Chimay Bleue (Blue)

Brewed by Chimay
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Baileux, Belgium

The greatest of all time? There are times that I drink this beer and I can't believe that a mortal man created it. I guess that is why it comes from men of the cloth. The corked bottle is subtly better. I have had the pleasure of trying a 6 yr. old bottle and it was WONDERFUL. That experience convinced me to start my own 'cellar'---First Anniversary bottle: disappointingly thin. I am afarid that I am storing too cold. Alcohol also more evident then I thought it should be. Can only get better. 2nd Anniversary Bottle-- got to this one late due to my SO's being preggers and all. I have since brought these bottles out of cold storage and put them in to closet storage. This helped the next bottle age IMMENSLEY. So, yeah, I must have been keeping these too cold to age. This one had so much more depth and character then the 1st Anniversary bottle. Lots of plum, prune (same thing eh?), and all those other dark fruits. Now only 3 short months till the 3rd Anniversary bottle!!

(on bottle, grand reserve 2004 edit.) At last got my..stuff.. togehter and rated this classic. It´s a cheastnut-brown brew, with a lasting, beige head. Mouth is creamy; with toffee, prunes, rotten fruits and alcohol. The yeast is there, but in the back. Tickling, perfect carbonation. Relativly hard alcoholtaste in the finish, along withthe easters, nothing more in the end actually. Had my mother-in-law doing doing the santa shuffle a x-mas eve, a few years back, after a botlle of this stuff. (on bottle at RBESG 2005 1990 edit.) has gone over the top at this stage. Sent of cardboard and raisins.Finish is flat.

Cloudy dark orange-brown under a beige snow covered mountain range. Fruity sweet aroma with some gentle sourness: grapes, spicy black pepper, alcohol. Flavour was like a woody red wine with some sourness that was not vinegary. Raisin, grape, currant, cognac. Creamy medium body. Excellent.

Bottle. Pours a leathery brown color with a big, beige head. Aromas are fairly sweet and malty: bread dough, dark fruit with a bit of yeast. Flavor is sweet and fairly complex with undercurrents of raisins, dates, cloves and toffee malts. Still, mouthfeel is characteristically thin, like the others from Chimay. Alcohol is detectable and creates a little bit of a warmth as it is sipped. Nice stuff, but maybe not as good as I expected.

Re-rate: a smoked-type aroma, kept a great foamy head, complex flavors, malty, nice texture, very strong flavors, great balance, lots of malty flavors as well

(Bottle - 0,33 l, 2003 vintage - at Man in the Moon, Stockholm, on 2009-07-27) Deep dark brown and hazy. Small white head. Malts, raisin and chocolate in aroma. Full bodied and dry palate with little carbonation. Malts, nuts, raisin, chocolate, sweetness, bitterness and cocoa powder in taste. Malty aftertaste.

Pours with a very strong head. the 12 oz bottle almost didnt fit in the pounder I had it in. The galss is half gone and there is still a layer of foam. Lacing is strong also Dk copper color. Aroma and flavor is quite unusual. Took me a few minutes to put my finger on it but I think it is a hint of cloves, or similar spice. Feel and drinkability is very good though. Smooth and silky. A highly rated brew that is not one of my favorites.

One of the World’s great beers. A very good example of its type. Pours a dark, murky brown colour, with a large off-white head. Yeast, dark fruit, spices and malt dominate the aroma. The taste is malty, spicey, caramel, yeasty and dark fruit. Great body and mouthfeel, warming on the way down.