Mc Chouffe

Dark brown with red hues and a dense head. Somewhat sweet, very spicy, malty, with toffee and caramel, a bit peaty, slightly hoppy & somewhat smoked, dry, yeasty aroma. Very balanced taste. Leans to the dry side. Lots of spice (cinnamon/pepper), raisins, butterscotch, cookiedough and vanilla. Great long lasting finish, very nice smooth smoky malt & vanilla. Low/medium carbonation, solid mouthfeel - very thick and substantial. Very good.

Bottle, 75 cl. With Francky. Dark brown beer withbeige foam. Malty aroma with spices, caramel. Taste is powerfol, and stays long in the mouth. It is sweet and has burned and fruity tastes.End with a hard bitterness of hops and spices...

Bottle. Hazy deep ruby/copper, with a big head that slowly disappears. Earthy malty aroma, with yeast, some spicy hops and a little sweetness. Medium bodied, smooth but quite high carbonation. Very dry finish.

Grill party at home July 08. 2006 Mahogany red with a nice head. The aroma and flavour have notes of roasted malt, candy sugar, and the flavour also has notes of resin, spice, raisin and other fruits. It has a nice bitterness, but we had it after Unibroues Fringante, so that would be difficult for any beer.

750 ml bottle. Pours light brown with a tan quickly disapearing head. Aromas of molassas and citrus. Malty flavors. Very Good.

It’s been a considerable gap in time since my last Chouffe, the La Chouffe. In fact, I think it’s been approximately one year or more, and for the whole time I’ve had a hankering for another fun-to-say Chouffe beer. Problem was I couldn’t remember which Chouffe it was I had. It’s easy to confuse monosyllabic prefixes like “Mc” and “La” but one day I finally reminded myself to check on Ratebeer and lo I once again had clarity of mind, and with lightness of foot I dashed to Tony B’s to grab the other bottle in the standard duet, the Scotch style McChouffe. The familiar, heartwarming gnome is found here too, gently tending to something in the soil, wearing a pleated kilt and fancy boots. Even though he’s supposed to be a Belgian I see something distinctly Scottish in him. Either way, his ruddy cheeks and sagacious eyes (and a fairly aquiline beard) entreat a sampling of what we assume is the beer he’s sacrificing his gnomish posture to work so hard on. The pour is a standard affair, producing a comforting dry soil brown head, composed of a nice collection of small, medium and large bubbles. The body of the beer is more sanguine, both in passion and color, burning with an amber shade of red. Within this crimson pool is a maelstrom of carbonation – bubbles crashing to and fro belie the tranquil surface. This submerged storm pushes up great whorls and eddies of aroma, pressing skyward with deep, low, sugary sassafras. A little ginger clears up the hazy sugary smog with its sparkling culinary probity, while cheap cocoa powder and fig, pipe tobacco, peat and copious wet moss try to tackle it down. All of these flavors make up exquisite, attractive treats for the tongue, but somehow altogether they remind me of a blend of Coca-cola and Pepsi. It’s something of a shock to bring a reputed Belgian beer to your nose and get a whiff of that ballpark classic, but it’s only one part of the beer. Besides, Coke smells good. Finally, once the main smells subside with a bit of distracted story telling, a tiny peep of vanilla crawls out from its hidden burrow and weaves itself into the after-smell, alongside some Welch’s grape juice. In its total form it smells a lot like St. Peter’s in Vatican City, which I blame on my delirious sensory memory. The taste matches the aroma with the contemporary corporate colossi carbonated Cokes, and fancied up a bit with some dried fig, red wine, hops, sweet coffee and vanilla. There is also a taste like mixed berries (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry) minus all the sugars, but retaining the pulp and bitter parts. The palate suits the McChouffe very well, being smooth yet bubbly, well balanced and somewhat reminiscent of spring water from a local town here called Manitou Springs. Yet, when I finish the glass and take a last, farewell glance at the McChouffe I’m reminded that this is a Scotch Ale, yet, besides the peat and moss in the aroma I find nothing Scottish about it. I can’t complain. His kilt and face are enough to convince me.

Re-rate 7/15/08: Draught. Dark brown with a medium beige head. Aroma of malt, caramel, some dark fruitiness, licorice hints and light spiciness. Sweet flavor with malt, caramel, dark fruits, some brown sugar and dark bread hints. Finishes spicy and alcoholic. Medium-bodied. Quite nice. 7/4/7/3/14=3.5

Bottle. Very dark red-brown color with an off-white head. A bit of sparkling. Aroma is malt sweetness, some carmel and spices. Flavor is sweet and spicy, with caramel and a very light bitterness. A medium to full body. The finish is soft sweetness with alcohol. 8/4/8/4/16=4

Pours a hazy brown color with off white head. Aroma is of fruit with banana, spice, coffee, and caramel. Taste is of dark fruit, raisin, slight vinuous. Slight alcohol warmth but quite enjoyable.