Mc Chouffe

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

Bottle. Aroma of sweet malt with some tart/sour notes. Wet earth and a hint of juniper and pine. Pours a muddy brown/copper with a quickly fading white head. Flavor of toasted sweet malt. Hint of earth. Some sweetness (toffee) and some dry, bittering hops. Medium bodied.

Garrafa, 750 ml. Coloração preta avermelhada, turva, com um creme bege consistente e persistente. Floral e frutada. Notas de frutas vermelhas, leves, e de fermento. Presença de sedimentos. Carbonatação alta. Final relativamente seco e levemente amargo. Não tão complexa. Sabor não tão longo.

Bottle. Very dark tawny red/brown with a ½ inch red/brown foamy head. Nose-dusty, spice, black pepper, cinnamon, medium CO2, anise, brown sugar, big sharp mouthfeel with some spice but not too sticky, black cardamom, green tea, cane sugar, bready, alcohol fig, black cherry, apple skins, Dr. Pepper. I really like the perfect spiciness balanced with the sweetness. Good earthy clay flavors. This is pretty much everything I look for in a Belgian. Like most beers with this kind of gravity it sweetens as it warms.

Coloração vermelho-escura, pequenos sedimentos e creme bege. Aroma floral e frutado, corpo cremoso. Paladar doce de frutas vermelhas, final levemente amargo e longo.

Pours out a think brown with a fairly established and thick tan head. Aroma is very sweet and floral, some roasted malts in there with the classic Belgian yeasty smell. Taste is sweet brown sugar, spice, and yeast. Although there is some malty and peaty flavors of the Scotch ale but I dunno this one was just average to me.

bottle. redish brown with off white head. Aomnas of flowers, clover. Tastes emerge as it warms up, molasses, smoke, malt, toffee. Enjoyable, but leaves me wanting a more intense experience.

Bouteille. Couleur brune -rougâtre, mousse abondante et persistente, traces beaucoup le verre. Arôme malté, caramel et torréfié légèrement, esters, levure. Goût bien sucré et malté, pain, levure épicée, réglisse, finale légère d’alcool. Corps moyen, effervescence moyenne (mais forte pour une scotch selon moi), mais d’une douceur captivante. J’étais surpris de voir style scotch ale sur ratebeer à prime abord, mais après y avoir goûté, c’est tout à fait ça.

750ml Binnys Orland Best before 2009 McChouffe pours a crimson red with glowing ruby highlights when held to the light. This beer is surprisingly clear but it has been sitting in the fridge for awhile now so I’m sure the yeast has dropped. A one finger ecru head formed on a rather aggressive pour and faded to a skimming pretty quickly. Interesting aromas come from this beer. Reminiscent of a scotch ale, of course I guess that’s where the name came from. Big dark bread doughy malts along the lines of pumpernickle with that nice spiciness. It’s hard to pull things out because the aroma isn’t all that pronounced. After a quick swirl I do pick up a lactic quality of cream and a touch of peat. A little spicy yeastiness fades in and out in the background. The flavor is more along the lines of a Belgian than the nose would suggest. Doughy malts are the base for this brew. On top of this dominant base I get hints of powdery and spicy yeast. Spicy warm alcohol and a hint of copper on the finish. The flavors just don’t seem to be enough. Medium bodied with an incredibly airy smooth feel on as it hits the tongue. Goes down smooth. Good flavor although a little weak helps this one go down pretty easy. This would be an excellent brew if the flavors were a little more bold. Mcchouffe is a hybrid Scotch/Abbey ale but the flavors are much weaker than what I’d expect from either of those styles. 9/23/07