Mc Chouffe

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

Serve in Thistle

UPDATED: SEP 16, 2007 Bottled 0,75L at Oberon (Ospitaletto) [ABV 5.0%].
A lot hazy dark brown color. Dense and extremely bubbly one. Much bulky and supporter head, optimal persistence. Elegant aspect. Much rich and spiced scent; notes of humid forest, spices like pepper and marjoram, smoked malt (light). Much racy and prickly taste, enough dense and solid one with a sweet and harmonious final. A lot fruity with main notes of dark grapes and small fruits. Determined but most pleasant alcohol tenor. Without excesses.

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.

Looks lovely. Caramel orange with a medium/large light tan head. Malt, alcohol, dark fruit, yeast, spice, caramel, and light citrus. Sweet, malts, spices, and a little alcohol. Finishes with a warm alcohol sensation. Nice, smooth body. Very good, but after a 750ml of it I grew a litle tired of it. I’d buy it again, though.

kind of disappointing, actually very disappointing. It poured a clear brown clor with a nice brown head. Aroma was very earthy like, no hops or fruit like notes at all. Taste was bland mostly malts with a slight apricot taste. It missed a distingtive smokiness to it and it missed hops, boy did it miss hops. It was heavy on the stomach and had a full feeling in the mouth

A’Chouffe’s La Chouffe has been on speedy rotation from cellar to fridge to glass for years now, yet I’ve kept this one in the dark for more than 2 years without the need to crack it. Well, tonight was the night the seal was broken, and the reward was worth the wait.
Into a La Chouffe tulip, cool but not cold. Deep, deep garnet body, shimmering in the light, and crowned off by a wonderfully thick, creamy beige head that I think is the hallmark of this brewer’s beers. Stretched a good two inches up the spout, stabilised and frosted over the glass as I downed it. Xmas fruitcake aroma with light notes of toffee, burnt toast, figs and prunes, and a good dose of vinous, spicy alcohol. Becomes a little woody after a few whiffs, a damp forest floor comes to mind, unusually inviting. Strong and rich in the mouth. Starts off with aged plums, caramel and walnuts, doughy yeast and dark malts, and a light hint of roasted grain. Lively carbonation throws the flavours around the palate and moves it along swiftly. Develops a pleasant, fruity sweetness like sultanas, dried cherries and figs, which balance the nutty, darker malts. Finish is all topsoil, fell fruit and wood which gives the impression of something nasty, but it works to make this a delicious brew. Alcohol is nowhere to be seen, despite being noticeable in the aroma, and in this one’s case is a bit of a let down as it is too easy to drink. It’s like liquid fruitcake. Lovely!!! (75cL, 2005, Con’s Case place [now under new-management])

UPDATED: NOV 17, 2011 Slightly off-white head, rather good lace. Deep brown, clear body. Aroma of flowers, hops, spice and some strong malts (contrary to what one would expect perhaps). Bitter flavour.

Pours cloudy red-brown with a tan, lasting head. Nice fruity aroma, but a littly musty. malty, fruity Belgian dubbel flavor. Very nice brew, but I would place this in the Abbey Dubbel catagory, like an Ommegang or Allagash Dubbel. Decent and enjoyable and not something to pass up.

Dried blood brownish red with a medium soft-looking foamy cap that sits briefly leaving behind a big collar and thin skim. Lacing is minimal in big blobby things. Aroma is dry and delicately soft with a semi-yielding date, prune, dark purple grapey fruitish backlay. Taste is short, rounded in a softly darkened fruityness of red apple, purple grape, and lesser tarting fruity sugars. A bit sharp on the buds with a big carbonation hump in the middle. Finish is light and airy with a yeasty woodish dryness with a bit of fruit pits and skins trying to grab a bit of interest. Feel is OK, the short-lived flavors don’t help anything as it has a seemingly light/medium body with that hump of carbonation in the middle totally taking away what could be a fairly smooth ride. Drinkability is a little less then the norm for a Belgian Dark ale. Quite plain, but seems like the effort is there and comes across well made, just not much going on with this one.