Mc Chouffe

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

Serve in Thistle

Dark brown head with a coarse beige disappearing head. As it warms a bit it develops weak notes of mocha, cocoa, toasted bread. Medium bodied, with too edges. Quite boring.

Pours dark amber with short-lived frothy white head. Nice complex aroma: nutty, maple, brown sugar, some spice, some astringency. Flavor starts slightly acidic and hoppy, but dulls with the emergence of sweet and bready malts and hints of banana and pear. Palate is medium bodied and moderately fizzy. Tastes more like a hybrid between a Scotch and a Belgian than a straight Scotch ale; nonetheless, its a good beer.

Bottle. Moderate malt notes of caramel and nutty, light hops of herbs, and a moderate yeast aroma of dough, with wood and brown sugar in the background. Head is huge, both fizzy and rocky, off-white, has good lacing and is mostly lasting. Color is clear brown. Flavor starts moderately sweet and lightly acidic, then finishes lightly sweet, acidic, bitter and sour and just a touch salty. Palate is medium, watery and a little oily, and the carbonation is between lively and fizzy. It finishes a little metallic and astringent. This my first Scotch ale and I like it, mostly for the taste and texture.

Bottiglia da 75 cl comprata da Squillari; aroma abbastanza dolce e blando, simile a quello della Chouffe normale, sapore però più "scuro" cioccolato e pasta e fagioli. Corpo leggermente meno robusto. Buona comunque!!! Meglio ora che quando la produrrà Moortgat

750ml bottle. Pours a dark, clear mahogany with a billowy off-white head and good carbonation. Aroma is very well-balanced with both a citrusy bite of hops alongside an earthy hint of malt and yeast. Body is smooth and full with flavors of dark fruit, malt, and molasses giving way to a slowly evolving finish that’s both sweet and strong, almost like a strong dark rum. Another delightful hybrid from Chouffe.

Spicy and heavily apple-like, this Scotch ale’s aroma belies a sweetness with strong hints of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a satisfyingly frothy and creamy head. The flavor reflects a great deal of the aroma but with a more prevalent pear and nut flavor finishing into a quick, somewhat elusive finish. As with many Belgian ales, this would make a fine dessert beer to be served along side ice cream or a particularly creamy cheese.

Pours a nice, dark amber, with thick, light tan head. Nose is nice malty, with strong yeast notes. Flavor is very mild, for the style. Malts and fruit dominate. Mouthfeel is a bit thin. Overall, the beer is less than I had hoped. Good, but its Belgian characteristics seem to dominate the characteristics of the style, and it doesn’t really compete with the best Scots Ales.

Bottle sampled. Pours a ruby brown with a thick tan head. Aroma of roasted malts, yeast, floral hops, nuts, and some fruit notes. Flavor is mild and richly carbonated with caramel malts, dark fruit, and a hint of molasses with a malty bitter finish.