N’Ice Chouffe

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

2004 bottle. Very thick and full light-brown head. Hazy / cloudy dark reddish/orange copper color. Nice-looking. Uhh... fruity belgian aroma with some spices. Fizzy character. Dry spicy sweet fruit and coffee (very light coffee). Brown sugar. Dry spice rack shit. Good. Very nice complex spicy character. Nice Belgian Christmas beer.

Bread-like dough, bitter orange and spices in the sugary aroma with some pine-like hops also notable. Opaque brown-copper with decent off-white/tan head that recedes to partial cover. Spicy and very sweet flavour with some acidity in the finish that takes the edge off. Lasting bitter-orange aftertaste. Complex and intriguing, subtle, lasting flavours. Very soft in the mouth but carbonation is engaging. Alcohol not at all apparent except for a slight warming. Bottle enjoyed with beerbuzzmontreal, Lubiere, MartinT, Rastacouere and SimonB.

UPDATED: NOV 29, 2008 (Bottled, 0.75l, re-rate) Very nice, deep red color with a large, foamy and tight, beige head. Malty, fruity, toffeeish, salty and sweet nose with lots of anise. Sweet-malty, yeasty, quite bitter and hoppy, fruity, slightly spicy and alcoholic flavor. Very smooth, foamy-carbonated, medium-bodied, bitter and slightly slicky-alcoholic palate. A quite nice and pleasant, beautiful dessert brew. A bit strangely bitter, but that is gone with the yeasty part added. Probably best, if you mix the yeast in from the beginning. Anise really shows up when warm.

Limited edition 2003 green bomber (750 ml.) with no cork. The poured beer was dark red in color with large billowing beige head, and nice lace. The aroma was cherries, clove, brown sugar, and warm spices. The taste was tart-sweet (apples, cherries, pear) with a spicy (ginger, clove, nutmeg) kick. The mouthfeel was a bit thin, but was enhanced by explosive latent carbonation. This is quite a warmer due to the inherent alcoholic strength.

Bottled (BBE 2009)
I am drinking this dressing Achouffe’s red gnome’s hat :)
A dark ruby brown color with a big creamy and cloudy tan head. Cardboard, pepper, plums and alcohol in the nose. Strong alcohol presence in the palate - fruity, spicey, some licorice- well-made as the most of Achouffe-products. Warming aftertaste.

2005 vintage 750 ml bottle. Pours a coppery dark amber with a medium sized creamy beige head. Aroma of dates, plums, prunes, caramel and light brown sugar. Taste is slightly sweet with hints of dark fruit, light brown sugar, caramel, toffee and malt. Very nice.

It’s got that nice belgian-y fruit aroma with a hint of spices. I could see some plum or maybe dates in the taste, and other fruits, some spices as well. The palate was nice, soft but rich.

The bottle pours out a mahogany liquid with a quickly dissipating head. The nose is floral and spicy. Flavours of plum and dark fruits with spices. Delicous.