Dorée - Bières de Chimay S.A.

MCDub

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

01-04-2013 20:20:04 | More by MCDub

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Cloudy; yellow-orange; no head when brought out

Aroma: Slightly hoppy; candy sugar; citrusy; coriander; smells like Hoegaarden; sweet

Taste: A little thin; sligthly hoppy; smooth

Remarks: Had as part of 4 beer sampler at the Inn at Chimay

Did not score A, T, S, M at that time; disregard those scores

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2013 12:26:07 | More by IchLiebeBier

beernads

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%

05-24-2013 06:38:35 | More by beernads

Kalev13

Delaware

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

02-14-2013 15:19:45 | More by Kalev13

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.23/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

33 cL bottle purchased from Etre Gourmet.

Large, dense white foam head settles over a hazed dark golden, slightly amber color. Nose of bread and Belgian yeast, floral hop notes, lemon and zest, tangerine, coriander and orange. Flavor is floral and citrusy, tastes like a Belgian wit and Belgian Pale crossed with each other. Medium full body, with strong carbonation and a crisp, slightly hoppy finish. Very refreshing and enjoyable, would seek out for the novelty.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 00:14:13 | More by yourefragile

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5%

01-18-2013 04:44:16 | More by spycow

MattSweatshirt

Texas

3.48/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle at the Kulminator

Fluffy white head and a hazy golden body. got a little yeast in it. Nice head retention.
Smells and tastes of black tea, soapy, and flowery.
Effervescent medium body .
Interesting to try. I don't know what I was expecting but those flavors weren't it.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 05:19:38 | More by MattSweatshirt

bainard

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +24.7%

12-17-2012 22:37:53 | More by bainard

djcira

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5%

11-23-2012 17:42:20 | More by djcira

Fux

France

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Golden yellow with a massive Chimay-like foam with a very good retention.
S: Smell is yeasty, a bit spicy (coriander). There is a strong herbal scent behind yeasts aromas, a bit subdued but well, that's what happen when you make review with a cold...
T: Taste is richer than expected, with no overwhelming sweetness to complain about. Some biscuit, toasted bread malts, yeasty and spicy with also an herbal, floral hopiness, quite lingering. The aftertaste is very bitter given the style and ABV.
M: High level of carbonation. The finish is very dry. Overall pretty drinkable and refreshing.
O: A good table beer, with a defined flavorful and balanced Trappist character, better than most brews from the same style. However not at the level of Westmalle Extra in term of richness of the aroma and consistency on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 23:41:50 | More by Fux

eric5bellies

Australia

2.93/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Drank from my Ciney sniffer

A - Pours a cloudy pale honey color with Atwood fingered white head that retains well.

S - Heavy bready yeast aroma with a little lemon citrus

T - Delicate flavours of yeast and citrus the finish is a little dry.

M - Medium body with low carbonation.

O - For a belgian pale ale you can get better examples. The flavours are a little unpronounced.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 17:19:09 | More by eric5bellies

RBee

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

09-19-2012 04:38:45 | More by RBee

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

08-23-2012 02:04:17 | More by t0rin0

uturn

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

07-16-2012 22:18:37 | More by uturn

WynnO

Florida

5/5  rDev +31.2%

05-25-2012 20:17:33 | More by WynnO

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.23/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The amazing opportunity to enjoy this monk-only elixir finds me at the tasting room of the most famous of all Trappist brewers in Chimay concluding a very in depth tour. With so much finesse and succulence I can easily understand and appreciate why this beer clocks in under 4%, as a single chalice of the ale is hardly enough.

Doree (gold cap) decants into the chalice with a playful and sprite carbonation that dances about the liquid until the foam separates from the beer and leaves it nearly bright in clarity to show off its shiny golden hue. Ample carbonation fuels the light and fluffy cotton head that captures all the perfumy aromatics to come.

Seemingly of witbier, the aromas of coriander and curacao leap from the rim with a zesty and awakening scent- quite perfumy indeed as the spices are supported with the soft honey suckle sweetness and freshly kilned grain that rounds out the vibrant nose.

Moderate flavors of malt capture the crisp and clean sweetness of honey, powdered sugar, and slight candy. Fresh baking breads, cracker-like crispness, and pleasantly mild grain flavors deliver the briskness of German lagers but the spice/fruit interplay from yeast provides the complexity and balance with only the most modest glimpse into the herbal hop world. The almost-minty, lemongrass and floral character of hops are perfect complements to the coriander and curacao orange peel that provide a juicy and refreshing taste of tangerines and pez candies in the most elegant and delicate portrayal.

Modest in mouthfeel, the zesty prick of carbonation allows for a semi-champagne like lively texture that extends the floral and spicy flavors and minty-warm alcohols well into finish. Ultimately dry and refreshing, the beer seems to dissolve much like cotton candy as soon as the beer hits the middle of the palate and leads to an effortless and digestible beer event.

The first whiff of the soft spices makes me think witbier, but after a few sips, I didn't feel that I needed the unmalted wheat to make any impact at all. A base of pilsner malt and a few other aromatic malts make yet another formidable base beer for these floral and perfumy spice to rise- just another majestic flavor combination that result from the endless artistry of the brewing monks of Chimay!

