N'Ice Chouffe
Brasserie d'Achouffe

 

330mil dark brown bottle comes at 10% abv, Opens with sign of high carbonation, pours a large 4-5 finger beige-brown head. Chestnutty dark brown
Beer has some special ingredients.Invert sugar sirop, orange gest and thyme.
Smells like incense, bittery herby, knowing there is thyme in it, you smell it.
Bit bready.
When you drink it, sweetness overflows the tongue, the herbs you smell take over and bitter tasty dark choclate-orange notes linger in your mouth.
Mouth feel not unpleasant.
Bit too sweet for my liking. If they would have left out the sirup and added maybe some dark roasted wheat notes, this would be a total winner for me.
But a very good winter beer and a nice addition: thyme in beer.

I see I rate it a bit below average. I do understand. It is a matter of personal taste I guess. The high sugar content - the added syrup- spoils it a little bit for me.
Even when I drink a winter beer that might be more heavy and sweet, I do not want my lips to feel sticky with some fudgy feeling. I'd prefer more natural and dry beers.

 

 

 

I had this on draft 11/7/23 @ the Hopleaf.

Opaque brown appearance.

Big dark tan head; a thick curtain of lacing remained.

Cream, leather, herbs & faint spice notes in the nose.

Creamy, medium thick mouthfeel.

Cream, mild cinnamon & herb flavors up front; mild leather notes on the finish.

Xmas beer vibes; a bit dry but definitely enjoyable.

 

Really n'ice BDSA here, so glad I grabbed one to try. Complex flavors play well together, letting malty/toffee/dark fruits shine in the forefront with it ever seeming overly sweet. Way too drinkable at the abv. Excellent.

 

 

Look: It pours brown with a tan head. It has moderate head retention.

Smell: It has spicy aromas up front with a bit of sweetness. There are also dark fruits that feature plums mix with orange.

Taste: It has malty flavors that are a bit sweet and feature toffee. The thyme is an interesting mix with orange and dark fruits. There are other spices, but not enough to distinguish.

Feel: It has a medium full body with strong alcohol warming.

Overall, there are many complex flavors and aromas with a nice alcohol pop.

Its like getting a N’ice Belgian Quad for half the price. Well Done, Gnomes!

 

 

Cola coloured brew under a moderate, long-lived head. Spotty lace along the way down. Typical sweet Belgian nose full of dark fruit, but just the right note of sweet, not excessive or syrupy. Spicy, fruity, orange notes. Sweet on the palate, again not going over the edge into syrup. A bit of bite from carbonation. Lots of interesting things going on in this one (and not overwhelmed by sweetness). Enjoy slowly.

Poured from 330mL bottle into a tulip. Best before 5/2024.

Appearance: medium brown hue with a little bit of haze and two fingers of frothy tan foam atop. Looks nice.

Smell: sweet with a caramel and biscuity malt character, along with some nice aromas of raisins and tobacco. The orange peel and thyme are low in the mix, but I think that works here. I like it, although it is pretty darn sweet.

Taste: sweet, yes, but there's more of that raisin and tobacco, with a bit of a "dusty" element (for lack of a better term) that I actually quite like. Some of that biscuity malt does detract a little bit for me, but overall, this is a "n'ice" beer indeed.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a big carbonation and a big creaminess that I quite like.

Overall: a pretty solid BDSA. It's like an imperial dubbel, with subtle spicing, but with a very characteristically dubbel-like underlying flavor profile. It's sweet, to be sure, so this is more of a dessert sipper than anything else; but, I am enjoying it as such.

Pours rich mahogany, molasses brown. Medium head, retains nicely with solid lacing. Aromas of sugar, raisin and malt. Taste follows nose with spice and thyme, possibly honey also. Warming of alcohol almost rum-like. Complex, warming treat.