N'Ice Chouffe - Brasserie d'Achouffe

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750mL limited edition bomber poured into a chalice

A chestnut brown with a deep red overtones. A bubbly ecru cap raises about one finger and falls to form a thin collar around the glass. Little to no lacing.

The nose is of candi sugar, herbs (thyme), dried fruits, orange peel, and spiced cake. Spicy and sweet.

Spicy clove and candi sugar up front while brown bready malt carriers through the middle. The finish is of orange peel, dried orchard fruits and an herbal dryness.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. This looks and tastes like it would be a lot thicker and fuller than it really is. The carbonation lifts this guy off the tongue and leaves a raisin/sugar finish with an herbal dryness.

This is a nice BSDA and one that I enjoyed. The addition of thyme helps cut through the overall sweetness and lends a welcome drying characteristic.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 14:33:33 | More by ColForbinBC

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The wintery scene of the village of Achouffe on the label is quite charming although I cannot say the same for the beer itself. It is a muddy brown colour and littered with chunks of sediment that look like partially digested food. And for a Christmas-y beer I'd have hoped for a little more white on top; there's no snowy peaks here.

All you shy people out there will relate: N'ice Chouffe needs a little time before opening up. Once doing so, however, it turns out not to have all that much interesting to say. The bouquet of dark, sticky-sweet malt is typically musty and yeasty for a beer of this style, from this part of the world, and yields no real excitement.

Although thyme and curacao peel are the ingredients that stand out most in the name, it's the dark candi sugar that sticks out most in the taste. This viscous, syrupy-sweet flavour, combined with the malt, becomes like some sort of concoction of liquid bran muffin and molasses. It's not half bad, but we'll see if it's '750ml bottle' good...

All signs continue to point to 'yes' at the halfway point. In fact, the flavour is easily my favourite part of this beer. It tastes like some kind of wonderful hazelnut bread baked with brown sugar, cinnamon bark, honey, and a spritz of sweetly fragranced orange oil. Strength is somewhat perceived but the alcohol is never tasted outright.

N'Ice Chouffe is an easy ale to recommend. Whether or not it'll make my want list next year remains to be seen, but I'd gladly welcome a bottle in my stocking any time. The Belgians, like the French, know as much about drink as they do food, and, good Catholics they are, they obviously know a thing or two about celebrating Christmas too!

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 21:21:38 | More by biegaman

jsanford

Georgia

3.28/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

08 Vintage poured into a Tulip Glass.

A - Dark mahogany with a fluffy ivory head that settles to a 1/2 inch cap.
S - Sweet and slightly funky, with aromas of dark Belgian candi sugar, lots of orange peel, and a touch of savory herbs.
T - Similar to the nose, with flavors of dark candi sugar, dried fruits, orange peel, and thyme/sage. There is a bit of a metallic "twang" and a touch of oxidation, this is just a bit past it's prime.
M - Slick mouthfeel with a medium body and prickly carbonation.
O - A very interesting Winter beer, I love the herbal character added from the thyme. I do wish I had consumed this about a year earlier, though.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 15:52:39 | More by jsanford

birderbeerer

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tea-colored, have to wait a few minutes for the head to settle. Bottle says to drink at 60 degrees, so it's just as well. I could only get about 6oz. poured into a glass on account of the head.

Great spicy, yeasty aroma. Hearty, bready malts. Just a hint of alcohol. Bit of pilsner malt too. Very rich and deep.

Rich taste too. Nutty malts, multigrain toast, spice, with an edge of yeast.

Feels a little thin for the complexity of the taste and aroma. It has a creamy taste but the actual consistency doesn't match. Though the 10% abv is deceptive. Seems too light for the abv.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 00:27:27 | More by birderbeerer

ianjsullivan

Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

ST: 750ml poured into a chalice. The bottle lists the ABV and a DBD.

A: Dark mahogany brown with a HUGE off white rocky head. The head continues to sit on top for over a minute.

S: Piney hops, spice, orange, fruity esters.

T: Belgium sugar, orange, grapefruit hops, dark berries, warming alcohol, Belgium funky feast, and spice.

M: Heavy and smooth.

O: Heavy, fruity, and spicy, this beer offers an excellent warmth for the winter. It is certainly a beer to have more as a desert, and to sip, rather than to drink a lot of in one sitting. It is the type of beer that truly does seem special and meant for the holidays.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 01:10:29 | More by ianjsullivan

steelerguy

New York

4.4/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Nut brown, huge light tan head, lots of carbonation keep the head around for awhile, and lots of lacing.

S - Yeast, spice, and some caramel malt with hints of dark fruit.

T - Malt throughout, from beginning to end. Starts with a bit of lingering sweetness from some sugars that were not broken down. A nice spiciness then comes on along with some yeast. The spice is then complimented with some alcohol notes as you finish the sip.

