Chimay Bleue (Blue) / Grande Réserve

Brewed by Chimay
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Baileux, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

33cl bottle. Careful opening, overflows! Dark brown, white-beige head, stays. Alcohol, rum, floral aroma. Sour, slightly burnt taste bitter finish. Can taste the alcohol. Palate - smooth, thin, less carbonated than the red. Feels heavy on the stomach. Improves as it goes on, not my favourite.

This is simply one of the best beers in the world that everyone should’ve tried. The dark colour, with the amber touch, great strong head that doesn’t dissapear and the great aroma is only the startup to a great beer experience. It’s a beer to combine with a nice steak or Belgium stew, or to drink on it’s own in the evening with some cheese. It’s a heavy bittersweet taste, with a smooth aftertaste. One of the better abbey beers.

Ooooh mercy! This is one dark ale that needs to be on everyone’s taste list! This brew poured up a dark root-beer brown colored body sporting a huge frothy off-white colored head with good retention (slowly dissipating down to a thin sheen) and amazing lacing effects. Aromas of figs, dark cherries, sweet malts, pine nuts, cloves and spices (like nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.). The flavors are of the same but oh so complex – each sip has it’s own reward and it gets much better as the beer warms. Medium- to Full-bodied, ultra smooth, slow carbonation with a finish that is dry and you will definitely know that there is some alcohol in this one! Definitely a brew to pair with a slow-grilled juicy steak!

Bottle, pours a dark brown, smell is with dark fruits and yeast, a bit harsh in the taste, overall it is pretty heavy, not bad

Bottle 330ml. Pours dark brown with a high foam. Aroma hay, earthy. Taste with a hint of licoricel A very classic belgian trappist procut. Not Bad.

No better way to obliterate the stagnant memories of an otherwise unfulfilling day than by putting back a bottle of strong Belgian beer. This stuff looks good, really dark brown with your typical cottony Belgian foam. Alcohol and roasty spice & a little ripe fruit in the aroma. Taste is nice, a little bit of booze fumes tickle your sinuses as you get some roasty, rich malt flavor polished off by a little zing that I can only compare to grapeskins, if that makes any sense. It’s got just a little dash of sweet but not in a bad way, it leaves the palate pretty clean and doesn’t build up in an unpleasant syrupiness at all. Great beer to have with a steak. This is a world-class brew that everyone should try.

Bière brune aux reflets rougeâtres. Des odeurs de cerises sucrées, de levure, de caramel écossais et d’alcool s’en dégagent. Un goût assez complexe, difficile à identifier, on y détecte toutefois des parcelles de fruits séchés; de dattes, de figues et qui nous titillent le palais avec son côté alcoolisé, laissant en passant, une légère amertume plus qu’agréable.

UPDATED: SEP 13, 2011 Pours a deep brownish red. Nose and taste is of yeast, floral accents, and roasted malts. IMO a good gateway into the style.