N’Ice Chouffe

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

achouffe of course has it’s cartoon mascots-- a series of not-very-cute hunchbacked dwarfish beings that appear on their labels. these belgian equivalents of leprechauns have red-tipped pinnochio noses suggesting either that they brawl a lot or that they’ve been out tapping on trees like woodpeckers. whatever their proclivities, here the pointy-nosed and red-capped gnome-lings at chouffe have much more sensitively created in the ’04 N’ice a sweet confection for the palettes of big people. by using burdens of belgian candy sugar that would bend the backs of camels-- and flavors lovingly coaxed from cookie-baked malts, one tastes the likenesses of dried fruits and fudge that would attempt to beguile and seduce both young people and hungry honey badgers. yet, those delicacies are held aloft from the innocent by the inclusion of white-hot levels of alcohol. in packaging, achouffe utilizes double-strength kevlar-coated bottle caps and champagne-grade bottles to contain the stallion instincts of it’s potent brews, and so when i opened mine, it’s pent up foam soared like a saturn five in an appetency to burst forth and to sizzle in a snifter-- and then, like a delicately coifed poodle, to be duly admired. it’s color melds yellows and baked-on browns with floaties and burnt plum tones like the bottom of a well-used crepe pan. the foam is a classic of belgian lace: it’s firm cushion of butternut micro-bubbles could be injected into walls for scandanavian grade insulation. aroma is of strawberries, baked apples and baker’s yeast, orange and maple, mint and well-steeped darjeeling chai leaves. the power of suggestion puts thyme into the mixture, but among the green-leafed herbs i’d guess tarragon and sage instead. the carbonation is fiery on first blush, but calms quickly. full-bodied with watery feel, zesty bitterness, sweetness diminishing and alcoholic effect increasing. consumed alone, after a big bottle i found that my left eye could monitor all things on the far right, while my right independently covered appoaches from the peripheral left-- while my mind took up blissful repose in the dreamy center.

Just before cracking this gem I shared a bottle of Orval with my girlfriend - I thought that was a musky Belgian ale...but man, this sets the bar. Stored since ’03, this beer has reached a supremely round mellowness that really brings out the big earthiness in the yeast and curbs the edgy alchohol. There is a wonderful breadiness here - something fermented like French - mixed with an extremely smooth buttery hazelnut character. The yeast really comes through a touch sweet - apples or currant. A sprinkling of hops give the fruit a fresh quality - very contrary to the musky yeast and malt. The mouthfeel here is unbeatable, just gooey and sweet with that hoppy freshness. An excellent winter ale, but hell...I loved this and it’s spring.

2003 Edition This is my first stab at his brew in quite some time. The last "dead soldier" I have is of the 1999 version, but probably purchased in 2001, and the differences are that that one called itself a barleywine on the label, and this one advertises itself as an "ale brewed with thyme and coriander peel." The descriptions on the back label are slightly different, but this new one calls itself a "winter warmer", not a barleywine. Deep, dark reddish brown color, with a prodigious, creamy tan head, fluffy, bilious. overwhelming. Aroma: airy, nutty, spicy, but sadly subdued, at least not providing what I was expecting, though I continued to enjoy it before taking a taste. Fruity, spicy, a wonderful marriage of flavors, richly malted, brilliantly hopped, full of dark fruit (grapes, cherries, plums), various spices, utterly tasty, happily helped by the orange in the mix. Very sublime, very subtle. Full-bodied, full-flavored, wiuth spice and fruit awarding your good taste at every sip. Nice finish, nice texture...just beautiful... Highly recommended.

Wow. Big bottle kicks my ass. Bouquet knocks you over: flowers and malt, can't identify the spice (coriander?). Thick head and good lace. Big dark alcoholicy beer. This beer bites you back. Great acid, great carbonation, great spice - (or is it hop or yeast?) Next time i'll do a side by side with Trois Pistoles and Terrible.

Draught, 10%. Almost clear dark brown colour. Big, creamy, stable light brown head. Yeasty, malty aroma. Peppery, malty and yeasty flavour, slightly sweet. Very nice, perfect balance between alcohol/pepper flavours and malt.

Dark brown, beige head. Complex malty sweet aroma. Malty flavour with christmas spices. Yeast. Banana. Hides the ABV very well. Devine.

Rich clear mahogany w/thick off white head. Fresh malt , peachy, toffee, cream, carmel, vanilla....wow! med mouthfeel, with a lingering sweet finish. Carmel malt, sweet, candy!, and cherry flavors. Soft yet rich! Wow!!

750 ml bottle. Lot’s of fruity and spicy aromas off this brown pour with a decent tan head. Flavors were more dried fruit with a nice background of spice. Very nice winter offering.