M - Is it possible for a beer to have a complex mouthfeel? Perhaps not, but this beer does have a lot going on, moderate body, definitely some undigested sugars in there, a nice tingle from the carbonation, warming from the alcohol.

O - This is a nice Belgian Dark Strong, I thought it may be a bit too spicy but I didn't feel that was the case, just a nice complex flavor profile. A worthy limited edition from Brasserie d'Achouffe.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 02:04:40 | More by steelerguy

zeff80

Missouri

3.78/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a clear, burgundy color with a one-finger, off-white head of bubbly foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of spice and a tad bit of skunkiness. There was a touch of breadiness, too.

T - There was a nice presence of candy sugar with some bready malt. It had some good spiciness with a touch of dried fruit.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry, clean finish.

O - This was a very nice tasting Belgian. The aroma had some issues but it delivered a great taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 02:36:34 | More by zeff80

GilGarp

Colorado

4.18/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 mL green bottle served cold into a goblet.

N'Ice Chouffe is a deep redish brown color with a slightly hazy appearance. The head is thick at first but settles fairly quickly and leaves only a little bit of spotty lacing.

Aroma is slightly sweet with a brown sugar and carmel quality. The yeast gives pleasant spice note.

Flavor is really enjoyable again with the Belgian candi sugar and spicy yeast. Good depth of flavors with cloves, pepper, dark dried fruits and orange peel.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and well carbonated. Well balanced and the alcohol is well hidden.

Overall a really good Belgian dark ale and probably one of the best Christmas seasonal beers I've had.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 03:15:29 | More by GilGarp

babaracas

Florida

3.68/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a mostly clear orange-tinted dark red with two fingers of dense tan colored foam. Slowly settles to a half inch and leaves a sheet of thick sticky lace down the glass. Smell: dark brown sugar, muted toasted raisin bread. Slightly herbal but not distinctly thyme; no orange peel here. Taste: candi sugar, toffee, herbal and somewhat spicy, red grape skin, bitter orange, heavily toasted raisin bread. Tannin heavy finish overwhelms prior creamy feel. Otherwise pretty good. 2011 version (as far as I can tell from the bottling code).

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 06:11:37 | More by babaracas

yesyouam

New York

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

N'Ice la Chouffe is a murky brown ale with a soft, smooth khaki head that fades to a film and leaves decent lacing on the glass. Crumbles accumulate in the bottom of the glass. Aroma of alcohol, candied fruit, apple, cherry, nectarine, tobacco and hay. It's pretty full bodied and quite smooth with pretty dry finish. It's richly flavored and just a touch sweet. It's pretty complex with notes of peach, must, tropical fruit, leather, tobacco, cider, phenol and, later on, chocolate and fortified wine. It's a touch bitter at the end and quite warming. This is a pretty classy affair. It's a big bottle, so make sure you share. Very enjoyable; it's kind of a flavor adventure.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 15:09:17 | More by yesyouam

BeerImmediately

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours with a short tan head over a slightly cloudy amber body. Tons of lacing.

Bright spices dominate the aroma, with candy sugar, rich fruits, and Belgian yeast.

Sharp and lively mouthfeel for the ABV. Rich fruits are present, but not too thick. High spiced profile - cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. Plenty sweet, w/out being cloying. ABV is well masked by the carbonation level.

Simply awesome. Delicious, without being filling.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 02:47:43 | More by BeerImmediately

thierrynantes

France

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer bottle (75 cl.), purchased from V&B Nantes and tasted in 2011.

Appearance : dark brown color, with tan foamy head.
Smell : dried fruits, yeast and spicy aromas.
Taste and mouthfeel : dried fruits and spicy flavours, with alcohol presence.
Drinkability : a nice beer in the style Belgian strong dark ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 19:33:09 | More by thierrynantes

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ale brewed with thyme and curacao peel huh? I had no idea what curacao peel was, so I looked it up: "It is liqueur flavoured with the dried peel of the laraha citrus fruit, grown on the island of Curaçao. A non-native plant similar to an orange."

A: It poured a very dark, murky, caramel brown color, with a fairly dense finger or so head that pretty much died down right away.

S: Glorious smell of melted dark candy, caramel, cotton candy, and some dark fruit. Overall, the scent on this resembled that of a "Fig Newton." No thyme on the nose, but I think thyme is a rather mild spice anyway.

T: I noticed the candy finish right away. I definitely got a ton of caramel, and with a hint of dark fruit (not much) to back that up. Of course, I wouldn't know what curacao tasted like if it jumped up and bit me in the ass. I'll stick to my guns and continue harping on the candy theme here: butterscotch, caramel, and burnt sugar.

