McChouffe - Brasserie d'Achouffe

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From the bottle at De Kelk in Brugge during last week's trip to Belgium. Reviewed from notes.

Serve in a McChouffe chalice.

Pours dark brown with a nice, foamy light tan head. Good retention and plenty of lacing.

Nose brings loads of dark fruits and a bit of sweetness. Flavor falls along the same lines, though the two don't mix quite as well as in the nose. Medium body and good carbonation. Semi-dry finish. Well made and quite tasty.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 20:02:04 | More by Thorpe429

ggourde

Missouri

4.45/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: A beautiful deep brown with a big brown head.

Aroma: First smell out of the bottle was sweet caramel. A second whiff after the pour slight hops.

Mouthfeel: Happy bubbles to greet you followed by rich medium/full body.

Taste: sweet malt coming in, followed by very slight bitterness that lingers for short while.

Overall: Very happy with this 8%- went down real easy (actually a bit too easy I finished it before I was ready).

I bought this at a Belgian beer festival, and the promoters labeled this in their Specialty beer unfiltered brown ale category. I think that this is a better classification than BA's 'Belgian Strong Dark Ale'

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 12:59:32 | More by ggourde

4000qtrap

Missouri

3.33/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Source/Serving: 750 mL bottle

S: Peppery brown bread crust. Fairy dry. Notes of espresso, and mocha with heavy, moderately complex spiciness as well as blackened bits of toast. Yeast spiciness actually stands up and perhaps slightly outperform the brown character which itself is quite rich and dry.

T: Similar to the nose with heaps of peppery brown bread crust which were ever so slightly burned. While not overwhelming dry, but all flavors tends to be dry. Dry pepper and complex spiciness, dry brown toasted quite melanoidin-y malts. Very little malty sweetness though. However, an overall lack of bitterness saves the palette from an unpleasant onslaught. Light mint, herbal hops round out the middle. Finish has a touch of minty herbal hop to it with lingering dark cocoa and spiced brown bread.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 00:54:02 | More by 4000qtrap

dansmcd

Australia

4.2/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Extreme dark brown, thin bubbly head, fleeting strands of lace.

S - Sweet malts, caramel, plum, figs. Nice.

T - Dark fruit and spice. Brown sugar over figs and plums. Some licorice. No bitterness to it at all. Very pleasant.

M - Moderate in body. Right carbonation.

O - A sweet, spicy nectar. No heat to it even as it warms. Delicious, just falls below the top BSDAs in terms of complexity.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 03:58:18 | More by dansmcd

mikedotnet

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Medium-to-dark brown body; fluffy light brown head that dissipates quickly

S - Wonderful aroma- figs, plums, and dark candies make this extremely pleasant to smell

T - This has an absolutely stellar taste- not too sweet, but with plenty of typical Belgian strong dark ale fruitiness and candied sugar presence. There is absolutely no bitterness at all. It's rather one-dimensional, but not in a bad way; the highly-enjoyable taste is rather consistent throughout.

M - Not as much carbonation as I would like; this is somewhat tame compared to other Belgians. It's a little thinner than what I would expect as well, but it's nevertheless very enjoyable.

O - Aside from the low carbonation (which is still enjoyable), I have no complaints whatsoever. It seems like more of a slightly-strong dubbel than a strong dark ale, so for the price I'd probably grab a case of Westmalle Dubbel instead (just because that's one of my favorites). Nevertheless, I'm very glad I picked this up. If you like strong, dark, fruity, Belgian ales, you will not be disappointed by this.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 19:09:45 | More by mikedotnet

July2Nov

Hawaii

3.53/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Cloudy brown cola in color. with a foamy head.

Smell: Bready and sweet.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Lighter to medium in body. Clean. Slightly sweet and bready with notes of plum/raisins. Slight syrupy in the end. Good malts throughout it all.

Overall: Anything with a gnome on the label has my attention and this certainly did. It was a good beer with some good flavor, but nothing I would actively search out. Good overall.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 05:01:41 | More by July2Nov

StJamesGate

New York

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark cranberry with off-white film. Smoke, berry and dark malt on the nose.
Dark berry, chocolate malt, and bark, a big forest fruit jam hit, candy sugar and some clovey yeast and deep spicy hay hops to finish and linger.
Light to medium, fizzy, and slightly chewy.

