N’Ice Chouffe

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

06 Vintage- borderline past its prime. Pours amber red with an off-white head. Nose is booze, booze, cherry, spice, cough syrup, slice citrus with caramel, grape, candy sugar, and woody quality. Flavor is similar with fruit, thyme, spice, and cugh syrup. Medium bodied and finishing with lingering sweetness.

2003, thyme and curacao peel listed as theme ingredients. Deep brown, head just won't quit. Aroma is spicy, with a hint of wood, maple syrup, and alcohol. Flavors somewhat disjointed. Some orange, herbs, licorice on the finish. Hops wandering around somewhat lost amongst all the flavors as well. Not quite enough malt to balance it out, and the beer still seems sort of closed to me. Fortunate to have a second bottle that will be checked out again in a year, maybe the flavors will have come together better by then.

On tap. Dark reddish brown colour with a nice beige head. Great sweet spicy aroma. Flavour og malt, sugar, caramel, spice and toffee. Ends up with a great warming feeling from the alcohol.

The beer after disgorging from the 750ml dark green bottle sets in the glass a beclouded deep cherry red to almost brown color with the head creamy in texture with the color tan and the size portly, the lace forms a thick and sticky sheet to obscure the glass from view. Nose is sweet malt with a nice over ripe apple aroma, clean and fresh, also some yeast noticed after setting, start is sweet with a nice thick malt profile, the top moderate to almost full in its feel to the palate. Finish is iron-handed in its acidity, the hops pleasing and spicy, the aftertaste quite dry and long lasting, a nice drinking beer.

Scotch-colored with a frothy, tanned head. Red licorice malt aroma with indistinct mixes of Belgian esters. Again, the flavor prominently features red licorice as well as a candi sugar presence swirling amidst diffuse esters. Quite interesting.

This hazy brown beer has a gushing, light tan head. The aroma is full of old fruit like prunes, raisins and other dry fruit. With the bit of malt and the cinammon/nutmeg spiciness, it comes across like a funky old pie. The flavot is much like the aroma with the malt, fruit and spice melding into an interesting drink.

Bottle shared with blankboy, HogTownHarry & tupalev - courtesy of blankboy. Hazy mahogany colour with a medium tan head. Aroma is big and spicey - nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon - with notes of tart orange rind and yeast. Flavour is robust and complex - we really should’ve had this one earlier in the night, as my palate was on its last legs by this point, and I found it tough to pull flavours out of the mix. It was just big and spicey and warm, and really good.

750ml Bottle - Dark brown with red tinges and a foamy head. Dried fruit, vanilla and spice in the aroma. Fruity, spicy and slightly sweet taste with notes of dried fruit, orange and vanilla.