Mc Chouffe

Brewed by Brasserie d’Achouffe (Moortgat)
Style: Scotch Ale
Achouffe, Belgium

Deep red pour. I like the term for a different rater "Mahogany." Aroma and flavor are both rather spicy with some grape and prune flavors thrown in. Might just be the bottle, but it seemed slightly wine like in its overall experience.

Pour is deep burgundy color with a foamy head. Particalia is ever present throughout the body and just sits there motionless. Aromas of spices, plum, and blackberry. Flavor is slightly tart, with a definite tootsie roll like flavor. Little to no smokiness detected. Carbonation is high, which is on par for a belgian style. Different and good. Nothing mind blowing, but I’m glad I purchased.

Poured from a 750ml bottle (best by 2010) and served in a snifter. This beer poured a dark mahogany hue with a large, fluffy head of tan foam that slowly faded down to a thin, lasting layer. A fair amount of lace clung to the sides of the glass. The aroma of the beer was made up of caramel, brown sugar, nuts, and dark fruits. The flavor consisted of dark fruits, burnt sugar, light smoke, and a strong note of alcohol. The mouthfeel was full-bodied and smooth with a moderate amount of carbonation. A decent Scotch ale, but not overly interesting of impressive.

11.2 oz bottle purchased at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. No date. Poured a clear chestnut orange color. Head was rocky, off white-yellow, and reduced to one finger in height after a minute or two. A bit of lace was left on the glass at the end. Aroma was predominantly of brown sugar and light alcohol, but there was also a whiff of dried fruits such as cherry and raisin. Unexpectedly, the carbonation was on the low end of the spectrum. Delicately sweet and medium bodied. Velvety mouth feel, especially at the end. Plum juice, smooth malty caramel and toffee flavors dominated, but the driedfruits in the nose also emerged in the flavor. A nutty note and a bit of alcohol came out at the end. Disappointingly, I didn’t get any smoke in the nose or flavor. Decent beer, but a hint of campfire might give it some extra oomph.

Rather mild compared to it’s brother beers. While not lacking in any specific areas, is not a stand-out either.

Just a faint hint of smoke in the aroma. Rather sweet, just shy of cloying. Light hop on the finish.

I found that this bottle was sold to me and was already aged. About two years past the Best Before date which stated the end of 2005. Well I guess I’ll see how this brew ages because I’ve already tried a fresh bottle awhile ago. Pours amber with thick head dissapating to a thin film within a couple of minutes. As I pour I catch an aroma of dark fruits and spices. Let’s see if this archaic beer improved with age. Wow, definitely doesn’t age that well. Still highly carbonated and I’m bombarded by raisins. It’s like the age saturated my brew with raisin and plum. I can’t really detect the spice that I loved in this brew before. I’ll let the brew warm up some more. Maybe then I can pull out some more flavors.....OK much better mouthfeel, this is the nice creamy beer I’ve had before. Still real heavy in dark fruits but I can taste a little spice in the finish. In general this beer ages alright but I don’t agree with drinking the brew two years past the best by date. The balance that this brew once had is now gone.

From a 750, of which I only managed to drink around 12oz. This beer was a bit of a disappointment, especially coming form Chouffe. Very chalky and dry, only a touch plumminess or complex malts. It seems the belgian yeast wreaked havoc on this one. Rather hard to drink.