Chaos
Czig Meister Brewing Company

16 oz can. Pours brown with tall, long-lasting, foamy beige head and lively carbonation. Aroma is of bready, caramel malt, spices and dark fruit. Body is full and slightly crisp. Spicy yeast, caramel malt, dark fruit, brown sugar and herbal hops fill the mouth. Finish is long and dry. Nice Dubbel.

 

Poured from a 16 oz. can, (boasting "Best By 9/29/2024"), into a Sam Adams tulip glass a surprisingly translucent mahogany color with visible carbonation, a finger high off white head, (that dissipates quickly), and no lacing. Aroma's of cherry, plum raisins, fig, molasses and slightly spicy notes from the yeast esters rounds out the profile. Flavor of dark fruit and spicing from the yeast is up front then finishes with a semi-dry hoppy bite. Light to medium in body and seems a little thin for this style but is still refreshing and has enough going on to keep it interesting. Overall a nice offering.

Poured from an undated can into a tulip glass. It pours a hazy, dark ruby color with two fingers of creamy, light khaki-colored head and thin sheen of lacing. The nose is grassy and herbal with Belgian notes of clove and coriander, raisin, fig, apple, caramel, and tobacco smoke. Sadly, the taste is rather washed out - it's malty and there is some Belgian spicing but I'm not really tasting the caramel and dark fruit. The is some residual bitterness at the finish. The mouth feel is fairly lite with pleasant carbonation, and the 6.4% ABV is appropriate. Unfortunately, the can is not dated. I suspect this Dubbel is more vibrant when fresh and if I see it again I'll give it another chance.

 

Murky brownish appearance.
Body is almost thin with just below average carbonation but overall a decent feel.
Aroma is a really nice mix of molasses,brown sugar, malt,earthy buckwheat honey.
Taste is similar to aroma but doesn't live up to how appealing the aroma was.
Overall a very good beer from a local brewery that I was very glad that I tried.

 

a: vibrant ruby red and with a hint of light brown and murky purple. head is 1 finger tan that fades very quickly...too quickly for a Belgian

s: sweet caramel, toffee, figs, prunes. fresh dough, raisins, and fruit bread. a touch of nutty but nothing more than a subtle smooch

t: super sweet figs and raisins. plums, sweet malts, caramel, and some light brown sugar. a touch of bread crust and multigran muffins. a bit too thin flavor-wise though..it has notes of all of these but it's a bit too watery

m: light mouthfeel with lower-medium carbonation. way too light of a mouthfeel and lacking carbonation

o: valiant attempt at a Dubbel, however it falls quite short. needs more richness from the malts, and the mouthfeel is way too thin and it lacks carbonation

Czig Meister Brewing Co. "Chaos"
12 fl. oz. can, "RECOMMENDED BY 07/05/19" and sampled on 02/25/19
$2.49 @ Roger Wilco, Pennsauken, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: OK, so I'm not sure what this is, it simply lists "BELGIAN STYLE ALE" and "6.4% ALC/VOL". Really, as a Belgian-style beer, that could be almost anything. OK, let's see what it looks like. It's poured a hazy dark chestnut body with a reddish sheen and orange highlights beneath an inch or so thick head of creamy khaki colored foam. The aroma suggests dark fruits like raisin and plum, and a touch of chocolate. There's a bit of yeasty phenol there beyond the dark fruit but not much. The flavor delivers more dark fruit, and some berries as well. The chocolate note remains but it's grainy and bready as well. There's a spiciness from the yeast that I didn't find in the nose, and that along with a median bitterness keeps it dry in the finish. I'm finding some clove as well, and in general I'd say it's nicely balanced and rounded. That spicy raisin with soft clove and milk chocolate and a suggestion of cardamom behind it is quite nice. In the mouth it's medium bodied and gently crisp. I do think it could use a bit more carbonation as Belgian ales tend to be that way but it's OK as it is. I also thought that the head retention and lacing could have been better - there's no lacing left - and that ties in at least partially with the carbonation level. So, in conclusion I'd say this is done as an Abbey dubbel, and I'm sure if I were to go to their website it would say as much. It's pretty well done and quite enjoyable.
Review# 6,489

Having visited CzigMeister in Hackettstown on occasion, and having done a story on the brewery, I expected quality from this 6.4% Belgian Dubbel. And I got it. First, the color was stunning...a pristine deep, dark ruby red that might be hypnotic in front of a roaring fire. Second, the nose was fascinating with various notes typical of the style. Malt, as is expected, was the star here, but layers of flavors came through on the palate; bread, cherry, caramel and dark fruit. Mouthfeel was perfect, clean and easy-drinking. Its low ABV makes this a definite late-fall, winter session beer that would likely be an excellent accompaniment to many foods, including strong cheeses, game meat and fowl, including chicken, turkey and especially duck. No question: this beer should be at either your holiday table, your fireside--or both.

 

 

 

DATE: December 25, 2017... OCCASION: Christmas growler with the bros... GLASSWARE: Hobgoblin straight pint... dark ruby red body that prevents much light from passing through... the head is dirty-white, flourishing with a half-finger cloud of bubbles... caramel, tea, cherry, light resin and hedgerow, thick dough and slight medicinal strains... medium body, reasonable weight, a dry finish and a textured start.... the flavor is big on caramel and bread malts, with cherry cola, pine, raspberry and stone fruit striking something of a balance... a beer that befits a holiday--drinkable but worthy of sipping, strong enough to partner with a variety of meats and cheeses but not sending you to an early end...