Chimay - Red, Yellow or Blue?

Over the holidays, I was able to try all three “colors” of Belgium’s Chimay Beer at one sitting and compare them to determine my favorite.   They came as a part of a holiday gift pack that included three 12oz. bottles and a matching glass.  I tasted all three of Chimay’s offerings at the Atlantic City Beer Festival, but I had so many other great craft beers that day, it was hard to remember exactly which was which.  This time I was able to take my time and contemplate the characteristics of each one.

This beer has been produced in the southern town of Chimay at Scourmont Abbey since 1862. It is one of only six Trappist breweries in Belgium, and has to meet certain criteria to carry the Trappist label.  In order to get this unique designation, it's not enough for the beer to be brewed within a monastery, it has to be run by Trappist monks.  A part of the profit from the sales of their beer must go toward charitable causes.  I feel better knowing that the proceeds from my purchase are benefitting rural Belgian villages.

I started with the Rouge which is the first beer Chimay made at its inception.  It is the “lightest”, alcohol wise, at 7 % ABV.  It is not really light, but for these potent Belgians it is the baby of the bunch.  This beer came out of the bottle a reddish, copper color with lots of carbonation but little head.  It smells spicy like coriander, which is found in many Belgian beers.  First sip:  The spiciness does not come through in the taste.   It does not have a ton of flavor but it doesn’t suck either.  A nice start.

The Chimay Doree (8% Alc.) pours a golden color to match its label with a big frothy head of foam.  It lacks some of the spicy aroma of the Red.  But it has a fruity taste with enough carbonation to give it a refreshing finish.

The Bleue Grande Reserve fills the glass a dark brown topped by a tan head.  Malty sweetness greets my nose as I bend to take a whiff.  The highest in alcohol at 9%, this beer goes down smooth with a slight toffee finish.  It is my favorite of the three.  I’m so taken with this Blue that I pick up a 750ml bottle a few days later to share with my wife over dinner.   

What is your favorite Chimay? Drop us a comment and let us know.  Cheers!

Belgian Beer Tasting at Bin 41

When I was about fifteen years old, extended family of mine from D.C. came to stay at my house one summer. This capital-dwelling clan consisted of five members during that trip: my cousin Nicole, her husband Pat, their two daughters and a German au pair girl. I can't quite seem to remember the foreign visitor's name now. But for all intents and purposes, let's just call her Frau.

Frau, it turned out, wasn't the best full-time babysitter Germany had to offer. She didn't much enjoy the company of children, or interacting with the family in general. Makes one wonder, then, why she chose the job of 'au pair' - which, by its very definition, states that the purpose of your employment is to "take care of children in exchange for room and board." Well, Frau certainly took care of one thing: her room and board. But the children, I came to learn, pretty much took care of themselves.

Alas, I digress. The purpose of this segue into the past is to recall, and reaffirm, one very true and important fact that Frau relayed to me one night. I will present the situation below:

Me: (handing Frau a Hershey's kiss over the dining room table): "Here Frau, have some chocolate.”

Frau: (shaking her head in disgust, and putting her hand up to stop me): "Oh, no thank you Kelly. No offense, but the chocolate is horrible here. I miss the stuff back at home."

Me: (shrugging shoulders in defeat): "Oh, sorry to hear that. What else do you miss from home?"

Frau: (lets out a big sigh): "Oh, just the four main things: chocolate, coffee, cheese and beer. They’re all so much better than the crap you guys have over here."

Me: "Oh. That's nice." (Exit stage left.)

That five-part dialogue just about concludes my entire interaction with Frau. But, interestingly enough, it is Frau's words that pop into my mind as I head into Bin 41, a wine bar in Pearl River, NY. I am giddily anticipating the Belgian beer tasting that is taking place here tonight. I find the card that has my name scripted on it and dutifully take my seat. Lovely, I think, as I glance over the bar and see an attractive display of individual cheese plates that contain thick slices of creamy Brie, thinly-cut strips of Manchego (a Spanish-made sheep's milk cheese) and some kind of pear fruit preserve. Beer and cheese tonight?! Winning!

Armando, owner of Bin 41 and the Portuguese steakhouse across the street, is hosting the beer tasting himself. As I learn from my father, who is also in attendance, Armando has had wine tastings in the past but doesn't host them; the distributors do. Tonight’s subject, however, is his specialty: he knows his Belgian beer and wants you to become familiar with it too. Considerate as always, he (or one of the many baristas that he employs) has typed up a list of all six beers that our taste buds will be scrutinizing tonight. First victim: Wittekerke.

I am introduced to this beer as a barista named Jackie pours it into my wine glass. (Side note: you will feel much fancier when drinking beer out of a wine glass.) She tells my father and I that the American version of Wittekerke is Blue Moon Belgian White. I taste it and find that she is right, but there are some fundamental differences between the two. Blue Moon’s taste of orange is way more prevalent, and the color is much darker than the one I have in my hand. But both beers sit around a 5% ABV level, which make them light enough to drink and not get too full off of. But we remember that we are at a beer tasting and must move on to beer number two. And I am certainly not complaining after I read the name of our next contestant: Steenbrugge Blond.

Now, going in, I may be a bit biased toward this beer. Its relative, Steenbrugge Witbier, is one of my most favorite foamy beverages, ever. I assure you there is nothing else quite like it. But I come to learn that the Blond is just as tasty, with more of a kick to it. The flavor is sweet, malty and spicy, with notes of citrus here and there. This beer, like the previous one, sits at around 5% ABV. Once again, a tasty beer that is light enough to drink more than a few of but not lacking in flavor and, most importantly, spice!

