Chimay Bleue (Blue) / Grande Réserve

Brewed by Chimay
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Baileux, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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I’ve aged this 75 cl bottle for about four years. Carmelly and toffee aromas of maltiness. Clear deep brown color with a minimalist whitish head. Starts with malty sweetness underlaid by a woodiness. Thin to medium mouthfeel, mild carbonation, with berry popping up towards the finish. Woody oaky mildly hoppy finish. Dry but not astringent. Very - yes - very.

UPDATED: APR 13, 2003 2002 version 750ml bottled: This is a very very good beer. The first impression is a very dark amber colour and a very delisios aroma. The flavour is fabulous. The high ABV of the beer dosn"t destroy the beer. The flavour is round and harmonious. This is truely a great beer experiense.

This beer rocks. I am updating my score and comments because this is one of the first Belgian ales that I tried. Almost all Belgian ale enthusiasts have tried this beer so I won’t go into a lengthy description of it. I am lowering my score from a perfect ’5’ since I have now sat down and seriously rated all criteria of the beer and found it unworthy of a perfect score... also, I have now tasted the Westvleterans, Rocheforts and Westmalle double and found them superior. I still love Chimay bleu.

Bottle conditioned, 330ml, aged 7.5yrs. This sample was old before I had it so could have a couple of years extra, it had the shield on the cap rather than the current wording. Dark brown with ruby hints, slight head. I love Chimay Bleu to be aged, the flavours amalgamate into a porty, smooth blend with caramel and burning alcohol. The spiciness has matured to where the flavours cannot be picked, it a fireside warmer on a cold winters night, warm in the glow that your football team has just won, a pleasing and hearty friend. If you are patient with this beer it will reward you with ageing. Lovely.

UPDATED: FEB 9, 2004 brown in colour, few foam, malt and caramel aroma with hint of plum, slightly overcarbonated, bubblegum-like mouthfeel, some sweetness followed by a tart bitterness with a synthetic malty finish - it's hard to imagine that this was once a true world classic (and don't tell me this beer has not changed during the last years !); what is the motivation of the Chimay guys to commit such a suicide ?? - this is now the most overrated beer in the world.

(bottle) Murky and hazy mahogany coloured effervescent hue with yeast floaties and a mid-sized brown head. Sweet dark malts aroma with fruits (plums, blackcurrants) and yeasts. Moderately sweet toasted malty taste with light notes of caramel, raisins and dried plums, medium to full bodied, crispy mouthfeel. Warming alcoholic, slightly vinous and spicy finish. Complex and harmonic brew.

Bottle. Poured a dark reddish tone with medium rocky head. Aroma and flavor was complex and flavor of yeast and flowery tone. The finish was long medium biiter of alcohol.

Bottle (recolte 2008): Hazy, chestnut-amber coloured, smaller "dirty" head with a little lace; quite solid caramelly-nutty nose with a touch of alcohol and a certain sourish fruitiness underneath; moderate to solid sweet flavour with a light acidity, full bodied; warming, sweet nutty-caramelly finish with a very faint tartness in the aftertaste. Nice winter-warmer....

A Mes Rate: Good chunky head that eventually settles to a thin film and lasts very well. It has some of the heaviest lace you will see. As you tip the glass to sip it leaves behind a solid covering of tan foam with no breaks in it at all. Lovely! Sweet alcoholic nose with some rice pudding. Metailc (but in a good way), vanilla and strong caramel and cream is the order of the day flavour wise. Then it is all rounded off with and very long and amazing caramel and marzipan finish with some gradual alcohol warming. Glorious stuff. Make sure it is not over chilled, it will totally kill it and be careful with the sediment if it’s not your thing then I would suggest a gentle pour and pay attention. Grande Reserve variant is even better.

Sorry if I'm being sacrilegious, but I just can't see what all the fuss is about with this one. Sure, its quite a nice beer, but seriously over-hyped in my view. There's not much I can say in the way of description that hasn't been said a hundred times before. Definite prune/raisin and dark chocolate character. However, what comes through more than anything else is the caramelly candy sugar that gives it an oddly synthetic feel and a slightly cloying finish. All this may give the impression that I didn't like it. That is certainly not so, but, in my opinion, there are plenty of better Belgian strongs out there. Bottled (330ml).