United Nations of Beer

La Fin Du Monde

by John Warbuck
(Chicago, IL)

As Christmas draws near, there are many occasions to enjoy a finely crafted beer in the company of friends and family. This last Sunday was such an occasion, and I had the special privilege of visiting a cousin of my father; who is quite the beer connoisseur. Throughout the evening, I was able to enjoy a number of great beers that included Anchor Steam Christmas Ale, Criminally Bad Elf Barley Wine, a wonderful raspberry lambic and the beer that I am reviewing for you now— La Fin Du Monde; brewed by Unibroue.

La Fin Du Monde means “The end of the world”, but Unibroue is not referring to the apocalypse. Instead, they are referring to Quebec itself being the furthest location you can travel to before reaching the Arctic Circle. Brewed since 1994, this beer is best served from a tulip glass at 53°- 57°F. At the party, it was served to me in the low to mid 40s and when I took one home with me to review, I tried it at the suggested serving temperature and found it to be of little consequence whether the beer was served chilled or warm, as is the case with some beers.

In a blind tasting, you would never guess that this beer is from Canada. The style, ingredients, aromas, appearance and taste all suggest that this is a Belgian style golden ale. The beer pours the color of honey and is extremely inviting with a fluffy and creamy white head. Appearance gets a perfect mark from me as this beer looks marvelous and delicious.

Going in for the smell, the first thing you will notice is a strong citrus presence. Coriander, a slight malty sweetness and a hint of honey will find their way in after the citrus notes make themselves known. Reaching this point, it is impossible to resist going in for a taste. The aromas are sweet, slightly floral, and everything you expect from a Belgian style golden ale. Aroma gets a perfect score.


This beer holds its head fairly well and the body is not heavy, but not light either. I compare the mouth feel to that of champagne as it is sparkly and carbonated, but it still retains the full body of a beer. Citrus dominates the taste as it does the smell, but the taste in general is not strong and overpowering. It is not too light either; to me it is just right. As a compliment to the citrus notes, the flavors of coriander, honey and banana creep into the back end of this beer.

Like all of the previous categories, the taste of La Fin Du Monde also received a perfect score from me. This was just a very pleasant beer and I really enjoyed it. Although this beer is not made in Belgium, it could have fooled me and it fits the style quite nicely. It is not hard at all for a beer to receive a good rating from me because I enjoy many different craft beers and appreciate what a brewer is trying to do, but it is extremely rare that a beer receives a perfect rating from me.

La Fin Du Monde is the exception in this case. It really impressed me from my first experience with it on Sunday and I am glad that I had the opportunity to try it. If you can find this beer in your specialty beer store, you should go ahead and try it too!

Beer: La Fin Du Monde
Brewed by: Unibroue
Style: Triple-style Golden Ale

Color and appearance: 10 out of 10
Aroma, head and head retention: 10 out of 10
Body: 10 out of 10
Adherence to style: 10 out of 10
Taste: 10 out of 10
Overall Rating: 10 out of 10— a perfect score