La Chouffe - Brasserie d'Achouffe

Serge

Alberta (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

An orange beer with a fantastic light orange head. The aroma is fantastic: it is malts sweet with notes of alcohol, fruit, oranges, coriander, and cinnamon - a wonderful nose. The flavor too is fantastic - it starts with a nice malts sweetness containing notes of oranges, fruit, coriander, cinnamon, and alcohol. In the end, the alcohol sting your tongue, before it leaves you with a sweetness that lingers on your tongue and lips. It has a very nice palate. This is a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 21:13:47 | More by Serge

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

4.41/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into chalice glass, from notes. The look of this beer is perfect, pleasant golden colour and amazing retention right to the end a foamy cap and excellent lacing.

Smell is quite subtle, yeasty with soft fruit notes, crisp and dry mineral notes, really soft and balanced.

Taste is pretty amazing, a perfect balance of bready malt, solid amount of citrusy hops and a bit yeast influence, soft florals, perfect complexity, and so much integrated flavour. Pleasant light hay notes, bready with soft mineral punctuations, a decent amount of hops coming through as well which is nice.

Mouthfeel has a moderate body, appropriate carbonation, nicely dry on finish. Very easy to drink, satisfying amount of body and great long finish.

Wonderful beer. Seek it out. Exceptionally well-balanced

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 13:11:48 | More by mick303

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sample I got fizzed quite a bit when I opened the bottle, but not so much that I needed a towel - just had to pour some out before it got messy. Aroma is fruity, yeasty and a bit woody, not strong but still appealing. Pours a nice clear bright solar yellow with a thick and fluffy, if none too persistent, white head. Flavor is better and stronger than what the aroma promised - fruity, malty, a little yeasty with a hint of butterscotch. Must be butterscotch. Texture is firm-bodied and a little syrupy; fizz is not strong but lasts, leaving a nice, fruity, tingly, slightly sweet finish. Worth ten bucks for 750 ml? Definitely.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 17:28:19 | More by Cyberkedi

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 mL bottle acquired at the MLCC. BB 02/2015. Poured fridge cold into a perfect pint glass.

Pours a clear straw with a nice fluffy white head that drops to a cap and leaves light lacing. Very nice nose of pepper, straw and hints of barnyard. Body has a fairly strong sweetness at first that later gets overpowered by earthy hop. Nice amount of pepper with notes of apple juice. Overall a fine beer, worth drinking more of.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 02:10:42 | More by kjyost

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle poured into a Leffe goblet. ABV 8%.

A - Poured a deep gold with a slight haze and a 1 cm head. Head reduced to a long lasting thin cap. Good lacing.

S - Mandarins, spices, hint of mushrooms.

T - Sweet malts, light sour fruitiness, light spiciness, bitter finish with a slight alcohol burn.

M - Good carbonation, medium-heavy body, tangy, some sweet stickiness, burning & dry finish.

O - Pretty good. Drinkability is pretty good. The ABV sure sneaked up on me after 2 bottles.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 03:23:08 | More by decimator

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Decent head that settles in a lumpy session. Some chunky lace on the glass. Cloudy, orange-gold color.

Pale malt start to the nose. There's a bit of chalkiness to the smell. There's light all spice and clove in the aroma as well.

Lightly sweet with a pepper kicker in the swallow. Rich body with an above average carbonation. In a word, smooth. Creamy finish with a touch alcohol showing up in the swallow. Very complex.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 00:31:49 | More by smcolw

Philousa

California

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 33cl bottle to a Duvel tulip.