A self-described Scotch ale.

Belgian character underneath a lot of sweet malts. Not very Scottish, in spite of what they were aiming for. Berry too up front. A sipper.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 22:19:29 | More by StJamesGate

impending

California

3.28/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750ml into a tulip. Pours a chestnut cola with garnet highlights. Mocha colored head subsides slow to the surface, nice lacing.

Traditional strong dark with nice phenolic spiciness. upbeat

Achouffe yeast dominates the front end, the dark fruits are under represented. Not much in the way of complexity. The phenols that share the aftertaste are not a strength, hint of a tiny old penny. Medium bodied smooth mouthfeel.

Strong singed peat moss would have been very welcome.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 05:07:40 | More by impending

elgiacomo

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle, best by end of 2011. Served at around 65F.

A bit of a gusher upon opening, pours dark brown with red highlights and a fair bit of sediment. Initial two finger foamy, rocky head that diminishes to a foamy ring and light cap and leaves some nice lacing.

Aroma is very much that of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian yeast, candi sugar, dark fruits, dark breads, some alcohol, and perhaps a hint of peat. Very good strength and probably my favorite part of the beer.

Flavor is dark fruits, cherries, raisins, figs, candi/brown sugar, Belgian yeast, toast & bread, some caramel and toffee, moderate sweetness, within range for the style, a bit of alcohol on the finish despite being only 8% and having some age under its belt...less so as I work my way through the bottle.

Mouthfeel is light/medium bodied with strong scrubbing carbonation.

More Belgian than Scotch but never-the-less a very tasty brew. This has been on my to-do list for quite a while so I’m glad to finally have gotten around to trying it.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 03:52:08 | More by elgiacomo

illidurit

California

3.4/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce stubby bottle poured into a Rochefort goblet. Deep russet brown with an ecru head. Poor retention, unbecoming of a Belgian beer, and little lacing. Aroma is primarily bready, dark fresh-baked bread to be exact, with some dusty raisins and vague red fruits. A little booze as well. Flavor is mild for the alcohol level; there's a pleasant bready grainy malt profile with an unsweet chocolate undercurrent but not much in the way of fruity esters. Sweet caramel malt finish, dry with a soft alcohol presence. Palate is overrun by carbonation. This needs some swirling and time to settle down. I was expecting a dubbel flavor profile out of this dark 8% beer but that's just not what it is. Rather pedestrian but not bad.

Edit: Turns out this is a scotch ale. Weird, wasn't expecting that. Explains the lack of yeasty/fruity notes, obviously, but it still doesn't cut it overall.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 06:19:56 | More by illidurit

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy deep amber to brown in color with a light tan head. In the aroma, earthy and candy sugar. In the taste, earth, peet, malty, and a small candy sugar. A yeasty and sugar bite and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry earthy aftertaste. Almost saison like, small dry amlt and great.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 14:33:09 | More by OWSLEY069

Beejay

Virginia

3.95/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: A murky dark brown, with red notes when held to the light. A nice light tan head is nested on top.

S: Some bread notes, as well as dark berries. Some raisons and a touch of roasted smell.

T: Sweet, with some ripe fruit and dark berry notes. Raisons and plums with some light grape notes. Some roasted notes in the finish. Just a touch of alcohol. Very nice, and surprisingly light.

M: Light in body, with a dry finish. The carbonation is fine in size, and strong in numbers. Effervescent, almost a touch too much..

O: Overall a very nice brew. Great fruity notes, meld with grain and classic belgian yeast characteristics.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 21:36:34 | More by Beejay

GilGarp

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a large wine glass. On tap at Choice City in Fort Collins.

Mc Chouffe is a dark hazy brown color with thin head.

Aroma is mild and malty with a distinct and enjoyable yeast character.

Flavor is exceptional with great dried fruit and yeast esters. Raisins and figs with clove and a little pepper.

