Raftman
Raftman is a refreshing, spicy and light Unibroue offering. The beer still carries the trademark Unibroue yeast flavor to some extent, but this beer manages that flavor in a light, drinkable package, which is not something I expected from Unibroue. I dearly love La Fin du Monde but have had hit or miss experiences with other Unibroue beers. The beer are all a bit close together for me and often are a bit of letdown from La Fin, which I think expresses the flavor best. I particularly haven't liked Unibroue's lighter offerings, Chambly Noire, Ephemere, Blanche de Chambly, etc. I bought the gift pack to try a wide range of Unibroue again for review purposes. So far, Raftman has impressed me the most. I'm surprised that it also seems to be the least popular of the four beers in Unibroue's light pack. Raftman pours a fizzy, clear amber with a diminishing off-white head that leaves fair lacing. The smell is fruity with apples and spicy with nutmeg, cloves and pepper. The flavor is earthy and sweetly doughy, while remaining light and very lively on the palate. There are some subtle smoky notes lingering throughout the beer that I can't really pin down. There is a light metallic note on the finish, but it's unobtrusive and overshadowed by a slight pucker of well-crafted bitterness. Raftman is my favorite light Unibroue beer, at the moment, and probably my third favorite of their normal rotation.