Golden yellow in the light with a thin but dense layer of white head. The foam settles to irregular blotches where the bubbles found the glass. There is significant lacing, but more when the drink goes back to the glass, not so much in layers like an IPA laces a glass. Lots of hay and barn aromas with lemon and pungent barley. Typical Belgian yeast produces clove and other spices, but it's delicate on the nose. This has a good amount of malt aroma in it compared to other Belgian Strong Pales, indicating a decent body. The taste starts and ends with the malt. A strong grainy, earthy flavor. Hops come in at the end to bitter it out. The bitterness warms over your tongue in as inviting a way as it can be. Grassy and nectary. Light and playful in feel, and a balanced finish which is different in a Belgian, considering how the yeast tends to work. Towards the end it does get a bit watery.

I can imagine a Belgian farmer making this his nightly drink. It's suggests to me so strongly of being made on a farm. It's earthy, spicy, and approachable. It's something I could have nightly, but not more than a glass. Where Duvel is delicate and complex, La Chouffe comes across as strong and proud, rigid in its strengths. I'd want this after a hard day's work in the yard. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 04:16:40 | More by Philousa

Hoppsbabo

United Kingdom (England)

3.9/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Cloudy golden ale with lots of tiny bubbles. Large irregular foamy white head, as can be expected from Belgian pale ales.

S: Coriander with a load of spicy yeast.

T: Coriander. Hints at spice. No banana. Typically sour body with lots of fizz. A bit watery.

O: I hate coriander but it seems like a pretty sound beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 17:23:38 | More by Hoppsbabo

mlazzaro

Massachusetts

4.88/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

750 ml poured in proper La Chouffe tulip.

Sitting in the fridge for days and right through the bottle it is still ultra chunky looking (lots of floaties). Of course that won't stop me from drinking this beer, but its worth mentioning.

Kind of a apricot color. Beer is very murky. Cant see it but the carbonation level is quite high. The most mountainous frothy head! Sticks around forever as well. Laces the glass. Love it.

Smell is a marriage of yeast and spice. Really can't differentiate, but it smells delicious. Aroma is delicate. Slight fruit going on. Being delicate, it does fade.

Refreshing, tasty, complex and surprisingly alcoholic. Alcohol is mostly perceived in warmth. Hops lend a pine flavor. Bitterness is spot on. Malts really come through- solid grain and possibly wheat flavors. Ends with a variety of yeast flavors that seem to change and the beer temperature changes.

I wasn't sure about this one because of the term "brewed with spice". That term can mean an infinite amount of stupendous and horrendous things. Too loose a term for me to confidently purchase. But this beer kick ass! Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 22:48:19 | More by mlazzaro

janubio

Spain

3.63/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 ml. bottle. Pours a hazy golden colour, with a decent head that fades quickly, leaving a lace. Smell of papaya, spices, clove, coriander and some others that I can't really tell. Strong body, harsh palate (in a good sense), lots of carbonation. Taste is again spicy, clove, coriander and some that I can't tell, including kind of some fermented fruit and a lemon touch. Dry and spicy aftertaste. It taste like if it had some more alcohol. Great.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 11:27:00 | More by janubio

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.13/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from 8/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a dark orange amber with lots of little floating particle in it, almost like snow. Perhaps too long a pour, but it looked great. Nice thick long lasting off white head and lacing. Nice looking. Belgian fruit aroma. Fruit, malt, sweet malt light spicing. A bit of a dry abrupt finish. Tame, but nice and enjoyable. La Chouffe is an excellent brewery.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 21:20:57 | More by LiquidAmber

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

3.58/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours honey golden color with nice thick off-white head that dissipates quickly to ring around sides of glass. Age of bottle us unknown.

Smell is honey and sweet potato. Ripe fruits, such as plum, apple and banana present as well.

Taste follows smell. Lots of very ripe fruit; bananas, plums and apples. I taste the sweet potato throughout. Not terrible, but not great either.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied.

Overall this was a little dissappointing for me. Maybe this is just a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 22:45:37 | More by TrappistJohnMD

smakawhat

Maryland

4.4/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass.

Real gorgeous orange body color off the pour, opaque, with great columns of pin head rising bubbles. Head is white and rocky bright, with some good stick and lacing. Fantastic looking in the glass.