Mouthfeel is smooth but strong. Full bodied and nicely carbonated.

Overall a great beer, especially on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2011 22:01:33 | More by GilGarp

mdaschaf

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Was excited to find this on the shelf in Mexico.

A: Poured a ruby//brown color, somewhat hazy, with a foamy tan head on top. Pretty good head retention, slowly dissipating to a thin layer of foam on top. Left some thick lacing on the glass.

S: Heavy amount of dark fruit - plum, fig and a little raisin, some caramelized malt and some Belgian yeast.

T: Rather spicy with some pepper and nutmeg to go along with a deep, dark fruit flavor. There is a bit of caramel mixed in as well with a slightly sweet finish.

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation, has a slightly creamy feel to it and a sticky finish.

O: Pretty good brew, not one of my favorites, but easy drinking with a good flavor profile.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2011 01:55:57 | More by mdaschaf

ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

750ml bottle at Winstons in Saskatoon. Pours into a goblet a ruddy, muddy brown color, couple fingers of khaki head. Smells of grapes and light cherry esters, toffee and bread. Flavor follows, candi sugar, grapes, cherry, plums, rye bread, hints of coffee. Easy and not too complex, perhaps a little thin in the body. Hides the ABV well, easy to drink, nothing wrong here.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 21:32:20 | More by ritzkiss

MadCat

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at the Taphouse on Queensway in Hampton, VA.

Appearance: Served in a chalice, it is a dark amber brown color, with 1 finger tan head, leaves considerable lacing

Smell: Very fruity, reminds me most of sweet grapes and cherries, with some good darker malts

Taste: Very sweet, I would almost consider it a desert beer. It is mostly sweet grapes and cherries, with a good helping of Belgian yeast funk. Very complex and enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied, medium carbonation, very smooth texture

Overall: This was awesome. Had no idea this was even available on tap. Not cheap, but worth it. Will definitely look for in bottles.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2011 02:26:46 | More by MadCat

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.05/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Currently the Achouffe gnome and Long Trail bears are battling it out for my favorite beer mascots.

Auburn to sepia in color. Fluffy tan head that leaves sand dunes of retention that shift and blanket the beer. Drifts of lace.

Aroma is leafy, woodsy hickory toffee and brown sugar. Tastes of coppery caramel, clean, leafy hops nutmeg and cinnamon. Tastes a lot like GNC caramel mocha whey protein actually. Thin and monotone for a 8% Belgian.

Supposedly this pays hommage to the Scottish influence that Belgium received during WWII. More of a Belgian-y interpretation of a Northern English brown than anything resembling a Scottish ale. What a bummer. I expect more of Achouffe and their gnomish minions.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 23:55:32 | More by donkeyrunner

rickyleepotts

Arizona

2/5  rDev -49.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I love hobbits! One thing that I am going to like about this project is learning more about the beers before drinking them. That won’t affect the way I write on the beers, as I am writing based on the nose and the flavor. But it’s cool to learn more about the beers, the brewery, etc. before trying them. Like this beer… the hobbit on the bottle, well that’s a Chouffe. I had no idea, but now it makes so much sense. Anyway, let’s drink.

The beer smells like any other brown ale. Not much going on really. But the smell does help with the first sip. It’s initially smooth, and best served chilled. It slides across the palate and settles on the back of your tongue. The aftertaste sticks around though.

The beer is a Belgian strong ale… and I must admit, I expected more. The bottle is HUGE, comfortable to a wine bottle. So when I spend this much money on a bottle of beer, I expected more. The head on the beer is thick, which makes me think there will be a creamy mouth feel… there’s not.

