Chimay Bleue (Blue) / Grande Réserve

Brewed by Chimay
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Baileux, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

1999 bottle at Kulminator. Deep russet brown color with a creamy off-white head. Vinous aroma with raisins soaked in dark rum, chocolate and port. Also dust and old books which sets me off a little. Taste is dry but with a slight alcoholic sweetness. I think I would like this better when it’s a little younger, not having those flavors of dust and old books, but this was still a very solid beer.

Not much of a nose. Light beige head. Lots of figs, dates, raisins. Dark fruit throughout. Nice carbonation profile.

A beautiful brown color with a brownish foam. A nice aroma. An excellent sweet and spicy taste, with a nice almost bitter aftertaste.

330ml bottle, tulip glass. A 100th percentile beer for my 100th rate. This beer had a lot of hype to live up to and I really enjoyed it. Very dark brown murky hue, creamy beige head dissipated to a thick creamy ring, fair lacing. The complex and constantly changing aromas were a delight - toffee, caramel, biscuit, dark rye bread, brown sugar, dark fruit, a bit of banana, quite spicy a bit peppery?, lots of yeasty aromas especially leather, some musty hay barn, faint cheese, plus smoke, wood, peat, tobacco, band-aid, dark NZ native flora honey, the list goes on - just loved how different aromas were gradually disclosed with warming. Tastes very nice, mostly sweet with a spicy peppery twist. Carbonation wanted to burst out the bottle and by the end of the glass was gone, syrupy/oily, smooth creamy, heavy side of medium bodied, warming alcohol spicy finish. Overall - very good.

UPDATED: DEC 20, 2010 Bottle. Pours a dark ruby red beer with a nice white head. Head stays there for a while. Beer looks beautiful. Hints of fruits and yeast in the aroma. Fruity, sweet taste with a very nice hoppy aftertaste. Quite bitter. Nice brew but what else do you expect from Chimay?

Bought the larger bottle in Copenhagen. A large head, unfortunately less flavorful than I would have hoped. Dark brown color that goes down smooth with little bitterness. Leaves a taste on the tongue wanting more. Hints of a caramel roastiness yet also the hops seem to be clearly found. I love Trappist beer, and perhaps I hyped this one up too much, as it is not the favorite I expected it to be. Still a very good beer though, and the 9% ABV was surprisingly and happily not really noticeable.

Deep, murky brown trappist ale with a huge tan, speckled head. Aroma is huge earthy malts, demerara sugar, nuts, plums, yeast, pie spice and hints of coco. Taste is dark fruits, bitter spices, sweet caramel, dark bread warming and complex finish. Body is chewy and smooth with fizzy carbonation that flattens and mellows as the beer is consumed. A classic example of a belgian strong ale.

Pours a light brown with a half inch thick head. Aroma is mostly of yeast and malt with some banana and cherry. Taste is of fruit and nut with yeast and light malt. Finish is nice, but a little hot.