Chimay Bleue (Blue)

Bottle from BevMo in Vacaville, CA. Poured a reddish brown with a brown head. Like many other Belgian Strong Ales it smelled of dark fruits and just a hint of floral scents. Tasted of dried fruit, carmel and roasted malts. Hit the palate just right. WOW!!

Sweet Mary this is good. Very complex, but worth it. Pours a red/brown with a floral, citrus, dark fruit, roasted malty hoppy aroma. The flavor is much like the aroma and is accented by plenty of carbonation...high in ABV, but the alcohol taste isn’t overly apparent. Terrific.

(Bottle 750 ml, Grande Réserve 2001, aged 7 years) Dark reddish brown colour with brief, frothy beige head. Spicy, earthy nose with notes of cellar, liquorice, dried fruit and black-currant. Malty, fruity, spicy taste with dried fruit, liquorice, hints of ginger, black-currant, chocolate and a spicy, fiery finish. Slightly earthy, but less cellar and more dark fruit in the flavours than in the aroma. Slightly above medium body, sweet but never cloying. Very nice, truly a classic.

This was the beer that got me into good beer. I can’t really describe the flavor, but I know that I like it. Unlike a lot of high alcohol beers, it isn’t overly sweet.

11.2 oz. bottle pours reddish brown with little cream head. Strong aroma of alcohol and grapes. Taste is some citrius and malt clean finish. Does not taste like a 9% ABV beer. Very nice.

4/24/08 notes: Bomber, split with friend. Finally I get a chance to try Chimay! Pours an attractive ruby brown that is cloudy. Aroma is of malts and spices, a wonderful blend that I cannot do justice to by description. Features an smooth flavor of soft malts, brown sugar, caramel, roasts, wood and alcohol. There must also be some fruit notes in there, because this beer is rich and complex, without sacrificing perfect crisp drinkability. The soft carbonation brings out the flavors. Of the BSAs I’ve tried, this tops the list.

[330ml bottle from Waitrose, Marlow] Bottle fizzed up a little on opening, disturbing the yeast and releasing huge dark fruit aromas. Deep red colour. Taste initially strong malt and rich fruit, then a hint of coffee, chocolate and treacle, then a bit of iron which combined with the malt made it taste briefly like a health drink. Too many floaters by the end to finish it. Aftertaste initially pleasantly malty, but with a sickly syrupy-sweet mouth coasting. After a while fades to leave sourness. Pleasant but disappointing - I actually thought that the Chimay Red was a far better balanced beer.

750 mL bottle. Pours a light brown with a nice white foamy head. Aroma and flavor are both sweet with the distinctive banana/cloves undertones that you expect out of this style. Very tasty, and strong too, but you couldn’t tell it from them taste.