Thursday, July 25, 2013

Beer - #195 - Chimay - Triple / Blanche (White) / Cinq Cents

Chimay Triple / Blanche (White) / Cinq Cents, Brewed by Chimay and this one in the Style of an  Abbey Tripel in Baileux, Belgium.

The final in the group of three, Blue, Red and White.

Chimay - Cinq CentsChimay Tripel, with its typical golden colour, its slightly hazy appearance and its fine head is especially characterised by its aroma which results from an agreeable combination of fresh hops and yeast. The beer’s flavour, as sensed in the mouth, comes from the smell of hops: above all it is the fruity notes of muscat and raisins that give this beer a particularly attractive aroma. The aroma complements the touch of bitterness. There is no acidity, but an after-bitterness which melts in the mouth. This top fermented Trappist beer, refermented in the bottle, is not pasteurised.

This is in the big 750ml bottle, and at  8%ABV beer makes it about 4.8 standard drink units. Presented in a cork and cage, in the standard bottle this is as much a performance as a beer, and today being a Wednesday it seems like a good time as any to get enjoyed.

Lovely fizz taking the cork out, and a burst of sour aroma to follow (not a bad thing) Pours a lot darker than I expected, and much more hazy, but it does have a nice foamy head. The slighly sour aroma remains, but again it isn't a bad thing.

This has a nice fluffy mouthfeel, but lacks a high note in the palate, and doesn't have length. This is nice and 'dry' though, and is vey drinkable. This is very soft tasting, there aren't strong notes of fruits, and yeasts, it's all a big muted really.

As it warms the yeast begins to be heard a bit more, and the warmth releases a few more base notes in the taste.

The pdubyah-o-meter is biased at 8, because I knew I'd like this. I gave the Red and 8 and the Blue a 9 on previous drinkings. I think on reflection that this is better than the Red, bit still isn't as good as the Blue.

For a Wednesday, this is a good beer. As a Abby Triple it's a nice beer. This would be a good starter if you wanted to try Trappist style beers.  It's made me smile and forget all my worries, and I don't have a problem with that.



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