Chimay Bleue (Blue)

A dark brown beer with a good head. It has an aroma of fruit and yeast. The flavor is sweet and that of fruits. It tickles the tongue with the high alcohol content - but doesn’t taste of alcohol. It has almost no bitterness. Definately one of the greatest beers in the world.

Darkish brown. Pours thick. Fruity nose. Very malty, velvetty mouthfeel, some butterscotch and toffee. Late bittterness. Complex.

(Bottle 75 & 33 cl) Vintage 1992. Reddish dark, hazy and impure with a tall head. Very full-bodied with a warming but never cloying alcohol - actually, it doesn’t really appear that strong. Chocolatey and spicy - perhaps even a bit peppery? I cannot really taste the difference between the "Bleu" in small bottles and the "Grande Reserve" in the big, but try sampling different vintages at "Kulminator" in Antwerp - it’s a great experience. 201193

When I first had this beer, it was one of the first strong Belgians for me. It blew me away. Over the years, I’ve felt that while it is a complex, tasty beverage, it has been eclipsed. Whether it is me or the beer is debatable - and indeed the topic of the perceived decline of Chimay beers over the past decade is one of the most heated in the world of beer geeks. Well, I finally decided to sit down and give this a proper re-rate. I’ve got a small bottle of 2004 from my local liquor store.

The colour is kind of unusual in that there is a big disparity between the colour - under the light it’s a golden brown but in the glass it’s dark chestnut. The head is very light mocha. The aroma is plummy, slightly bubblegummy with notes of honey, pears, sweet dark malts and a little bit of yeast. Nice. It has a sweet palate with pear, orange, and sultana notes. A strong alcohol presence cuts through dusty yeastiness. Flavour notes are well-fused, save for the obtrusive alcohol.

Redbrown colour with beige head. Disappointing aroma dominated by yeast and spices. Sweet but watery flavour with notes of fruit and spices. I must admit, I prefer the trappist beers from Westvleteren, Rochefort and Achel.