Unibroue is a brewery located in Chambly, Quebec, that was bought by Sleeman Breweries Ltd. in 2004. The company was incorporated in 1993, and has grown exponentially since then. They began exporting their beers to the United States (under the name "Unibrew") in 1994.

Unibroue makes a wide range of beers, although there is a focus on Belgian style brews, such as their Maudite ("Damned"), Fin du Monde ("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 striking cloudy appearance and provides a characteristic element to the taste.

It has been argued that Unibroue, until they were bought by the Ontario-based Sleeman's, made beers for a separatist or nationalist audience, and that their labels invoked myths and stories (e.g. the chasse-galerie on the Maudite label) that appealed to a largely Francophone audience. To fill the void created when Unibroue was bought, a Quebec City-based group has entered into an agreement with the Montreal brewery, La Barbarie , to produce a beer called "Le Quebecois," which is slated to hit Montreal shelves by December, 2004.

The rise in popularity of Unibroue over the past ten years has coincided with the growth of microbrewing in Quebec, particularly in Montreal. Unibroue has been joined by the likes of Cheval Blanc and McAuslan .

See also

• Canadian beer

External links

• Unibroue Website