The next one on our list (almost halfway there!) is Duvel. Armando tells us that many Belgian beer lovers consider Duvel to be the country’s most delicious brew. I have to admit, it is quite good, albeit a bit too plain for my liking. It presents a fruity-dry aroma accompanied by a slightly bitter aftertaste. I like it and wouldn’t push it away if given to me, especially if it was free. But, as I said, it’s pretty basic as beers go. On to the next one!

I hope you enjoy the name of the next beverage as much as I do: Grimbergen Double Ale. I have no idea what ‘Grimbergen’ means in Belgian-speak, and it’s probably not as interesting as what I have in my head, so I won’t make it a priority to find out. What is not uninteresting, however, is the taste of this beer. Dark amber in color, the smell is packed with notes, and I quote, “of molasses and grain.” I couldn’t have told you that myself, mind you. I consulted the handy-dandy beer list that was conveniently typed up for us. But I can confidently say that this beer contains a sweetness to it that is well-balanced, and doesn’t make you feel like you’re drinking fruit syrup. (We’ll get to that later.)

Our next beer, Chimay Blue, has acquired the honorable rating of an A+ on Beer Advocate. The Alstrom brothers, who created the site, know their brew, and very rarely do I come across an A+ for any beer on there. But it is not surprising to me that they have bestowed this much-envied grade upon a product of Belgium. Chimay Blue pours out of the bottle a dark copper brown and settles into my glass nicely, topped off with a thick, creamy-looking head. Armando informs me that I will taste notes of caramel in the beer, and once he mentions that, it’s the first flavor that comes to mind. I enjoyed this beer, but probably not as much as I’ll enjoy it in winter, sitting next to my fireplace, basking in its warm glow. Corny, but the truth!

Ah, we’ve made it. The last beer. Well, more like a fruity beverage than a beer, but appropriate in the sense that we finish with something sweet. Lindeman’s Framboise is the lambic beer that concludes our tasting. Framboise means raspberry in French. (There are many languages spoken in Belgium by the way. The three most common, besides English, are French, German and Dutch. If you want to sound more articulate like me, you can just refer to all of them as Belgian-speak.) But back to the aromas and flavors. In all honesty, this beer is much too sweet for me, but can be taken in small quantities.

Armando informs us that having a piece of dark chocolate with this particular lambic beer would pair both tastes nicely. I acknowledge that he’s probably right, but decline to order one of his many chocolate desserts from the menu. I know a good salesman when I see one.

Atlantic City Beer Festival April 1 2011

I heard about the AC Beer Fest from friends who live down the Jersey shore. They sent me the link to Harrah's Casino website where the fest was being advertised. Since my mom is a regular at Harrah's, I figured this was a "no Brainer": use mom's comp room, do a little gambling, and then drink some quality craft beers. All this was achieved, only not under one roof. The fest was actually at the Convention center a short shuttle bus ride away.

The plan was for my wife and I to meet our friends at the fest. So we paid the $40 entrance fee, received our wrist bands, 4 oz sampling glass and then followed groups of revelers to a huge line. Hundreds of beer lovers were queued up waiting for the opening of the show floor. Some of the more experienced attendees were wearing homemade pretzel necklaces. After a short wait, kilted bagpippers began playing to announce the start of the fest. Doors were opened and people scrambled to be the first to sample their favorite brews.

As a first timer, I must admit it was all a little overwhelming. It took us a while to find our friends in the huge exhibition hall. We did't know where to start. So we decided to start at the first table and work our way around the hall clock-wise.

Luckily, Brewery Ommegang was the first sign I saw. I've visited their brewery in Cooperstown, NY and love all their beers. This time, as in the past, I enjoyed their Hennepin the most. I find it the most drinkable of their strong (in taste and alcohol) line.

As we got our "beer legs" and became more comfortable with the layout of the floor, it was obvious that the fest organizers knew what they were doing. Even though there were hundreds of people, the room was enormous and I never felt crowded. With over 70 breweries represented, we never had to wait long for a fill. There was a live band playing classic rock, but few people paid much attention as there was just too much drinking to do.

To be honest, I tried so many beers in so short a time it became hard to remember which was which after a while. But I do remember the standouts. We were able to try all three of Chimays beers at once and agreed that the blue label was the best. Lagunitas had two IPAs on tap and I was impressed at the level of hops in their beer while still being very drinkable.

It took us well over 2 hours to circle the floor and I finally found my favorite brewery: Dogfish Head. I was thrilled to see that they had their brown ale Raison D'etre on tap. I, like many others, spent the next half hour filling up and draining my sampling glass only to return to the end of the line immediately for a refill.
The brewery that had the best attitude was Cape Anne Brewing Co from Glouceter MA. I was drawn to their table by the sight of a green VW camper bus. Aparently TJ, their sales rep, drives the bus to all the fests and pours beer from two taps sticking out of the side of the camper. In the summer time, he cruises around Fenway Park serving beers to Red Sox fans. I can't think of a better job.

The most creative table at the show was the one that was raising money for a local charity. For $1 they sold fake mustaches that the donors wore and allowed them access to the "mustache lounge". The lounge was a 20' x 20' platform about 10 feet above the show room floor. There was a makeshift bar that served about a dozen offerings from the show. Mustachioed imbibers reclined on couches that offered a much better view of the show. Particularly of the scantily clad dancers below who were publicizing a gentleman's club down the road.

Our friends were just getting warmed up but my wife and I felt that if we stayed, we'd be paying the price in the morning. As it was, the $40 we paid was a bargain for all the fun, laughs and great beer we drank at the show. The AC Beer Fest will be a regular event on my yearly beer calandar from now on. Next year, I'll be sure to make a pretzel necklace and look like an experienced fest-goer.