M: First of all, this is INSANELY drinkable. The finish has sort of a fresh filtered water quality that washes over the potential syrupy sweetness. The mild pepper I got on the finish (perhaps that's the thyme?) only adds to the complexity. Not much lacing at all.

O: This is categorized as a "Belgian Strong Dark Ale" which is appropriate considering that this is strong, the color is dark, and it was imported from Belgium. However, this is one of the least Belgian-funk infused beers I've ever tasted. In fact, it's one of the best "Winter Warmers" to ever hit my palate...

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 18:58:36 | More by Chaney

YouSkeete

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Thick, dark brown. Very cloudy. Huge off-white head, nice retention and great lacing.

S: Caramel malt, rye spices and rye bread, oranges, along with other dark fruits like plums and dates. Deep, full aroma.

T/M: The first flavor that hits the palate immediately is that of rye bread. Spicy yeast and bready malts, followed by notes of caramel, dark sugared fruits, and mild hop flavors. Sweet, pretty rich, mildly spicy. Full bodied with high carbonation.

D: Great, well balanced strong ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 02:09:57 | More by YouSkeete

frankiepop

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

AHHH 750 ml bottle with a great lable of some elves playing insidious games in the snow around a fire near a church. No cork though.

APPEARANCE - Produced excellent smoke upon cap release in which I tipped the bottle 3 xs & poof poof poof. Poured deep rich clear brown with an ok head without good sustanance. Little lacing.

Sniffer - Malty sweetness -spices - yeasty tartness & orangey.

TASTE - Sweet and smooth. Zesty with strong carbonation.

Body - This baby is not too heavy. You won't mistake this fo a stout in a blind taste trial. Let's just say you're not picking up the fat chick for a blow job at the end of the night with Chouffe.

D - Good drinkability. Powerful stuff. Made me burp like a soldier.

Goes well with seasonal Christmas music. I suggest something simple like John Fahey's Christmas cd.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 19:22:07 | More by frankiepop

jayhawk73

Maryland

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Limited Edition

Pours a dark brown w/ a nice one finger cocoa head. Excellent lacing on my snifter glass. Very murky and dirty looking- like the bottom of a river bed. The nose of this brew is really nice. Dark fruit, citrus fruit, yeast, spices- and none of the 10% alcohol... Not really sure where they hid it. Taste is interesting- I get a lot of spice (thyme?) at first along w/ yeast. It's super dry though, so that goes away and dissolves into acidity and a nice fruit aftertaste... I like it- but not quite enough to bump it to the next level. Feel is very dry and acidic. Overall, this is a good beer- but it's in a tough style category. Still, I'd buy this again. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 03:26:23 | More by jayhawk73

Beer4Baltimore

Maryland

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle with best before date of 2014
A - deep rich clear brown with a three finger head that leaves a bubbly lace behind.
S - dark malty sweetness with spices and a bit of yeasty tartness coming through it all.
T - candy sweet with zest of orange and slight bitterness despite the abundance of sugars. Sweet in a very enjoyable way as the tingly spices balance thing out. Aftertaste is of a lingering slightly tart sweet.
M - nicely carbonated with a medium to heavy body and very rich smooth feel. Interesting when combined with the mouth tingly feel of what I presume is the alcohol.
D - this one goes down easy despite the 10% abv.
I may get another bottle just to keep until summer. I can see why it would be seasonal as it might wear you down if had too often.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 00:54:19 | More by Beer4Baltimore

smakawhat

Maryland

3.15/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from the 75cl bottle into a large snifter glass. Bottle just arrived on store shelves, a recent purchase, this beer is not old whatsoever. It is very recent.

A very surprising light but well together put off white head and foamy soapy consistency off the pour. Out of the bottle the beer is almost golden dark, but hits the glass with a very simple dark chestnut brown. Fairly clear if dark.

Nose is husky, slight ripping grain, interesting fruit angle on this coming across with small sense of dark malts. Clean sense, but fairly muted, but a sense that something heavy is coming. Kind of a mix between a light blonde ale, and dark. Interesting. Nothing real spectacular though, and it certainly does not smell like thyme WHAT so ever.

Taste is really sort of varied and strange. Slight orange, but a weird off malty chocolate sense too. This tastes kind of "meaty" and I was expecting hints of fruit, grain, malt, maybe even hop, but there is something very "un" beer like tasting about this. It's very odd. Texture is also a bit carbonated that just messes with everything instead of complimenting it. Slight extremely faint almost watered down toffee in the finish, as if it was hit with a sledgehammer. Really incredibly novocaine stinging tongue after awhile. Jesus what is going on with this brew?

Overall just not feeling this beer here, this is just not doing it for me, and its label description gives it NO justice whatsoever. Drinkability though even for the high abv is easy however.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 02:32:49 | More by smakawhat

kojevergas

California

3.13/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

75cl dark green glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into Chouffe 25cl stemware in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high. It was served almost fresh from the fridge, but not too cold.