Nose is filled with classic Belgian yeasty esters, candy and clove sense, real nice dry ripping grain on this also, with a fruity angle that comes off something like kumquats. Real nice and solid.

Really wonderful playful carbonation on the palate, bringing that citrus angle on the nose with a nice creamy orange sweetness in the mid palate. Refreshing finish, almost crisp dry malt sense, but a good sweet malt and candy like density play wonderfully together. Great balance in the palate, light sweetness, good effervescence but with some great malt depth and body. Wonderful finish.

Overall, I always let this beer slide because I buy and drink Dobblen so much, but this one is just as much fun and a great beer. Gotta love those gnomes...

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 00:35:01 | More by smakawhat

darkstar12

Maryland

4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: cloudy golden color with little bits of yeast at the bottom. One finger head that dissipated fairly quickly, moderate lacing that also dissipates quickly

S: a mild and not unpleasant sour smell, little bit of yeast, some mild spice notes

T: some mild sour cherries, a little bit of sweet aftertaste, very little indication of the alcohol content

M: good mouthfeel, creamy but not overly syrupy, nice amount of carbonation

O: very good, flavorful, enjoyable summer beer

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 00:57:51 | More by darkstar12

chanokokoro

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 11.2 oz bottle into a Brasserie d'Achouffe branded tulip glass.

Pours a hazy deep gold with a three finger brilliant white head. Great retention and abundant lacing as the head recedes. Belgian yeast and spice on the nose. Clove, corainder, and pepper combine with a high effervescent carbonation in slick and light bodied yet satisfying brew. Peach and apricot-like fruitiness surface midpalate. The finish is dry with grassy hops and a bit of spiciness. A top-tier Strong Belgian Pale Ale and a brew that is not to be passed up.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 02:46:16 | More by chanokokoro

rickyleepotts

Arizona

3.35/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

We have tried a bottle from Brasserie d’Achouffe… the theme song is the only reason I remember why. The little elves are so cute! The bottle is big, too. For the price, you can’t beat this Belgian strong pale ale. Of course I say that having not had it… but trusting that an 8% 750ml bottle would be plenty for an evening by the fire. Or on the patio! (Not much fire here in the desert I imagine.)

In the Glass: It looks like a wheat beer in the glass. When I opened the giant green bottle, the spices rushed to my nostrils. I guess that is why they call it a “strong” pale ale. Maybe not. But I am glad that I was able to listen to the theme song once again. It’s so fun!

Nose: The spices are really coming through in the aroma. It has a very strong yeast scent coming in… and I am really not digging the pale aspect. I wonder if they make pale ales different in Belgium than they do here in the United States. Speaking of that, I am thinking about becoming a Cicerone. Has anyone ever done that? I am not even sure where that begins… but would be a fitting certification.

Flavor: The flavor is quite strong, as well. The spices come through quite a bit at first, then settle down as you swallow. Then the dryness that you expect from a spicy beer comes full force toward the end of the swallow and into the aftertaste. There is quite a bit of carbonation on the front of the palate. At first it reminds me of a Brett. I don’t like Brett beers, but this one I can handle.

Mouthfeel: There is a lot of carbonation at the front, but that is quickly gone as the flavors take over. The beer is 8% ABV, and you would never know it. It drinks like a typical American lager. I say that in the way it drinks, and the smoothness as it goes down. It’s a pale, but I still don’t get any of the bitterness that I expected from a pale.

Aftertaste: The aftertaste is nice. It has some strong spice notes, and then the dryness that you expect out of an Irish stout kicks in. Not really sure where the dryness comes from, but am a big fan of the finish. The bottle says it is an “artisanal Belgian golden ale brewed with spices”. Those spices are there from the time you pop the top until you have finished drinking.

