Chimay Bleue (Blue) / Grande Réserve

Brewed by Chimay
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Baileux, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

330 ml bottle @ home. Rated @ 17.6.2009.
Hazy brown colour with a medium head. Loads of sweetness on the nose; fruits, caramel, licorice and chocolate. Very warming mouthfeel with notes of dark fruits, caramel malts and hops. Medium bodied, thick mouthfeel and lively carbonation. Classic trappist beer.

Chimay Bleue. Simply amazing. Appearance wise it isn’t the most beautiful beer. It pours our a reddish brown color that is relatively hazy. You can see particulates floating within the brew. It has a beige head of good size but retention is low. It dissipates very fast and has very little to no lacing. The aroma is nothing short of amazing. It has caramel notes as well as brown sugar, spices, and dark fruits. It’s quite floral. The flavor accompanies the aroma very well. It has a floral flavor with a yeasty component accented by the caramel and dark fruits. It has a medium to heavy body that carries the flavor well and it goes down very smooth. This a definitely must try as it’s simple delightful.

Appearance: ruddy cola with huge bubbly head that quickly vanishes. Aroma: strong alcohol and yeast, some flowery notes. Taste: warm, toasty, nutty caramel malts, some clove and pine, sour fruit (green apples?) and tangy yeast. Finish: lingering bitterness and sour yeast tang; warming alcohol in the belly. Notes: Least favorite of the three. There’s no reason to ever drink any Chimay but the Rouge.

11.2oz bottle from grape & gourmet. pours a very eye pleasing reddish-brown with a thick, creamy off-white head and light lacing. aroma is great with unique, sweet, floral notes of rose and tulip backed by dried raisins and black cherries, belgian yeast, light spice, and caramel with hints of red wine and cedar. flavor is delicious as well with big, bold, belgian spices and yeast up front with dried, dark fruit notes of cherry, raisin, and fig at mid palate with hints of red apple skins, toffee, and sweet malts rounding out the sip. palate is full bodied with heavy carbonation and a nice, spicy/sweet finish with a touch of boozy warmth. overall, a great belgian strong. i can see why this one is still rated over a 4 with 2700+ ticks.

Not so attractive - head dissipates a little too quickly and doesn’t really lace. Though the color is pretty nice, dark brown with ruby red tones. Smells great though, mmm, florals and sweetness, smells quite sweet, but boozy and with a hint of nutty raisiny-ness. Quite carbonated.Tastes slightly sweeter than expected, but great balance of flavors, and tastes increasingly delicious/flavorful with warmth. And of course, the booze at the end. Mm, i love me some belgian strong.

Bottle. Dark reddish brown . very malty, strong raisin and brown sugar in the nose. Thick head with great retention. Sweet almost caramel finish. Slightly dry and boozy bite at the finish. Deserves its ranking

Very dark brown, very tall head. Aroma is toasted malt and plenty of yeast. Taste is a toast flavor, a bit sweet. The sweetness lingers through the finish.

Rating from notes taken in early August, when I was having trouble connecting with the site ... It’s quibbling, but it’s the truth: if you are going to spend $12 on a bomber of Belgian ale, you should go with Bernardus Abt, Malheur 12, or Chimay blanche. This remains one of the finest ales in the world, but its plum flavors succumb to the tiniest hint of sourness in the flavor. The body is also thinner than in some of those other classics, but that is quibbling indeed. A delightful beer that pairs beautifully with beef, the fact that I can readily name other beers that are better than this one is a tribute to other brewers rather than an insult to these noble monks.