Location |
Chambly, Quebec Canada |
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Opened | 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Sapporo Brewery | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | www |
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Unibroue is a brewery located in Chambly, Quebec, Canada that was started by Serge Racine and Quebec native André Dion. The company was purchased by Sleeman Breweries Ltd. in 2004, which was itself taken over by Sapporo in 2006. The company was incorporated in 1993 and is the first of three microbrewing companies in Greater Montreal area (followed by "Brasseurs RJ" and "McAuslan"), both chronologically and in terms of sale benefits.
Unibroue was founded by business partners André Dion and Serge Racine who had acquired 75% of La Brasserie Massawippi Inc. of Lennoxville in 1990. The two purchased the remainder of the shares at the end of 1991 when they transferred their interest in La Brasserie Massawippi Inc. to Unibroue.
By 1992, La Brasserie Massawippi Inc. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Unibroue. Afterward, it changed its corporate name to Brasserie Broubec Inc. and in July 1993 merged with Unibroue. It was bought by Canadian brewer, Sleeman Breweries Ltd., in 2004. Sleeman, in turn, was purchased in 2006 by Sapporo.
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 from God"). Most of Unibroue's beers are bottled "on the lees", or containing yeast sediment (or lees). This practice provides additional fermentation, also called bottle-conditioned, after bottling. The result is a beer which ages well if kept in the dark and unrefrigerated, and allows it to be shipped relatively cheaply to international markets. The yeast gives Unibroue beers a cloudy appearance and provides a characteristic element to the taste. On many of their labels, suggested serving temperatures (for example, "better at 12°–14°C") are included.
La Fin du Monde (literally French for "The End of the World" as per the translation on the back of each bottle) is a Belgian-style tripel and bottle conditioned golden ale introduced in July 1994. The name is claimed to derive from the European explorers' belief that they had reached the end of the world when they discovered America.