
F: big, white, good retention.
C: dark amber, hazy.
A: malt, orange peels, yeast, spicy, floral, fruity, brown sugar.
T: malt, peach, banana, metallic tones, yeast, hint of spice, coriander, medium body, high carbonation, not bad but I am missing smoky tones there, 341ml bottle from Christmas market in Brussels.
Bottle. This has all the spicy yeast you’d expect from a Unibroue, with a little bit of smoke. It’s good if that’s your thing.
Pours clear amber. No real head. Smell is plastic, herbal. Taste is Sharp, bit Madeira, dry. Dusty.
9th October 2016
Postively ancient bottle lurking in the back of my cellar for at least 8 years. Hazy amber beer, good cream colour head. Palate is airy and crisp. Light malts, a little oxidised caramel but not that much. Touch of malt cream. Dried fruits and a little orange peel. Tangy orange finish. It’s survived well but it has been pretty cool and dark throughout it’s long life. No smoke though ...
Out of the bottle, poured a deep copper, cloudy, with a persistent white head. On the nose I am getting yeasty, wheat malt notes, some tart lemon and coriander. Perhaps a bit of caramel but not picking up a lot of smoke in the aroma. On the palate, smoked notes come through a bit more - some caramel, bacon, clove and banana reminiscent of a dunkelweizen. Refreshing but with a slight off-dry finish. Enjoyed it!
Pours an orangey brown. With a finger of white foam. Smells like yeast, smoke and Carmel. Taste is smoke, bacon, Carmel, toast, pepper, yeast. Palate is medium-thin with above average carbonation. Overall- O.K. I might be somewhat biased because I don’t enjoy smoked malts very much.
Aroma is yeasty, bready, light banana; pour is cloudy brown with fizzy head. Has both the look and aroma of a dunkel. Flavor is wheat, yeast, banana - smoke is subtle but becomes more noticeable as the beer warms. Has a rather strong metallic note in the finish that kind of kills it for me. Has many qualities of a good dunkel, but that poor finish makes this a weaker offering from Unibroue.
This corked and caged bottled brew from a bottle shop poured a large sized head of foamy finely sized off-white colored bubbles that were very long lasting and left behind a strongly carbonated transparent golden brown colored body and a thick foamy lacing. The mild aroma was spicy and musty. The sharp mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish with a mellow spicy aftertaste. The sharp flavor contained notes of mild ale mild spice crisp breads hops and malt. A decent one that I would consider drinking again.
Hazy golden amber color with super strong activity. Thick foamy beige 4 finger island head, lasting almost forever, with strong legs.
Pleasant floral and fresh apple nose. Well intensified flavors of apples, pears, grapes, and sweet grains with floral and herbal spices. Balanced fruity sweetness with a sharp crispy fresh grassy and slight coriander feel.
Slick full body with champagne like carbonation. Well intensified finish, ending with a fresh fruity feel and a pleasant honey/maple tongue coat.
Overall an excellent craft offerring delicious complex flavors and great freshness. Visually appealing, well intensified, balanced, and accessible. The only flaw is a slightly metallic feel.
Pours an insane amount of frothy off-white head and has a dark amber appearance. Quite excessive carbonation. Aromas of barley malts, toasty malts, hints of caramel and Belgian yeast. Flavours are mainly dry type fruits, kinda like raisins and plums. Some strong Belgian yeast notes as well as earthy hops. Not quite as smokey as I was expecting. Good retention. Fizzy and drying mouthfeel. No bad but probably one of my least favourite from Unibroue.
750 ml bottle from a dépanneur in Alymer.
Appearance: Pours a
cloudy light copper color with lots of creamy white head which makes a crackling sound as it disipates. Medium retention and sight lacing.
Aroma:
Yeast, malt, bread.
Flavours:
Rye, yeast, malt, cereal, very slight smokiness.
Mouthfeel:
Average viscosity with a bit higher carbonation which is typical with Unibroue beers.
Overall: Decent beer and I can pick up a bit of the smokiness in the flavour but not in the aroma. It has a bit more complexity than I expected and is quite easy to drink.
Bottle 34,1cl / Botella 34,1cl.
@ Cerveceria Internacional, Sevilla, España.
A: Brown / Marron.
T/S: Roasted malt, sweet, slightly yeasty / Malta tostada, dulce, ligeramente a levadura.
En let smag i den. Jeg kan ikke smage at der skulle være brugt whiskey malt, måske kun at den er let røget. Den lugter godt, men den er noget anerledes i smagen. Lidt gær i eftersmagen også.
Rated from old notes. Brewed with whiskey malt, this medium bodied beer has something of a whiskey taste, but not the warmth due to the low ABV. Still, an interesting diversion.
Poured into a snifter.
3.0 A: Moderately hazed orange brown color. Three fingers of foamy white head. Retention is a tad below average and just a hair of lacing is left.
4.25 S: Big peppery spiciness right up in your face. That’s just what I want from a beer like this. Bready yeastiness, graham cracker sweetness. Banana notes float a pleasant fruitiness.
3.25 T: Tastes like it smells, but isn’t as spectacular as the nose. The bready yeastiness comes to the front. Still lots of pepper, but I was expecting more. Banana notes, cracker malts, hints of melon and clove.
3.5 M: Lighter medium body. A bit too much carbonation with each pour, but it becomes a bubbly delight with some swirling. Supremely smooth.
3.25 D: It’s a nice every day beer.
★ 767 characters
DavoleBomb, Oct 27, 2014
Medium brown in colour. I get hints of apple. Not much of a smoked beer but decent.
Light brown and cloudy, light carbonation. The malt aroma and taste is sweet more than smoky, not what I expected from whisky malt. Clean finish.
Bouteille de 341ml au Marché des Brasseurs. Ambrée brunatre avec une mince mousse blanchâtre et peu durable malgré que le liquide soit passablement effervescent. Odeur maltée/poivrée avec notes de levure de pain et de sucre. Ce brevage est annoncé comme une bière fumée mais, bien que ma langue n’ait pas la résolution d’un spectrophotomètre, je n’y ai décelé aucune trace de fumée. Moyennement sucrée (caramel) au goût avec une légère amertume, elle traine en longueur sur des notes de levure et de malt. Pas mauvaise, mais pas ce à quoi on serait en droit de s’attendre d’une bière fumée.