This isn’t a beer that I would “go to” without a reason, but I can see this being good either in the dead of winter (in most of the country) or in the middle of the summer. I can see myself drinking one or two of these over a nice dinner of red meats including burgers and hot dogs. This isn’t a beer you appreciate with a steak, that’s for sure. The price point is nice, too. Especially for a beer this big. I will hand it to the elf… he sure knows how to brew a good beer!

La Chouffe – The bottle says: “La Chouffe is brewed by the Artisans of la Brasserie d’Achouffee deep in the hear of Belgium’s Ardennes mountains. The legend of gnomes (chuffs) who once brewed in this mysterious region process the inspiration for this eccentric bottle conditioned, double fermented ale.

“This Belgian micro brewery crafts La Chouffe with local Ardennes’ water, top fermenting yeas, malts, fine hops, and coriander for spice. Double fermentation produces natural carbonation and a small yeast deposit (lees) on the bottom of the bottle.

“Enjoy the golden, dense white head and sweet-spicy flavor of La Chouffe. Serve between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit and pod carefully into a wide-mouthed La Chouffe class to enjoy the full flavors and aromas of this ale from Belgium’s most eccentric brewery.

“Come and visit us at Brasserie D’Achouffe in the Ardennes mountains.”

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 00:17:30 | More by rickyleepotts

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

4.23/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml green bottle (2 bottles actually), shared amongst friends, at a great summer barbeque.
Shimmering golden yellow body, slightly cloudy appearance. Tight white foam and loads of lace. Lots of aromas, yeast, orange citrus, slight clove spice. Refreshing, clean taste with lots of flavor. Bready malt to start, sweetish fruit notes, like green apple. Slight bitterness at the end. Finishes with a wheat beer-like yeastiness, maybe even banana, and peppery spice. The body is moderate towards heavy, dense and creamy, but the high level of carbonation keeps it easy to drink.
Clean and crisp, very drinkable on a hot summer day, no burn from the well hidden 8% ABV.
A great example of a Belgian Blonde.

Note to Self: Ranked #6 Belgian Strong Pale Ale, and down the list at #73 Top Belgian, when I reviewed it.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 22:37:00 | More by BigBry

doktorhops

Australia

4.73/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Belgian blondes... I like them. And of course the beers are great too. La Chouffe is an interesting sort with a picture of a garden gnome on the bottle. It conjures up images of garden gnomes sitting round a toadstool drinking the brew from steins made out of twigs perhaps plotting to overthrow the rose bed or conquer the birdbath for themselves... it looks like we have a brewer with a sense of humour, who also happens to be Belgian.

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a chalice.

A: Has a fine goldenrod body with a touch of cloudiness. The head is 1cm densely packed beige affair and as a whole the appearance invites one to quaff.

S: There's a lot of the classic Belgian blond characters here; dry yeast, orange peel, crisp acidic apples, stone-fruit and a hint of cloves... even more inviting.

T: Polyphenolic! This is quite a taste experience in a glass. Starts out with sourdough bread-like characters and moves to a sweet apple ferment with stone-fruit followed by a light bitterness and astringency in the finish. World class balance of flavours up there with the Trappist ales for its uniqueness.

M: The body is mid to heavy with a light but dense and creamy carbonation which works well with the style.

D: You can quite easily forget this is 8% ABV while drinking this as the alcohol is well hidden and the mouthfeel is not sticky like other beers at this percentage. A very fine brew and further proof that the Belgians are the greatest brewers on the planet. The only thing holding me back from drinking more often? The price. Does it topple the mighty Duvel? It's a close one.

Food match: Brasserie fare; light roast game bird with a garden salad, goats cheese and desserts such as tiramisu or strawberry shortcake.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 07:21:21 | More by doktorhops

hardy008

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy golden color with a rocky white head with very good retention and lacing. There is a good deal of sediment floating in the glass. The aroma has grapes, pears, lemon, pale malts, and coriander.

The taste is much like the aroma. Lemons, pears, grapes, pale malts, yeast, coriander, and pepper. Sweet,dry, nice light amount of hop bitterness.

