Archive for the 'Chouffe' category
McChouffe Artisanal Belgian Brown Ale
What better way to wind down from a tough, long day at work than with a drink from one of your favorite breweries? This particular brew combines the qualities of a Scottish and Abbey style ale. It’s both rich and spicy, making for a delightful treat. You will notice a bit of sediment settling at the bottom of your glass when you pour this brown ale. Don’t be alarmed though, it doesn’t affect the taste at all. The smell is heavy with spice interspersed with a floral aromatics. The initial spicy taste is rounded out with a coffee/caramel flavor. Chouffe certainly took the best of two styles and created a very tasty beer. It’s a unique and complex brew and allows the palate to experience different flavors with each sip. Sometimes the spices radiate to the back of the throat and through the nasal cavity, and other times the rich malty flavors coat the tongue. It’s an excellent beer for the coming winter months. Another job well done by the Chouffe Brewery.
N’ice Chouffe
This is a limited edition 2005 ale made by the fine brewers at La Chouffe. It pours a deep brown and smells chocolatey sweet. It is brewed for the winter months so it is no surprise that the taste is riddled with spices. Initially the tongue experiences a bit of coffee and then the liquids seems to thicken at the back of the throat. There is a hoppy bitterness that lingers for a few seconds before all of the flavor disappears. The N’ice warms the stomach much like the elfs on the front of the bottle warm the heart. Those little guys are so inviting as is the taste of the brew. This is a heavier brew than I would normally reach for in the hot summer months (at the moment I am drinking it solely for the purpose of writing a review) but I could see myself really enjoying it in cooler temperatures. At 10% abv it’s not a session beer but it is one that can be enjoyed if you are looking to do some sippin’. I am pleased yet again with a product of La Chouffe Brewery. Although you may have difficulty finding this particular brew I do recommend trying other varieties.
La Chouffe Artisanal Belgian Golden Ale
This is the second beer from La Chouffe that I have had the pleasure of reviewing and again I must say I am very pleased. It pours a cloudy golden yellow with a white heads that climbs the glass and then quickly disappears. It smells of lemon and orange peel with a hint of spice. As it hits the tongue the coriander, orange and spice separate and float to the back of the mouth where they cling to the throat. As the liquid warms the stomach a slight banana aftertaste surprisingly develops. This is full-bodied beer comprised of multiple flavors and complemented by just the right amount of malt. At 8% abv it packs a slight punch too. I would recommend this brew and look forward to drinking the other 2 selections from La Chouffe sitting in my beer fridge…
Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel
I believe Matt and I may have overhyped this beer too much to give it a proper review. This was another purchase from western N.C., and was described by the purveyor as the “nectar of the gods” (accompanied with the requisite touching of fingers to thumb and looking to the sky). As such, I was terribly excited about the prospect of an IPA Tripel. The pour revealed what was probably the most gorgeous looking beer I’ve ever tasted, a light golden, unfiltered hue with the most pillowy head these eyes have ever seen. Given chocolate and graham cracker, you could probably make smores with the head on this brew. The taste wasn’t as hoppy as one would wish for an IPA, but at the 3rd sip, the hops began to come out. Overall, this is a very good beer, but the expectations may have been set too high from the outset.
