N’Ice Chouffe

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

2004 bottle courtesy of Tim (IPFreely): Muddy brown with a medium sized off-white head. Rich fruity aroma full of brown sugar and toffee. A full bodied ale with big sweet malts. Hints of cinnamon and orange peels are present in the finish.

750ml bottle, 1996 vintage - I didn’t know what to expect from a bottle this old, but why not? Pours murky dark brown with almost no head at all. The aroma has caramel, dark fruits, and yeast. The sweet malts, fruit tones, and light spiciness blended in the flavor, but was rather mild and and definitely watery. As I feared, this bottle was well past its prime. While the taste was suggestive of a better beer, the age was just too much for it. I’m rating somewhat generously to try to allow for it, but still should try a newer bottle and rerate.

Thanks to Tim for sharing. Deep ruby, off-white head. Nose is cocoa, caramel malt, fruits. Flavor is cocoa, caramel, yeast, cherry/strawberry.

Bottle 750 ml. La Chouffe Glass. Dark brown and almost black; but mahogeny when held to light. Carbonation came to the top of the bottle upon opening, but the body was surprisingly flat for a d’Achouffe beer. A little syrupy and sweet. Aroma of fruit and malt. Taste of malt, bitterness, and spice/pepperiness; without the expected complexity. Strong alcohol finish. I guess I should have let this age or perhaps my bottle was not representative of the beer. I will have to re-rate. I let the beer sit for awhile and it really improved at room temperature. Much more expressive and bubbly.

Finalizing the annual series of brumal Belgians, N’Ice Chouffe was without a doubt the most gustatorily enjoyable and visually magnetic. Dark chestnut in color, its top was fluffed as a pillow, beige, and left behind thick foamy rings as it receded. The aroma was decidedly apt for the season, full of rich malts and spices, its structured complexity building upon a base of creamy milk chocolate and café au lait. Subtle notes of nutmeg, licorice, pepper and vanilla are revealed sequentially. As custard begins to take shape on the nose a combination of plum, fig and asparagus provides elegant and uncommon balance, a mature, exquisite profile. Chestnut reappears upon the taste buds this time, beside hazelnuts, artichoke, grapes and raisins. The palate, once more, inspires maturity with highlights of coffee, pepper, anise, cream and dried pear, a surprising stature I didn’t expect. The mouthfeel is smooth and opulent, with hints of malty bitterness and a long coffee finish. Those Belgian gnomes never cease to amaze me.

poured from a 750ml bomber into a snifter, Ltd. Ed. 2005 vintage A: pours a beautiful, murky brown with a lovely light brown head, lasts a good little bit and laces mildly. This looks like I want to pour it over some vanilla ice cream. S: Yum, a solid mixture of a flowery and roasted molasses smell wafts out of the glass. Additional inhales detect some nice citrus flavorings hidden in there. T: My lord, I’m not sure if I’ve experienced such complex flavorings right out of the gate before. Describing this as simply malted sweetness would be not doing the brewer justice. It’s more of a wide array of darker fruits like raisins, the slight tartness of green apples and a delicious lingering butterscotch finish. M: definitely featuring some fizzy carbonation and a velvety smoothness that gives way to a slight alcohol feel on the swallow. D: for a 10% ABV strong ale, this is remarkably drinkable, I took my sweet time with it and enjoyed over the course of 60-90 minutes. I’d definitely buy this beer again.

Draught at Bishops Arms, Avenyn, Göteborg, Sweden. Pours dark brown with a thick off-white head. Very sweet and complex malty aroma, with dried fruits, chocolate, and some spiciness, alcohol is clearly present but not assertive. Very smooth and creamy mouthfeel, a bit to sweet although there is a typical belgian dry edge.

Nice deep amber color. Murky. Light tan bubbly head. Nice spice, malt, earth and sweetness in the aroma. Taste is of orange, spice, hard candy, malts and light hops. Creamy and sweet, but light and carbonated. Finish is dry off the bat, but the lingering on the palate is creamy and sweet on the tongue. That earthy aroma I was talking about earlier must be the thyme. Glad it didn’t overtake the beer. Very unique, but could only drink it every so often.