Chimay Bleue (Blue)

Brewed by Chimay
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Baileux, Belgium

2001 version. I have been looking forward to trying this one for quite awhile (thanks Linc!). Definitely worth the wait. Chimay Red is a real letdown compared to this. This isn't the best beer I have ever had but it is definitely up there. I only wish I had a fancy goblet to drink these Belgian ales in. Healthy, lively head over an earthy dark brown beer. Fruit, caramel and toffee in the aroma. As with the Westy, the flavor seemed to morph as I drank it, something like liquid Grape Nuts. The flavor came out more and more as it warmed, so the beer got even better as I drank it. A true classic.

Beautifull head, it remains quite thick. Spicy smell. Complex taste, malt, spices, fruits. Soft aftertaste with hints of alcohol. #Rerate May 1, 2003. After having sampled 1983, '88, '93, '97, '99, '00, '01, '02, '03 and the Millenium Edition. The older the beer, the more fruitier, the more port-like and certainly more alcoholic. After 10 years of aging there isn't much taste-change anymore. After about half a year - year the beer is so much fuller of taste; it's a waste to drink rather new chimays. Just let them rest for a while. The Millenium edition isn't great imo compared with the '99 and '00 editions; it's a bit more muffy and superficial. My rating is based on the 3-4 year old chimays.
Rerate june 2004. This beer is great as described above but it is certainly not a 4.9 as I rated this one before.

Bottle pours brown with reddish hues, large off-white fluffy head, small yeasties floating about, with fairly sticking lacing but no carbonation.   Aroma is of spices and apple/pear, maybe a light plum and raisin tinge as it warms.   Flavor is earthy, slightly nutty, maybe some of that light plum or raisin flavor.   Good body and mouthfeel, and that 9% ABV isn’t even noticable.   Finishes with the typical belgian yeasty flavor, along with the spices.   This is one easy drinking, readily available, knock your socks off Belgian Strong Ale!

Dark brown with a stable, off-white head. Spicy yeast and sweet caramel aroma.Flavours are sweet with chocolate,raisins, spicy yeastiness. Full body. It is a great beer, though I would not worship it.

330ml bottle from Vinmonopolet in Norway. Hazy, copper brown in colour. Beige and dense head slowly diminishing. Sweet spicy aroma. Assorted flavours of sweet and tart fruit, blackcurrants, spices and hops towards a yeasty backbone. Medium to full bodied. Medium dry finish. Enjoyable, but the peppery yeastiness is a bit over the top.

750. Pours deep grainy opaque ebony with a towering fluffy moussy tan head that falls away without leaving much in the way of lace. Enormous fruity nose, with some dust and funk and lemon as you get into it. Big body but not overly oily or sticky (this is starting to retread the N’ice Chouffe I just had in many important ways). Soft carb on the attack, and the mid-palate’s the usual symphony of flavors you expect from a well-made BSA: dark fruits, roast, toffee, nuts, cherry, tobacco, leather. I don’t care if I can’t tell them apart without thinking really hard, I don’t care how alike they are or anything else--these big bad BSAs are one of the great pleasures in the beer world. But, then, I do like me my sugar, so there ya go.

Big toffee smell. Very dark brown, big caramel head. Caramel, dried fruit, and alcohol shines through. Excellent, tingles on the tongue, warming complex. Fantastic

11.2 oz Bottle. Pours a murky brown color with whipped cream fluffy tan head. The aroma is really difficult to pick up. I get just a sense of sweetness and spice. The aroma could be a bit more assertive. The taste is smooth malts, brown sugar and spice (maybe cinnamon and a bit of pepper). Really smooth. So much so that I can’t pick out distinct flavors. Can a beer be too smooth? Nay!