Quebec Beer Takes the Worlds
After four rounds of tastings in London, England, the winners of the World Beer Awards 2010 have finally been announced. Among the 500 competing beers from 27 countries, Quebec’s Unibroue 17 was named world’s best beer. Unibroue is classified as a dark ale, and took first place in three categories: World’s Best Dark Ale, World’s Best Strong Dark Ale and The Americas’ Best Strong Ale.
Unibroue 17 was actually brewed only once, in late 2007. It’s the result of brewmaster Jerry Vietz’s expertise and know-how. “I am extremely proud that this beer was honoured in this prestigious competition, since it’s the first beer I created and brewed at Unibroue from start to finish. I still remember the time spent developing this beer, especially the first day of fermentation when I and three of my brewers added oak chips to the fermenter!” said Vietz.
”It was a bold approach, but innovation plays a crucial role in developing new Unibroue recipes and products. This beer stands out for its roasted malt nose, slightly sweet taste and subtle oak cask finish, which I am sure was a deciding factor for the jury. I am very pleased to see that the 17 is maturing and improving even after three years of aging,” stated Vietz. Chambly-based Unibroue continues to draw accolades after 120 international medals already won for beers such as La Fin du Monde, Quelque Chose, Terrible, Maudite, Trois Pistoles, Blanche de Chambly, and Éphémère Apple.
A panel of renowned international experts participated in judging the entries during the marathon blind tastings — chair Roger Protz, European chair Jeff Evans, US chair Stan Hieronymus and Japanese chair Bryan Harrell, along with beer experts Jay Brooks and Eric Warner in the US, Ben Vinken in Belgium, Sylvia Kopp in Germany, Sally Toms in the UK, and Tatsuo Aoki in Japan.