Light to medium bodied, above average carbonation, finishes somewhat sweet and dry. Well made.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 01:45:45 | More by hardy008

shigg85

Japan

4.28/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bought a bottle of this from the Tobu department store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Poured into a white wine glass. Light golden hue with a thick thick white head. Strong hops with a bit of grapefruit and other citrus members in this. The flavor was a bit sour in areas where I don't think it was trying to be sour, but overall, this was a beautiful strong Belgian pale. The gnome on the front of the bottle is cute, too, and definitely adds to the advertising when most beer is trying to be intimidating.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 06:04:16 | More by shigg85

FondueVoodoo

British Columbia (Canada)

4.23/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Normally beer labels never factor into a review, however La Chouffe bottles with the labels the are reminiscent of whimsy, fresh air and summer good times, who couldn't love a beer gnome? It sets up the beer perfectly as a comforting familiar drink, ready for patios and back yard good times.

A: It pours a hazy apple cider colour with 1 finger of white mini bubbles. Reasonably good retention with lacing across the cap.

S: Fruity sweet scents of apple, pear and banana. Smell of pale malts and spices of cloves and coriander. Slight hints of alcohol similar to over ripe fruit, but not at all over powering, and towards the end a scent of milled hand soaps, something similar soap candies.

T: Sweet malts and forward yeast with spicy notes of pepper, coriander and cloves. Mild hints of dry orange peel and mild fruit fermented alcohol and a minor bit of bitterness tat rounds out the smooth malts.

M: Light to medium viscosity with medium carbonation and finished crisp and dry.

O: Well rounded pleasant and drinkable brew. Excellent companion with food, like bar-b-que chicken or white fish, and well as vegetarian and soft cheese. Also enjoyable on it's own. Definitely worth the try I could see getting to be good friends with the gnome.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 03:28:52 | More by FondueVoodoo

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

BB 24/01/15. 750ml bottle.

Beer is golden amber with a large, frothy, white head. Dissipates quite quickly, leaving a film.

Nose consists of candied fruit. orange, sugar, sweet malt, yeast and some spice. A nice smell but a bit on the sweet side.

The sweet malt is upfront in the taste, rather bready. Candied fruit there as well, with orange, lemon and some green grape. White pepper and a general spicy taste. Alcohol noticeable.

Medium bodied, a bit thin. Strong carbonation.

Overall, I like this beer but it does not live up to its reputation, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 17:38:02 | More by jrenihan

jonb5

United Kingdom (England)

3.58/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

330ml bottle, poured into large tulip shaped wine glass. Pale golden colour, slight haze which increased, medium thin textured head which was well retained. Aroma was phenol, yeast and clove. Tasted sour fruits and clove, fairly bitter. Finish had a hint of booze, although it didn't dominate the flavour. Decent carbonation, medium body, coarse. Overall good, but not complex enough to be great.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 14:34:32 | More by jonb5

bnes09

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy golden color with a huge head. Retains well as a thick layer of foam and coats the glass in lacing.

Fresh fruity, malty, citric and sweet aroma. Very nice.

Nice fruit flavors: white grapes and prunes. Light biscuity malt flavor. Subtle herbal hop flavor. Excellent balance.

Medium bodied with a sharp carbonation. Smooth feel.

Good drinkability. Very good beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 23:29:49 | More by bnes09

PolarBear3

Australia

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured a pale golden colour with a frothy white head that laces nicely and reduces slightly.

S - orange, lemon aromas dominate with some spice and sweet candy aromas.

T - Bready yeasty malts combined well with fruit and citrus notes with the hint of pepper and spice throughout.

M - Light to medium bodied with medium carbonation that gives a refreshing crisp finish.

O - With out a doubt one of my favourite Belgium ales with all its qualities shining through. A wondeful well balanced complex beer that is a must to try.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 10:49:51 | More by PolarBear3