N’Ice Chouffe

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Draft version: Deep mohogany w/ a tan, whispy, long lasting head. Initially malty and intense plums with a bit of an earthy hop aroma at the end of the sniff. Alcohol as it warms, as well as clove spice, banana, and even a little bubble gum. Matly and well balanced, caramel, plums, and cloves with a hop flavor in the finish and aftertaste. Light alcohol, but adds depth to complexity as well as raisiny vinous flavors as it warms. Medium full body, high level of carbonation, but not as carbonated as a dubbel or tripel. Lightly astringent I think from the hops though. Very well hidden alcohol, great balance of flavors and aromas, but light astringency should dissipate over time, it should age nicely.

1/2/03: bottle. nice thick rocky head with left over lacing. deep red copper colour. small hints of orange in the nose with some yeast. malty flavor, with an ever so slight after taste of granulated sugar (the sugar taste is no longer evident after the beer warms.) extra appearance pts for cute label. 2002 vintage.

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!

dark brown pour - tan head. smells malty, sweet, caramel, fruity, etc. taste is identical, yet it is very light and pretty easy to drink despite the 10%. finish is nice and smooth , very easy drinking beer. something id like to age and see how it turns out in a few years.

Pours with lively carbonation. A murky brown color with a tan effervescent head. Weet raisin and spicey smell. Flavor is slightly sweet with dark fruit and raisins coming to the top. Some bitterness and alcohol in the end. Aftertaste stays with you awhile as you notice some dark candi sugar. Nice warm sensation in the throat when all is said and done. N’Ice.

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.

UPDATED: NOV 28, 2004 Deep dark brown with a big off-white head, quickly fading. Big spicy aroma of cloves, thyme, cinnamon, a little hay-ish and definitely on the sweet take (caramel, toffee) with light notes of alcohol. Taste is more of the same original spiciness, very smooth altogether. I swear you taste the barley in there, siding sweet chocolate and candyish toffee. How belgians manage to balance their beers to avoid being cloying through spices keeps me in total awe. Slightly alcoholic finish. Creamy medium body, rather carbonated. Good, but I still prefer their Chouffe and McChouffe, so it’s a mild disappointment.
Resample many months later. I still don’t see this as my favorite achouffe product, but I liked it more than the first time, having this last version 1yr and a half older than the last one. Nice parsley and herbal flavors. Great flavor integration. Doesn’t get overly sweet, nice spicy bitterness. Soft mouthfeel. Rising from 3.7 to 3.9.

This beer has another nice fruity nose on it, even more so than the Mc Chouffe I just had. It also has that slight tart note to it and I get aromatic notes of sour plums, raisins, even some prunes (to differentiate from the plum notes). There is also a nice sweet spicy note to this, that is almost a fruity spice note; either way it accentuates the fruitiness.

The taste of this beer starts out tart, like a tart fruit, and finishes with a nice sweet mix of fruit and sweet spice; like clove, mace and allspice perhaps. The finish also has a slight note of chocolate and more so even a hint of roasted malt, though both are quite subtle. This is quite rich, it really works as a night cap. It is a nice balance between the tart and the sweet character.

<font size=-4>Sampled on tap at: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/arizona/scottsd Brewing Co, Scottsdale, AZ<font size=-1>