Chimay Grande Réserve (Blue) - Bières de Chimay S.A.

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4,250 Ratings

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rAvg: 4.32
pDev: 11.11%
Reviews: 2040
Hads: 2210

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Brewed by:
Bières de Chimay S.A.

Belgium

Style | ABV
Belgian Strong Dark Ale | 9.00% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (2029), on-tap (7), growler (2), nitro-bottle (1), cask (1).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

View: Beers (5) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by hayesez:

hayesez

Indiana

4.05/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Found the big bottle of Blue in my sister-in-law's fridge on a recent vacation. Turns out she picked it up just for our visit. The Blue Label has always been my favorite of the Chimays, but I've never ranked it. After splitting this one with myself tonight, figured it was about time to toss up a review.

Poured into a large wine glass...several times. Pours a hazy dark brown that glows a burnt orange near the glass when held up to the light. A nice tan one-inch soft frothy head forms quickly, but disappears nearly as fast before settling to a ring of fizzy foam. A fair amount of carbonation is seen in this medium bodied brew. As expected, no lacing left on the side.

Smells yeasty, in a good way. A deep smell exposes the fairly obvious 9.0% alcohol. Sweet, fruity. Smells like some sort of raisin cake soaked in a stiff rum. I like the smell, but wish the alcohol sting was just a bit less. Still, a very nice aroma.

The yeasty thickness is just as present on the palate as it is on the nose. Sweet and bold, this is a very nice beer. Not one of my favorites of the style, but certainly a quality brew. The dark fruitiness is definitely there, although I'm not sure I can discern it to be raisins, like the smell indicated. The alcohol is not quite as evident as one might think after taking a deep sniff, but it is still there as well. I've never had the Blue, or any of the Chimays for that matter, with a bit of age on them, but I suspect that this one would only improve.

Overall, I'm pleased with the Grande Reserve. It's not a beer that I purchase very often, but I won't pass it up when offered. Extremely easy to drink - even with a decent ABV; I put away the big bottle over a couple of hours without feeling even a bit guilty.

Consumed: 04/09/10

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2010 03:04:44 | More by hayesez

More User Reviews:

delta490

Virginia

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

Poured a 330ml bottle into a tulip glass
A-pours a deep, cloudy ruddy brown. Has a nice thick light tan head that slowly fades away and leaves nice lacing on the glass.
S-A great aroma. Malty, spicy, with a hint of alcohol sweetness.
T-big taste. Malty and fruity, if the beer is too cold it needs to warm up a little to get the full effect. A nice hint of spice/pepper on the finish.
M-A bit carbonated, but it's pleasant on the pallet and it adds to the pop of the spices on the finish.
O- a great example of Belgian strong dark ale. A good gateway to getting into all that Belgian beers offer.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2013 09:55:54 | More by delta490

ronin926

Illinois

4/5 rDev -7.4%

06-20-2013 05:22:34 | More by ronin926

Hellmeh

Texas

4/5 rDev -7.4%

06-20-2013 03:51:40 | More by Hellmeh

cervezango

Bolivia

4/5 rDev -7.4%

06-20-2013 01:00:44 | More by cervezango

LuckyLyle

Texas

4/5 rDev -7.4%

06-19-2013 22:07:03 | More by LuckyLyle

Phillyz

Pennsylvania

4/5 rDev -7.4%

06-19-2013 21:58:21 | More by Phillyz

JoshFrierson86

Arkansas

5/5 rDev +15.7%

06-19-2013 17:58:00 | More by JoshFrierson86

UncleBuccs

Arizona

5/5 rDev +15.7%

06-19-2013 03:28:21 | More by UncleBuccs

hreb

Washington

4.36/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

2012 vintage. 75cL corked/caged champagne-style bottle served in Chimay's own wide mouth chalice. Beer pours deep brown with a massive, delicious lighter brown foam. Aroma is way sweet, candi sugar, with a little bit of fruit, like dates.

First sip is explosive with flavor. Sweet up front, tangy on the sides, and rich through the middle. Super fine carbonation tickles the front of my tongue and dances all over my mouth. This compliments the malt flavors and contrasts nicely with the super heavy richness that the ale otherwise conveys. Oh, and it 9% ABV it's a great drink, not at all too heady.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2013 03:15:06 | More by hreb