Mc Chouffe

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

A Scotch Ale? This is easily the best scotch ale I have ever had. The pour is brown with a tall bubbly, soapy head. The aroma is spicy and raisany. There is plenty of sparkling carbonation. Quite refreshing and very good at clearing the palate. No lingering aftertaste or film in my mouth like I have experienced with cheaper scotch ales I have had before. This was delicious.

On tap at the Rake, 7th March 2009. Slightly opaque dark amber. Pretty still. Heavily malted as you might expect with a soft toffee nose. Full bodied and strong.

Pours cloudy red-brown with a tan, lasting head. Nice fruity aroma, but a littly musty. malty, fruity Belgian dubbel flavor. Very nice brew, but I would place this in the Abbey Dubbel catagory, like an Ommegang or Allagash Dubbel. Decent and enjoyable and not something to pass up.

Dried blood brownish red with a medium soft-looking foamy cap that sits briefly leaving behind a big collar and thin skim. Lacing is minimal in big blobby things. Aroma is dry and delicately soft with a semi-yielding date, prune, dark purple grapey fruitish backlay. Taste is short, rounded in a softly darkened fruityness of red apple, purple grape, and lesser tarting fruity sugars. A bit sharp on the buds with a big carbonation hump in the middle. Finish is light and airy with a yeasty woodish dryness with a bit of fruit pits and skins trying to grab a bit of interest. Feel is OK, the short-lived flavors don’t help anything as it has a seemingly light/medium body with that hump of carbonation in the middle totally taking away what could be a fairly smooth ride. Drinkability is a little less then the norm for a Belgian Dark ale. Quite plain, but seems like the effort is there and comes across well made, just not much going on with this one.

Dark reddish-brown body topped with a nice and lasting off-white foamy head. Good malty nose with spicy and yeasty hints. Robust and complex taste that has some notes of toffee, spices, dark berries, and brown sugar. Ends with a long and warm finish. More than drinkable.

amber dark colour, nutty with some fruits. tastes nice, spicy with a bit of yeasty taste , and some toffee but a good brew

Pours a very dark murky brown with a a small fine beige head. Sweet fruity aroma, dark fruits, wet hay, some yeast, something sour, raisins and a touch of smoke. Interesting flavor, sweet dark fruits, raisins, a touch of chocolate, doughy, toffee, buttery, vinous/nutty, lots of candi sugar. A bit too much for me... needs more focus, too sweet. Medium/light watery body with ample sizzling fluffy carbonation. Weak finish.

Just a faint hint of smoke in the aroma. Rather sweet, just shy of cloying. Light hop on the finish.