N’Ice Chouffe

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

Bread-like dough, bitter orange and spices in the sugary aroma with some pine-like hops also notable. Opaque brown-copper with decent off-white/tan head that recedes to partial cover. Spicy and very sweet flavour with some acidity in the finish that takes the edge off. Lasting bitter-orange aftertaste. Complex and intriguing, subtle, lasting flavours. Very soft in the mouth but carbonation is engaging. Alcohol not at all apparent except for a slight warming. Bottle enjoyed with beerbuzzmontreal, Lubiere, MartinT, Rastacouere and SimonB.

(Bottled, 0.75l, re-rate) Very nice, deep red color with a large, foamy and tight, beige head. Malty, fruity, toffeeish, salty and sweet nose with lots of anise. Sweet-malty, yeasty, quite bitter and hoppy, fruity, slightly spicy and alcoholic flavor. Very smooth, foamy-carbonated, medium-bodied, bitter and slightly slicky-alcoholic palate. A quite nice and pleasant, beautiful dessert brew. A bit strangely bitter, but that is gone with the yeasty part added. Probably best, if you mix the yeast in from the beginning. Anise really shows up when warm.

Limited edition 2003 green bomber (750 ml.) with no cork. The poured beer was dark red in color with large billowing beige head, and nice lace. The aroma was cherries, clove, brown sugar, and warm spices. The taste was tart-sweet (apples, cherries, pear) with a spicy (ginger, clove, nutmeg) kick. The mouthfeel was a bit thin, but was enhanced by explosive latent carbonation. This is quite a warmer due to the inherent alcoholic strength.

Brownish color with hints of red. fruity nose, banana flavor. starts malty sweet. light hoppy/yeasty finish and light alcohol aftertaste.

2002 bottling. Rich, malty, sweet, spicy and complex aroma, with a hint of the thyme, vanilla, candi sugar, orange peel, coriander, raisin, faint hops, a generous, doughy, yeasty fruitiness, flowers and faint alcohol. Lots of elements on display. Medium garnet in color, with an uneven, creamy and lasting off-white-pinkish head and copious lacing. Flavor is surprisingly mellow, lots of malt sweetness up front, fading into a blend of spicy hop, yeast esters including some bubblegum, and a bit of peppery alcohol towards the lengthy finish. Hefty body, with a creamy, effervescent mouthfeel. Blended so that no one aspect stands out too far, which is nice. Would definitely be a fine candidate for a few years worth of aging. O.G. 1099, 25 IBUs.

Chocolate, licorice, wood and dark fruits in the aroma. Sweet, creamy, malty palate. Smooth milk chocolate coats the palate, while a citric spice in the finish provides good balance. Fair alcohol warmth in the finish without ever appearing too strong.

Spicy, peppery nose; deep ruby color. Quick sweetness up front turns to a spicy, cinnamony middle with a sharp, peppery finish that is dry and chalky. Not as complex as I expected, but great balance. Medium body - not as fat as I thought either. The alcohol was unnoticeable in the flavor profile.