Brooklyn Cuvee dAchouffe

Formerly brewed at Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Belgian Ale
Brooklyn, New York USA

5th Richmond Gathering, on tap at Capital Alehouse, downtown location. Happy to get to try this. Medium clear amber, decent head. Slight spice and cardamom pod aroma. Flavor was rather spicy, with a good bit of dried coriander wandering around an undefined fruity malt backbone. I suppose the thyme struck me as coriander for some reason. In any case, this was nice.

I tried this draught at the Flying Saucer in Charlotte, NC. I am fond of Garrett Oliver’s beers and his writing. This beer did not disappoint. Nice coper color with a fruity, yeasty spicy nose. The mouthfeel was well carbonated, spicy sweet with a soft finish. Nice Belgian yeasty notes.

I have been waiting for months to try this stuff. It was supposed to be available on tap at Party Town for purchase in growlers and/or 1L flip-tops, but apparently Dilly Deli managed to steal their shipment! Regardless, Dilly Deli put this on tap sometime in the last few days, so I had no option but to head over there today after work to have a couple pints of it... Brooklyn Cuvee dAchouffe is a vibrant, cloudy orange color with a creamy beige/light ivory colored head. Head retention was excellent as there was also a creamy crown on top. The carbonation level was mild to moderate. At first smell, the aroma was extremely sweet and fruity like pineapple. However, it seemed to mellow out some as it had a chance to breathe some and became a little less sweet (still fairly sweet overall) with hints of wheat-like malt, citrus/orange, a touch of yeast, and a soft earthy/herbiness. The flavor mimicked the aroma in most regards, with a slight hoppy bitterness coming through just before the finish. The flavor also had a certain, yet subtle, herb/spiciness to it that must have been from the infusion of the orangic Spanish thyme (it isn’t distinct enought to identify exactly what it is without reading the description). The finish had a nice, rye-like dryness to it. I would say this this beer has a slightly heavy mouthfeel and is pretty smooth on the palate. Overall I think that is a nicely constructed Belgian and is very well balanced between the sweetness, bitterness, and spiciness. I really enjoyed this beer and feel very fortunate to have had a chance to try it. I have always enjoyed the Brooklyn brews and think that their "Brewmaster’s Reserve" beers such as this one and Brooklyn Blast! really highlight their superb brewing capabilites. I look forward to their future "Brewmaster’s Reserve" offerings...

Draught. At Coles in Buffalo. Poured mostly clear amber with a decent off-white head. Spicy an sweet malty aroma, more herbal hops than most Belgians, sweet and yeasty - not very complex, but pleasant. Taste - right on with the nose - yeasty, sweet malt, almost saison-level spice, a little alcohol heat but not too bad - kind of jangly on the palate in the finish, not very well blended or balanced, but okay. Decent body, sticky and oddly flat mouthfeel, sweet finish. Overall I think this would be good in bottles, but the bar gas was not doing it any favours - in fact, I think the keg may not have been tapped long enough - just okay.

Draught tulip at Monk’s Café on 1/19/07
Copper-blonde body is thoroughly carbonated, with light hay and rust tints and a white/off-white head that is quite dense, well-retained and large, similar to the original. Lacing is not nearly as prominent and perhaps the head isnt retained quite as well, but it’s close enough and probably different due to non-brewing factors (glassware, freshness, keg pressure, etc...). Clarity is quite high, with only a very slight touch of haziness.
Sweet pale malt sugars, producing notes of honey and vanilla cream, brushed by clean, Belgian yeast nuances, certainly recall images of the original, though I think this one seems a little less refined. A touch more graininess and some light sharpness (hop derived or alcohol derived?). Dry hay and straw-like notes build up towards the finish, with hints of light corn or powdered sugariness. It’s a fairly strong aroma, as is La Chouffe, but like the original, there dosent seem to be much more than some pale malt sweetness, bits of dough/hay/straw and light esters.
Simple, sweet flavor contains a round table sugar and honey mix that seems almost gooey at first, but is quickly broken apart by modestly sharp yeast esters and light acidity. Vanilla, a touch of buttercream (not diacetyl) and light corn sugar are all notable, with a light sweaty/graininess from the malt husks. A good amount of carbonation is present, but it’s mostly tight and engaging like the original (though not quite to the same level). Yep, a very well done clone of the original, showing some American qualities as you’d expect (more graininess, bit more assertive all around, more clean). So if you like La Chouffe, you should like this. I don’t like La Chouffe however...

Draft at Dilly Deli. Poured hazy orange brown color with an average fizzy white head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate tart citrus and small alcohol aroma. Medium body with a slick texture. Medium spicy sweet flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration. Complex drinkable brew.

Draft at Monks cafe 1/19 and 1/23/07. Orange amber with a thick white head. Sweet vinous aroma. interesting flavors - spice, yeast, and white pepper are evident. Tasty.

On tap @ Coles,Buffalo, NY. Pors a cloudy goldish-orange with a nice big head.Definately taste the Belgian yeast here. Very remininscent of la Chouffe beers. Would think that is stronger than 6.8 though. Good brew.