N’Ice Chouffe

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Deep cherry red pour with a touch of brown. A light hint of sour fruit and spice, and caramel. A rich solid flavor of fruit and a hint of bitter. Carbonation is good palate is solid. Rich spicy full bodied holiday beer. Winter warmer comes through well and spicy campfire warmth.

25 oz bottle, vintage 2008, consumed 01/2011. Pours a clear amber body with a tinge of red under a one finger frothy off-white head. The nose is sweetly malty with tons of dark over-ripe fruits like plum and fig. A nice yeast influence, some dark caramel, and a touch of vanilla. The flavor is getting a touch oxidized, dulling the dark fruits a bit, but also seeming to keep the sweetness in check as well. Still a nice yeast profile and fairly well hidden alcohol for being 10%. Mouthfeel is fairly smooth and a bit clingy, but not overly so. Lively soft fizzy carbonation gives it that classic ’Belgian’ feel in the mouth. Pretty decent, I would like to try it side by side with a fresh bottle for comparison.

Dark hazy reddish brown, big creamy beige head with long duration. Yeasty aroma of anise, cherries, coriander, dark plums, wood and pepper. Yeasty flavour of caramel black berries, spices and toffee with a acidic undertone. Long yeasty finish of plums, cinammon, figs, dried cherries and alcohol. Nice one!

2006 Limited edition 750 shared with my girlfriend Cyn. Pours mahongany with a tan head. Nose is sweet and fruity. Taste is big bold with a lot of bite. a Pretty tasty beer.

Bottle: Caramel fruit aroma. Dark transparent amber with an off-white head. Fruity and woody. Alcohol is noticeable in the finish. Woody aftertaste. Light alcohol burn.

Bottle: Poured a deep hazy golden/beige color ale with a huge foamy head with good retention and great lacing. Aroma of spices with some sweet malt and typical Belgian yeast. Taste is quite sweet with some dominating spices and a yeasty spicy finish. I didn’t think the Chouffe yeast came out as much as it did in their other beers. Body was above average with great carbonation and no alcohol was discernable.

750ml bottle. 2005 vintage, aged 3 years, drank on 12/31/08. pours reddish brown with creamy tan head. nose of toffee, dark fruit, subtle port notes, with clove and orange peel. flavors are much of the same, finish is a bit short, the age seems to have done this well as I’m liking this a lot more than fresher draft versions I’ve had in the past. Is it just me or do dark belgian strong ales tend to get better with a few years of age?

Pours dark amber with a small beige head. Aroma is caramel, fruity, raisin and plum. Flavour is caramel, alcohol, raisin and plum.