A very special thanks goes to Fabrice Bordon for an informative and entertaining tour with tasting, and for his gentlemanly companionship for lunch at their cafe.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 18:25:24 | More by BEERchitect

beerdrifter

Germany

4.2/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up at my favorite beer store in Belgium, Dranken Geers. Cloudy yellow-orange pour with a fluffy white two finger head that fades pretty quickly with decent lacing. Belgian pale malts and bready yeast dominate the nose along with hints of grass, apple, pear, and lemon with just a touch of honey and caramel. The taste follows suit with a bold and subtly sweet malt base with hints of green apple, lemon, pear, and grass, with all of the flavors complementing and not overpowering the other. Extremely fresh and crisp mouthfeel that makes this crazy drinkable and refreshing. I can definitely see why this is the monks table beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 16:45:58 | More by beerdrifter

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Chimay gold cap. Poured in Chimay tasting room. Fluffy white head. High retention. Golden color. High clarity. Aroma fruity, zesty, lemony, coriander notes.  Taste is very refreshing. Mildly sweet and bitter.  High carbination. Sessionable, I certainly I see why the monks drink this one all the time. Lovely. 

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 02:09:10 | More by KickbacksSteve

MrBillyMac

California

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

02-18-2012 02:38:52 | More by MrBillyMac

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light golden peach with sediment floating around. The head is super creamy white or off white. The nose has loads of sweet lemon and light zest. There is a nice peppery spice with some citrus and floral hops behind. Taste is much of the same, ripe lemon, not tart, light peppery spice balances with an assertive juicy citrus and floral hop finish with an accompanying bitterness. The body is light, soft, and creamy with a gentle carbonation and dry finish. very juicy, balanced, sessionable, and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 16:04:11 | More by cpetrone84

Brez07

Maine

3.63/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed as part of the Blind Beer BIF #6. 330ml bottle poured into a snifter

A: As I pour this, it's mostly white foam with some golden colored beer. Settles in the glass a peachy color, with a fair amount of frothy white head sitting on top. The head doesn't stay around as long as I thought it might, but a very thin layer remains. Some nice looking lined lacing at the top of the glass (4)

S: Nose is full of floral notes and fruit. Passion fruit, tangerine and melon. Starts to develop a hint of spice, suggesting this may have been brewed with belgian yeast. I detect something similar to artificial vanilla as well. So far, so good (4)

T: Flavor mostly consists of yeast, but not really getting the belgian quality that I picked up in the nose. Floral is muted compared to the nose. Grass, hay and melon are other flavors that I'm getting (3.5)

M: Light to medium bodied. Initially heavy on the carbonation, it burns off a bit to provide just enough to keep things going. Leaves a soapy coating on the tongue (3.5)

D: A very drinkable beer. Nothing that wows, but a solid beer all around (3.5)

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 17:17:30 | More by Brez07

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

3.83/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle poured in a Chimay chalice.

Funny enough, in the left side of the bottle you can read the phrase "ne peut pas être mis en vente" that means "cannot be sold". Some say that this beer is the one consumed by the monks in the monastery and shouldn't be commercialized. Reality is that I've paid a reasonable price (7.5 euro for a 330ml bottle) at a famous beer shop in Brussels.

A: Pours an orange to chestnut very cloudy color. Forms a medium white fluffy and bubbled head. Small retention and some lacings left

S: Smell is close to a Belgian white beer. Very spicy, earthy and refreshing. Coriander, citrus hops, wheat and yeasts

T: As the nose, reminds a white beer. Wheat, coriander, bread, citrus hops. A dry, flowery and refreshing beer. Different from the other Chimays. Good beer, nevertheless. Strength point is its citrus bitter end

M: Light but bit creamy body. Medium carbonation. Delicious mild citrus and bitter aftertaste

O: Very drinkable and refreshing beer. Its low ABV contributes on that matters. Different from the other Chimays. Quite nice beer

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 17:17:45 | More by eduardolinhalis

Mar02x

Netherlands

3.1/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I had the opportunity to taste this beer on a tasting organized by BA's Jeffo and Doopiedoopiedoo. Actually I already had a bottle on my shelf. It was a gift from the Brabander, as I believe this one is too. This beer was the warmer, the welcome beer.

See for the total beer line up my review of the Brewery - Black Tuesday.

A - A white head on top of a yellow haze. One could also easily say it was amber in color.

S - A nice pine and citrus smell enters my noose, in that exact order.

T - A bit light in body, but yeh what do you expect from a blond. The taste is good however, again pine and citrus.

M - A medium to high carbonation, as goes for the bitterness in the end; also medium.

O - For a light beer its quite good. Thanks Thijs for sharing.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 13:10:06 | More by Mar02x

spdyfire83

Ireland

4.43/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

61st Review
Bottle to Westvleteren 12 (small) chalice

Thanks to Brabander for this one at our recent Utrecht tasting!

A: Bright, golden yellow. Shining like the sun! 1.5+ (white) fingernail head on medium pour.

S: Freshly tilled wheat field. Smells of citrus, cracked wheat, hard work, and mild pepper. Very earthy.

T: Crisp. Refreshing. Hints of orange peel, wheat, and pepper. Well-balanced and rounded.

M: Light bodied with medium carbonation. Soft. Smooth. Gentle.

O: Yes! Yes! Yes! This beer is very inviting and well-rounded. Overall, just beautiful! I can see why the monks at Bières de Chimay S.A. work as hard as they do. This beer is wonderfully easy to drink and I think it truly captures the essence of what a table beer should.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 11:20:26 | More by spdyfire83

thepeter

United Kingdom (England)

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Golden pour into a tulip glass with a nice creamy head that lasted but left little lacing. Aromas of candy sugar, citrus, zesty spicy belgian yeast and a field. Tastes very nice, orange zest, spice, pepper, light grassiness (field) and slight bitter finish. Light and fluffy on the palate. Soft and nicely carbonated. Overall this is a very nice beer that I would have guessed to be a Witbier. Either way it went very nicely with mussels!!

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 22:25:01 | More by thepeter