Bleue (Blue)
Bières de Chimay

Appearance: Deep dark brown, mousse-like head with excellent retention.

Aroma: Dark fruit, herbal, earthy, figs and pruns

Flavor: Malty with dark fruit, chocolate, pepper, and licorice.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied.

Overall: A robust, luxurious Trappistes Dark Ale. Complex malt base. Dark fruits, hints of chocolate, pepper, and licorice. Alcohol is superbly hidden. So much going on with it, you have to really savor it and enjoy it. The beauty of this beer is you can drink it fresh or beyond 12 months. No surprise, world class.

 

Poured from an undated 11.2-oz bottle into a snifter.

Look: Very dark brown, with a 1” off-white head that lingered and left fine-bubbled lacing. Sediment suspended in the ale.

Nose: Sweet dried stone fruit, malt, just a hint of alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Medium, adequate carbonation.

Attack: Follows the nose perfectly, remarkable depth of flavor.

Finish: Just enough hop bitterness to balance.

Overall: This fine ale deserves every bit of its high rating. A perfect pairing with tonite’s Venison Barbacoa.

0,33 L bottle, best by 07/2028 but I ain’t waiting that long. Time won’t let me.,.
Poured into a taster’s snifter, lightly chilled.
Gorgeous off-white foam rises above cloudy ruby and orange-ish brew. Constant run of bubbles spew up from the bottom of the vessel.
Aroma of stone fruit snd spice.
Taste is date, prune, it’s raisiny, spicy. I get apricot. Little banana. Coffee too. Just sweet enough. Long and fruity finish with a nip of alcohol brings a pleasant burp.
Full mouthfeel backed by ample carbonation.
Overall, just a beautiful brew. One of the best in the mundo.,.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap! At STK in Disney Springs. Goblet pour.

I’m in a nighttime restaurant, so… it’s dark, creamy off white cap, lots of lacing.

Sweet malt. Lots of dark fruit; raisins, plums, and figs.

Cream, maple brown sugar, and all of the dark fruit flavors.

Near full body. Smooth malt, molasses, and fermented fruits. Rich and alcoholic.

So smooth that it tunes down the ABV.

 

 

 

Only one word: perfect.
Highly recommend drink in Chimay glass cup

 

 

I love Belgian beers and this one is my favorite! A pure masterclass on what a Belgian beer should be. Rochefort 8 is close, but Chimay Blue is the standard of excellence. To me this style is slightly better than quads, dubbels, and trippels. Chimay Blue is my go-to for a tasty treat when I'm at good beer bars that carry it

 

So, this review may not be wholly representative.

2000 bottle of Chimay Blue plucked from the depths of Cafe Kulminator by Leen.

Bottle is appropriately dusty and the cap is scratched, but fully intact including the seal beneath.

The beer pour a deep burgundy red almost impenetrable by the lighting here It js still clear and clean.

The bottom of the bottle has a ring of sediment that goes unmoved even as the bottle is tilted past 90 degrees to the horizontal. Amazing.

Carbonation is still full, but very soft. A thin 1/3” head persisted until my first taste. It can be regenerated with swirling.

Nose is that off a well aged beer: lots of malt with a hint of wet basement. Light floral notes persist.

This beer is amazingly smooth. Everything blends together well and there’s bo hint of the ABV. Malt and Belgian yeast dominate. This is from before the time when Chimay changed out their fermenters.

Compared to a fresh bottle, this is something else entirely. They are related, but distinctly different; a testament to Dirk and Leen’s care and attention.

There are few places that revere Chimay like Kulminator. You would do well to visit and try some. Better yet, come with a small group (3) and try a multi-decade vertical.

Enjoy it while you can. These bottles and bars are ever more limited.