A: Pours a two finger head of nice cream, decent thickness, and good retention for the high ABV. Colour is a dark caramel; nontransparent.

Sm: Candied sugar, light spice (clove?), caramelized malt, a dark ester, and cream. A moderate strength aroma. Consulting the label, I suppose the spice is thyme - but I have no idea what thyme smells like.

T: Candied sugar is heavy, but the finish is surprisingly light. The caramelized malt is a bit too emphasize for the balance, but it works alright. The spices are well placed but not overly prominent. It's a bit imbalanced, but the build is pleasant albeit unfocused. I wouldn't go so far as to call it simple, but it could have more depth.

Mf: A touch tingly on account of the candied sugar, but largely smooth and wet. Overly thick, but then that might have been necessary to cover the high ABV.

Dr: It hides its high ABV very well, and is built to style, but there's room for improvement. I'd try it on draught, but otherwise there's nothing special here.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 01:18:17 | More by kojevergas

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Dogfish Head snifter.

Randomly found a 2008 vintage at my local haunt, so I figured I'd give it a go. It pours a hazy dark auburn-amber topped by a finger of dirty white foam. The nose comprises dark wheat, coriander, light mandarin orange, white bread, clove, and light cardboard. The taste brings in more of the same, along with more bread, more orange, some light cocoa powder, some maple syrup, and more cardboard. Something tells me some oxidation had its way with the beer... The body is a hefty-feeling medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a grainy feel. Overall, I think this was past its prime (despite what the "best by" date may tell me to the contrary), as it tasted fairly oxidized and felt like it had lost a step or two in the carbonation and texture areas.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 04:32:59 | More by TMoney2591

cosmo4u

New York

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

purchased 7/15/11 at brew works bethlhem PA 2008 vintage

Appearance: Beer comes in a 750ml and pours a very dark brown that is extremely cloudy and near opaque. The head on this beauty is like nothing I’ve ever seen, 3 finger light brown head that is so thick it leaves peaks like a lemon meringue pie right till the end of the beer.

Smell: Lots of winter spices, nuts, dark fruits with a sweet citrus finish. Spicy and fruity yet the scents are soft enough so they blend together well.

Taste: all the spices and fruits I found in the smell come through perfectly in the taste. Starts off with sweet citrus and malts then the spices make their way to the palate; dark fruits, berries, nutmeg, cinnamon, thyme and hops. Even though this is a 10% alc beer you can hardly notice the alcohol. This beer is like drinking a really good fruit cake. Very well done.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2011 23:34:58 | More by cosmo4u

rvdoorn

Netherlands

3.78/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Look: the beer pours an orange-brown color with a nice head.
Smell: Dark sugar, fruits, molasses, spicy, herbal and alcoholic
Taste: Sweet malts, caramel and molasses, raisins, honey and pepper. Nice bitterness in the end. Unfortunately, the sharp alcohol is very overpowering
Mouthfeel: medium carbonation and a medium body
Overall: Will mellow with age, fresh to sharp and alcoholic

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 20:25:22 | More by rvdoorn

CelticAleMan

California

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From note:

02/19/11

A- Reddish mahogany when held to light. Tons of carbonation. Rising frothy tan 1.5 inch head with soft pour. Great lacing.

S - Figs, dates, candi sugar, orange peel, and spices (which, from looking at the label, must be thyme).

T - Dark fruits, caramel, maybe a little toffee, kinda metallic, orange peel is detectable, some spiciness, and a little throat warming from the alcohol. As the beer warms, specific dark fruits such as plums and raisins become distinguishable.

M - On the light side of medium bodied. Nice carbonation.

O - Really nice and enjoyable. One of the better Belgian Christmas beers.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 02:41:12 | More by CelticAleMan

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer poured out as a deep amber color, the head was white and pretty strong looking. The lacing on the glass was pretty good too. The smell of the beer has a nice spicy Belgian aroma to it. The taste brings those spicy flavors onto the tongue along with a nice yeasty flavor and a touch of roasted nuts. The mouthfeel was pretty good, well carbonated and drinkable. Overall the beer is a nice wintery brew. Has some good warming qualities to it.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2011 19:28:42 | More by Knapp85

dtivp

West Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a cloudy reddish brown with a one and a half finger light tan head that faded slowly leaving moderate lacing.

Aroma of sweet malts, dark fruit and a hint of spice.

Taste was sweet fruit cherries, raisins with malt and yeast. A hint of cinnamon and nutmeg with a slight bitter ending. The alcohol was masked, which is very surprising at 10% ABV.

Mouthfeel was medium body leaning to the light side with moderate carbonation.

Overall this is a very nice smooth, crisp Belgium Dark Ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 22:20:57 | More by dtivp