Mc Chouffe

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

Serve in Thistle

dark reddish brown with solid white head. Nose of candi sugar and dark malts. Flavor of some toasty crystal malt and possibly some chocolate with a strong estery Belgian yeast flavor and a dry finish.. hops absent from this one. A very flavorful beer and very well crafted and an innovative idea. I wouldn’t say the flavors necessarily mesh perfectly, but the idea and perfect production make it a complex and worthwhile brew. Very good

Bottle [Tasting @ Per 23-02-2007]. Another implausible great beer at this evenings tasting. The head was huge fizzy and slightly off-white. Excellent lacing left behind. Body was surprisingly clear with a sparkling look and a dark amber hue. Aroma was light toasted, caramel, honey, spice, light chocolate, dry fruit, earth and notes of peat. Full bodied with a lively carbonation and maybe slight warming alcoholic texture. Super balanced flavor that kept shifting between sweet malty notes and bitter burned candies. How well balanced and at the same time complex.

Pours a deep brown with a frothy white head. Aroma is predominantly brown sugar with slightly-detectable fruits and spices as well. The taste is malt up front with some prune, malt, yeast, and possibly rye notes toward the end. A great offering from Brasserie d’Achouffe.

Date: 2/12/08 Beer info: Bottled in green 750ml bottle 8.0%abv BB 26 10 2010. Sampling Notes: Served chilled in chalice. Dense tightly-packed persistant tan head atop at ruby-highlighted mahogany body. Spicy nose, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, brown sugar, liquorice, vinous dark fruits, yeasty funk. Nothing that really screams beer, but intriguing. Moderate creamy carbonation, velvet-like body, dense palate overall. Some alcohol warmth present, as is some drying spice and bitterness. Excellent complexity on the body, reminsant of a Christmas cake/pudding at time; brown sugar, nutmeg, glazed cherry, cinnamon, dried apricot, liquorice, sultana, vanilla. Finish is quite boozy, slight note of sherry, lingering woody dryness and bitter note. Different sort of dark Belgian strong ale. Certainly a spicy offering, drier as far as malt and ester character goes. Maybe I should have kept this for Christmas, the flavour really seems to fit that mold!

bottle- pours cloudy brown with a largy froathy head, that disperses quickly smells quite bready sugarcane, taste is chewy mouthfeel yet very carbonated, yeast is prevelant. finishes dry long lingering sweetness sugar, warming alcohol, finish something on the tip of my tongue.

750 mL bottle from the SAQ, served in a snifter. Pours hazy reddish brown with a small tan head. The head fades to a thin cover, but leaves lots of fine lace on the glass. The nose has lots of sweet caramel, along with raisins, dark fruit, flowers and a hint of spice. There is a distinct note of Belgian yeast as well. The flavour is moderately sweet throughout with the aroma carried through. A delicate hop accent enters towards the end and continues through to the finish. The finish is long and balanced between sweet malts and herbal hops. On the palate, it is medium in body with a smooth, milky texture and soft carbonation. Overall, this is an excellent Scotch ale with a distinctive Belgian touch. While it favours malts, it does not neglect the hops, providing a nicely balanced finish. A very tasty brew worthy of a follow up tasting. 2011-03-05

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.

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.