9% ABV
IBUs?
OG 18° Plato
750 ml bottle with a best before date of June, 01, 2012 poured into a Duvel tulip on December 02, 2010.
Prejudices can be tricky. I can’t quite explain why wasn’t I expecting much from this beer even before I opened it, while I have enjoyed “Belgian” IPA’s in past. I am quite sure I picked it up only because it’s well regarded and I am glad I did, because this beer shattered my prejudice and pleasantly surprised me.
Slightly hazy, straw golden hued, it poured with a big, but still controllable, white head that settled into floating chunks on the surface leaving patchy lacing all over the glass. A simple aroma of Pilsner malts and what I assume were Saaz hops filled the surroundings, and had me anticipating a crisp, pilsner like ale. Verdict? Not quite, but close: begins sweet but prickly carbonation cleanses the palate and the sweetness quickly yields to a bitter-for-Belgian-ales finish, that has hints of Pilsner character. The finish is still quite sweet. That’s it. I would have finished my review had this been a 11.2 oz bottle, thinking of this beer as a double pilsner.
However, being as this was a 750 ml bottle, there was plenty left, warming up in the bottle. Upon second pour, I picked a lot of bready sweetness, with the bright fruitiness of apricots, pears and apples, that prevented the aroma from getting monotonically sweet. There were hints of soft, alcoholic perfume in the background. A very good aroma, with all the character present in the taste too. The crispness was gone by now but I didn’t regret it, because of now apparent rich malt and ester character, akin to bigger malty beers. Medium bodied and lively on the palate with a medium, but bittering, finish with hints of soft, sweet, alcohol.
I was so intrigued and impressed at this point that I had to crack open a Duvel only for comparison. I understand that these are two different beers but I really wanted to see how it stood against Duvel. In my opinion, Chouffe is a hoppier BSPA and it’s a fair comparison. I found that while Chouffe is more complex than Duvel, Duvel is better done, but they are equally good. I would’ve liked Chouffe even better had the bitterness seemed more in place, but that’s perhaps just nitpicking. A fantastic beer, highly recommended. I will seek a fresher bottle myself!
Appearance | 4.5 |
Aroma | 4.5 |
Taste | 4 |
Mouthfeel | 5 |
Drinkability | 5 |
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