If you have ever been to The Edison in Downtown L.A. you know what a unique space it is. Entering from street level you descend several flights of stairs to the bowels of a now defunct Edison Power Plant. Redolent of history there are old generators and other reminders of an era dedicated to classy cocktails, and classic cocktail flapper dresses. Known for innovation in blending historical libations with a twist the menu is heavy on gin and bourbon. Now normally I would be all over their relatively extensive collection of Scotch but I was driving and I had noticed a beer that was on my list of must try's from Michael Jackson. I have had a couple offerings from Canada's Unibroue Brewery so I was
expecting nothing less than perfection from one that had made Jackson's list. Unibroue's Maudite is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale and clocks in at a relatively hefty 8 % ABV. It sports an impressive label depicting a rather hellish scene as you can see from the picture here. "Maudite" in Quebecois literally means "damned" and the passengers of the canoe certainly were as they reneged on their deal with the devil to have him fly them home for Christmas. None of them made it as they all plummeted to the ground. This fated trip's end had much in common with how I felt about this beer. Maybe it was a case of trumped up expectations but Maudite left me feeling disappointed. I expect a belgian strong ale to have a bit of body to the brew but this one was little anemic. The flavor was one dimensional there was just not the layering I had expected. I've had Unibroue's Trois Pistoles and that is far and away a superior brew to the Maudite. I was glad I got to try the beer but I was more glad to have had it in the rough hewn surroundings of The Edison.
If you have ever been to The Edison in Downtown L.A. you know what a unique space it is. Entering from street level you descend several flights of stairs to the bowels of a now defunct Edison Power Plant. Redolent of history there are old generators and other reminders of an era dedicated to classy cocktails, and classic cocktail flapper dresses. Known for innovation in blending historical libations with a twist the menu is heavy on gin and bourbon. Now normally I would be all over their relatively extensive collection of Scotch but I was driving and I had noticed a beer that was on my list of must try's from Michael Jackson. I have had a couple offerings from Canada's Unibroue Brewery so I was 
expecting nothing less than perfection from one that had made Jackson's list. Unibroue's Maudite is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale and clocks in at a relatively hefty 8 % ABV. It sports an impressive label depicting a rather hellish scene as you can see from the picture here. "Maudite" in Quebecois literally means "damned" and the passengers of the canoe certainly were as they reneged on their deal with the devil to have him fly them home for Christmas. None of them made it as they all plummeted to the ground. This fated trip's end had much in common with how I felt about this beer. Maybe it was a case of trumped up expectations but Maudite left me feeling disappointed. I expect a belgian strong ale to have a bit of body to the brew but this one was little anemic. The flavor was one dimensional there was just not the layering I had expected. I've had Unibroue's Trois Pistoles and that is far and away a superior brew to the Maudite. I was glad I got to try the beer but I was more glad to have had it in the rough hewn surroundings of The Edison.
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