Aging Chimay Blue?

It's a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. I fully expect it to be able to age, in the same vein as beers like Trappistes Rochefort 8 and Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw (Blue) which both age beautifully. Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw, in particular, needs two years to really get good.

I've had Chimay Blue aged 1-2 years, and it is delicious. Wouldn't recommend going past 5 years by much, but your mileage may vary.

 

It's one of the classics as far as cellaring goes. In places like Kulminator in Antwerpen you can find ones that are more than twenty years old. They change in many ways. The oldest I've had was 7 years old, and I liked that. You have to be a fan of port wine / oxidized notes / raisins and that whole thing. Buy a crapload of them and drink one every year

 

Kind of like asking if people have ever breathed oxygen. I think the first mention I ever heard of cellaring beer, even before I liked beer, was a Chimay Grand Reserve. There is likely thousands of experiences with this one with time on it.

 

good to know it can hold up over extended periods,
I have a magnum that has been in a nice dark cool closet since 2009 or so

 

I love it with a few years on it. The great thing about this beer is that it is easy to find them in stores with 2-3 years on them.

 

Michael Jackson:

"Chimay Blue ****, which has a gravity of of 8; 19.62 (1081) and an alcohol content of 7.1; 9... has again that characteristically Chimay depth of aromatic fruitiness -- a Zinfandel, or even a port, among beers. Chimay Blue is vintage-dated on the crown cork. If kept in a dark, cool place (ideally 19 deg. C / 65 deg. F, but definitely not refrigerated), it will become markedly smoother after a year and sometimes continues to improve for two or three, drying slightly as it progresses. After five years, it could lose a little character, but some samples have flourished for a quarter of a century. A version of Chimay Blue in a corked 75cl bottle is called Grande Reserve. The larger bottle and different method of sealing seem to mature the beer in a softer manner. With different surface areas and air space, a slightly larger yeast presence and the very slight porosity of cork this is not fanciful." (Pocket Guide to Beer)

 

I've got a magnum from the year I got married, looking forward to having it with much more than 5 years on it.