Chimay Bleue (Blue)

Brewed by Chimay
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Baileux, Belgium

Bottle, 33cl. Pours an unclear nutbrown beer with an offwhite head. The aroma is yeast and fruits. The flavor is fruits and yeast, with some alcohol. The palate is bold and balanced. Overall a good beer.

Deliciously smooth. A very strong ale indeed. They hide the taste of high alcohol well but a warm bourbon feeling after sipping. Definitely an epic brew though.

Bottle from BevMo. Pours a murky dark red-brown color with a huge off-white head. aroma is sweet spices, notably cinnamon and cloves, raisin, light aromatic hops and alcohol. flavor has many roasted notes, yeast, wheat, chocolate, alcohol and the same subdued spiciness as in the aroma. medium alcoholic body with mild, lively carbonation and a gentle bitter aftertaste.

Pours a deep brown. Dark fruit, raisin, candy sugar nose. Bready, sugary, fig, raisin, some chocolate flavor. Excellent beer.

750 ml. bottle (2008) poured into an Ommegang goblet. An old fave that I finally got around to rating on Christmas eve. One of the best ’abbeys’ on the mass market. Ar: Port, malt, bread, dark fruits...fruits galore. Huge yeasty perfume. Ap: Poured a large head that dissipated a little too rapidly, but left some interesting fungal lacing. Red-brown color that was too rich to be rust and hid enough secrets in its murky depths. Hinted at a fullness that wasn’t quite there though (needs to be aged a couple of years). Fl: Candy sugar and fruity esters w/ succulent plums and more clearly, dry fruits coming through. Figs, raisins et al. Caramel and yeasty bread come through as well. I expect the flavor to evolve, which is why I’ve set one down for two years. A little thin when its young.

Floral aroma, rich and spicy, with some alcohol. Dark, murky, small head. Complex, flowery flavor. This bottle has much more hidden alcohol than my last sample. Nice.

330mL bottle from Regionals – from a Chimay glass of course. Pours a murky deep brown with a big fluffy off white head. Looking very sexy. The aroma is dominated by dark fruits, plum and raisin. Nice and spiced too, with a bit of yeast and brown sugar. It’s a familiar Belgian aroma, but strong and in your face. Which I like. The brown sugar sweetness dominates the first sip, a bit sweet. The next sip shows more malt, those raisins show up, some mild bitterness is there. It becomes much easier to drink with each successive sip. Spices come in stronger as it warms, becomes quite a nice beer. The 9% ABV is completely hidden. Nom.

Dark muddy brown with a large fizzy light brown head. Aroma is dark fruity and yeasty with over ripe fruit basket, mostly plum, banana, apples, pears, and prunes. Very sweet flavor yet not syrupy or sticky, just good. Brown sugar, spices, plums, blackberries stand out. Packed with flavor.