Unibroue is a brewery located in Chambly, Québec, Canada that was started by Québec native André Dion and Serge Racine. They saw great potential in the craft-beer market, but they were faced with a challenge. In 1990, it was very difficult to obtain a brewer's permit in Québec. In order to bypass this, Dion and Racine acquired 75 % of La Brasserie Massawippi Inc. in Lennoxville, a company that was in financial difficulty at the time, and distributed their products. They then purchased the remainder of the shares at the end of 1991 and transferred their interest in La Brasserie Massawippi Inc. to Unibroue. By 1992, La Brasserie Massawippi Inc. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unibroue. It then changed its corporate name to Brasserie Broubec Inc. and subsequently merged with Unibroue in July of 1993 to form the corporation as we know it. It was bought by Sleeman Breweries Ltd. in 2004. Sleeman was then purchased by Sapporo in 2006. The company was incorporated in 1993, and has grown considerably since then. They began exporting their beers to the United States (under the name "Unibrew") in 1994.
Beers
Unibroue makes a wide range of beers, although there is a focus on Belgian-style brews, such as their Maudite ("Damned"), La Fin du Monde ("The End of the World"), and Don de Dieu ("Gift of God"). Most of Unibroue's beers are bottled "on the lees", or containing yeast sediment. This practice provides additional fermentation after bottling, resulting in a beer which ages well if kept in the dark and unrefrigerated, and allowing it to be relatively cheaply shipped to international markets. The yeast gives Unibroue beers a cloudy appearance and provides a characteristic element to the taste.
- Maudite ("Damned")
- La Fin du Monde ("The End of the World")
- Don de Dieu ("Gift of God")
Availability
These brews can be purchased at most dépanneurs (corner stores) in Québec
History
The rise in popularity of Unibroue over the past ten years has coincided with the growth of microbrewing in Québec, particularly in Montréal. Unibroue has been joined by the likes of McAuslan Brewing and brewpub Le Cheval Blanc. Another key to Unibroue's success is due to their (originally) Belgian brewer, Gino Vantieghem, and his inspiration from Belgian brewing traditions.
Unibroue also brews and bottles the Trader Joe's Vintage Ale.