N’Ice Chouffe

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

Bug thanks goes out to MUSTANG3 for sharing this baby! Pours a dark brown body, with a thin beige head atop. Slight alcohol aroma, cognac?? Vinous, prunes and pears, roasted malts and sugars. Taste is malty, floral, fruity (pears and prunes), sweet too. Finish is mildly alcohol, with a sweet prune aftertaste. Nice! Thanks kevin!

2007 Bottle at Barrios’ Impromptu Tasting to pop Smitty’s Surly. Pours a clear mahogany with fair light tan head. Nose is alcohol, plum, caramel. Anise, light chocolate, dark berries, and some yeasty banana qualities. Medium chewy body with large amount of carbonation that makes it feel a little creamy.

Dark brown coloured, with a large off white head. NIce yeasty aroma, with some fruity and malty touches (nutty and raisins), light roasted and some caramel. Full body, creamy texture. Finish is light bitter, sweet again with some caramel, and some alcoholic hints.. A great beer.

Pours brown/red. Metallic aroma with almond paste. Sweet and malty. Fruity hints. Sweet, stale, metallic, flavour. Spicy carbonated ending. Sugary and yeasty. A lot of marzipan. Small to medium, sickening body.

[November 21, 2008]
750 mL bottle best before the end of 2010 poured into a 2 pint brandy snifter. N’Ice Chouffe is dark brown, near black in dim lighting. A pretty large head forms, but it’s not obscene. The aroma is spicy and sweet with hints of fruits, cardamom, clove, and licorice. The mouthfeel is medium with just enough carbonation. It’s sweeter than the nose let on, but it’s not overly sugary. Flavors of plums, licorice, and light spices abound while the alcohol stays in the background. I almost think quad as I drink this. This is another tasteful ale from the Chouffe line up. It’s pretty big, well balanced, and complex. Good stuff.

2006 Vintage - What an amazingly simple, yet tasty beer. Okay, maybe simple is the right word. But it’s not barrel aged, or a "super premium" beer. Just a well made, highly enjoyable Belgian beer.

The beer pours out a dark, cloudy brownish/purple color with a nice two-finger thick light tan head. A mesmerizing aroma butter, plums and mashed raisins. Vanilla and overripe bananas also show up. Where’s the 10% alcohol? Mouthfeel is crazy smooth. None of that overly harsh carbonation I find in some Beligain beers. Smooth as silk here. Flavors are a tongue-warp to try and get them all. Dark fruits like dates, rasins and plums abound. Caramel, chocolate dipped oranges, oak and various spices play thru. Highly recommended.

Taster on tap at Stone brewery after aged beer tasting. No head. Deep amber color. Taste is a bit young and unrefined. Smell is too mild to rate. A little background harshness. Possibly the tiniest bit of background sourness that rises off the back of the tongue as a finish. Alchohol is prominent, reducing the drinkability of the beer.

Re-rate: Bottled. Deep brown coloured. Malty and spicy aroma with fruity notes, pretty good. Malty flavour, quite a mouth full, alcoholic, but really nice. Long lasting finish. Very nice brew. I wonder if the recipe changed or if i did, but i like it a lot more than before.