N’Ice Chouffe

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Light brown lasting foam. Dark brown with a litle debris from the yeast? Fruity aroma without green apples and some yeast carractair. Alcohol is present but don’t dominate. Some sweetness and a big body. Spices (thyme) and a litle orange makes a complex and finetuned taste. Not to much hop but a balanced bitterness that don’t interfere with the other tastes.The big bottle takes a litle too long to finnish off by yourself but it’s a price I must pay...

750. Pours deep grainy, opaque ebony with a thicky, goopy, moussy tan head. Enormous dark fruit nose hits you at arm’s length, even from a fairly cool beer. Dust and hay as you reel in the glass. Big thick body but totally free of stickiness or oiliness. Nice soft abundant carb. Heavy roast fruit flavors, wet leaves, leather, tobacco--it’s a super rich mid palate. Nice sharp herbal hop sting to the finish; beautiful contrasting element.

Malt, spice, and Belgian yeast in the aroma. Caramel, toffee, bread, and a little banana in the flavor. Finish has some alcohol, creamy carbonation, and a little hop bite. Really, really good.

From 750ML bottle, white foam, cloudy, brown, alcohol, herbs, This was a surprisingly good winter ale

Bottle. A - Dark tawny, ruby brown, one of the lighter colored BSDA I’ve encountered. Slightly smaller than average sized, bubbly, and off-white head. Reduced pretty fast with some patchy, bubbly lacing. S - Candi sugar and a herbal/spiced aroma are strong. Also some dark fruit and a hint of citrus. Just a touch of sweet nutty aroma as well. Sweet anise, cinnamon, coriander, and orange peel are upfront for the spices. Nice aroma that is definitely wintry, and is somewhat like a fruity Winter Warmer in its aroma. T - Initially there is dark malt with caramel, molasses, and a hint of sweet bread along with a good amount of wintry spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, coriander, and orange peel). Some dark fruit (predominantly raisin, cherry, plum and date) present at first, and this becomes stronger mid sip. This sweet and spiced flavor persists through the finish. Alcohol is slightly present with a warming presence at the finish. M - On the lighter side of medium body and moderate (maybe a shade on the lighter side) level of carbonation. A bit of a sticky feel and a touch on the creamy side. D - Even though there are a good amount of spices present, they do not overpower and kill the palate. Pretty drinkable beer. Definitely a nice warming beer to sip. Notes: Vintage 2009. A nice beer that combines a number of BSDA flavors with some more Winter Warmer/wintry spices. A touch thin and on the light side, but the flavor is still pretty full, probably because of the spices. It isn’t amazing, but it is a nice spiced and warming beer. Definitely worth a try, especially on a cold winter night.

0.75L bottle form Csakajosor.hu. Poured dark brown-amber with a large tan, lacing head. Dark fruits, roasted malts, brown sugar, grape, apple in the aroma. Just the right amount of sweetness in a dense, oily body. Strong on the palate, but not overwhelming. This will certainly warm you up on a cold day! Excellent brew.

Sötét vörösesbarna szín, bézs habbal a tetején, ami elég hamar leülepedik. Illatában likőrökbe áztatott aszalt szilva és mazsola jelenik meg, továbbá kevés karamell és gyógynövények. Íze is ezeket tükrözi, de egyáltalán nem olyan édeskés, fűszeressége és keserédes lecsengése sokat dob rajta. Teste olajos, nehézkes, van valami mámoros, bódító hatása, ami nyilván a magas alkoholtartalmának is köszönhető. Hideg téli estén testet-lelket megmelenget, remek szezonális sör!

Bottle aged 2 years. Deep mahogany color with a playful light brown head. The aroma is invitingly spicy. Yeasts and dark fruits on the nose. The taste is complex - sweet and spicy, tart hops hold their own against the roasted malt flavors. The mouthfeel’s medium, well carbonated. Nonetheless, this beer remains soft and quite drinkable. Very nice.