Now, I’m not saying this beer is bad… but to come all this way from the Belgium and just be this good, I am hurt! Come on beer guys, you can do better than that. I would buy a bottle of this again, but it would have to either be on sale or the liquor store would have to be out of everything else! I like the story of the hobbit… but sadly, that is more exciting than what lay in the glass. Bottoms up… if you can stomach it.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 23:04:58 | More by rickyleepotts

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a dark brown color with a tan colored head. The aromas were sweet and really interested me in the beer. The malts kind of gave me an earthy aroma too in the faint distance. The taste was on the sweeter side, a little more like a sweet version of an Abbey Dubbel. The mouthfeel was pretty smooth and found myself enjoying this brew for the most part. I don't know if I'd ever buy a whole lot of it but I'd try it again one day.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 20:34:21 | More by Knapp85

iguenard

Quebec (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

( 33/50, 8.5% alc/vol, Home) Unfiltered red ale that leaves a brown head of average height. Very fizzy. Metal, sugars (the belgian candi kind). Fresh, like cotton candy. Brown sugar, sugar canes. So sweet, the malt nuances are killed off almost completely, although it is quite tasty. Hops flavours are very good, kills sugars and adds a strong dry finish to the beer. Bee-wax, acidic palate. Very sugarry with some metallic tones due to alcohol (and since it's SAQ, its probably aged and badly handled). Definite sweet belgian strong ale. Would drink this warmer at next attempt. Good, but overdone in my opinion. Lets give this a try with coffee cakes and sweet deserts.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 18:36:17 | More by iguenard

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured in a La Trappe chalice.

A: Pours a cloudy dark brown color with a medium beige head with big retention and many lacings left
S: Brown bread and Belgian yeasts are very noticed. Dark fruits, caramel malts and alcohol
T: Taste follows the nose. Intense brown bread and Belgian yeasts. Amazing. Brown sugar and caramel malts. However, the taste is quite dry and bitter. Intense (good quality) hops too. Perfect
M: Creamy and molasses medium body. Reasonable carbonation. Pleasant bitter aftertaste. Dry
O: Excellent beer as expected

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 18:30:39 | More by eduardolinhalis

dbmernin83

California

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

Dark amber brown, bordering black, nice frothy head.
Dark fruits, sweet candy nose, a touch of booze.
Sweet, slighty medicinal, light alcohol. Silky smooth.
Very light on the mouth, making it that much more drinkable and dangerous.
A great Belgium strong dark. The light body makes it easier to drink and a little more approachable for beginners than some. All in all, a solid offering.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2011 23:42:52 | More by dbmernin83

robwestcott

Indiana

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured cold from the tap at finch's a deep dark brown to a tall nonic-pint-like 13oz chouffe glass with a full finger near white head with good retention.

aroma of spice and banana.

super sweet, fruit, grapes and banana - followed by a bit of hot spice.

medium bodied, big carbonation, sweet, no bitter.

drinkable - one, maybe two. overall - great brew.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2011 02:00:49 | More by robwestcott

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

Appearance - Dark reddish-brown with a frothy, dense head.
Aroma is caramel and dark fruit with a faint backdrop of yeasty bubblegum.
The mouthfeel is creamy and smooth and the flavour presents a dark, fruity sweetness followed by a gentle finishing bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 14:37:26 | More by

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Prime 16 into an Old English Oil tulip.

A: My glass arrives full to the brim with clear ruby-brown liquid that's alive with fine effervescence; the bubbles serve to sustain a finger of delicate tan head that shows great retention and leaves light lace. Attractive.

S: Deep, bready malt is front and center, with serious toastiness and some background yeast; dark fruits and spice lie underneath. Nice.

T: Decadent maltiness dominates throughout, but is nicely restrained by some drying yeast spice on the finish. Flavors of nuts, prunes, cake, bread, and toffee provide plenty of sweet intensity, only to be balanced by a clean bite of minerality and light alcohol. Excellent.

M: Fairly hefty medium body that explodes with prickly carbonation. A little over the top.

O: This was my first encounter with a Belgian Scotch Ale, but I had no fears - in my experience Brasserie D'Achouffe can do no wrong. While not quite as transcendent as Houblon Chouffe, this brew is quite tasty indeed. The Scottishness of the malt character was apparent, although the overall effect was decidedly skewed to the Belgian side of the continuum. I kind of hoped that they would have thrown some peat-smoked malt into the grain bill, but I suppose it turned out just fine as is. Well done, gnome.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

04-14-2011 23:56:23 | More by woosterbill