Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Rerate: January, 21st 2005
Bottle Red-brownish murky body. Off-white (light-brown, faints of pink) head, which lasts mostly. Good lace. Nose of malts, spices. Complex, warm flavour. Lightly bitter, lightly sweet initial flavour. Heavily bitter finish. Fizzy carbonation.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
2013-09-19, draught, 5-3-6-2-12=28
Hazy deep blond color. It has some harmony and lightness, feels stronger than the actual ABV suggests, but it’s anyway a simple beer, I remember a better beer.
2003-01-20, bottle, 6-4-7-4-13=34
Hazy golden color. Nice, delicate malt and hop aroma. Pretty light mouthfeel, quite sharp spicy flavor, dry. Well bitter final and palate.
Simple? Maybe, but as I opened the bottle I could smell Belgium.
Table beer? Those monks are lucky.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
2023-08-30, vintage 2002, LAK bb 12/2006, 21 years old, 7-4-7-2-14=34
I had old Chimay Blue in the past, so I was prepared for, maybe even expecting worse; it's off-dry, a bit spicy, no strong oxidation elements, evident alcohol; well carbonated too; maybe it refermented a bit in the bottle; some esters aroma. Too bad for the lost bitterness. Decent, even better than some fresh American-made Belgian Ale.
2016-12-24, fresh, batch L16-066, bb 12-2021, 7-5-6-3-13=34
Gorgeous look, but average taste. The aroma is somehow interesting, there is an earthy and spicy touch. The body is on the thin side for this beer, the malt doesn't have enough depth, traces of vegetables; but the final is smooth.
2010-02-18, parallel tasting, vintage 1988 (bb 1991), 22 years old, 7-3-7-3-14=34
The cap is in good conditions, a bit rusty, but the rubber is still functional; it pours a brown color, initially with a small head, but that vanishes quickly in a whiff. Medium strength caramel aroma, with unmistakable oxidization vein, but not annoying; very light impression of dust and pond water too. It has a good body structure, stronger than most 20yearsold beers tasted so far, yet quite flat; caramel flavor, sweetish; the ageing created an extra flavor of mellow liquorice; almost no trace of bitterness, instead the sweetness is balanced by the alcohol, that is easily perceived through a pervasive warmth in the mouth. Interesting, but not outstanding.
2010-02-18, parallel tasting, vintage 1998 (bb 2003), 12 years old, 7-4-6-3-13=33
The cap is in good conditions; it pours a dark brown color, darker than the 1988; the head is initially large, but even after some time it’s still half a centimeter thick. Medium to light aroma, with some caramel and soap; also very light vanilla, wood, cake, nuts and Madeira; pleasant. Being more carbonated than the 1988, the mouthfeel seems lighter; it’s undoubtedly less sweet, even if there is a residual sweetness; there is some caramel flavor, less oxidization, and equally lack of bitterness, as well as there is almost no alcohol warmth. The two beers are similar, but in 10 years the 1998 won’t become like the 1988: not enough malty.
2010-02-18, parallel tasting, vintage 2008 (bb 2013), 2 years old, 6-4-7-3-13=33
It pours a dark brown color, darker than the 1988; very large head, frothy more than creamy, but quite persistent. Medium to light aroma, with some caramel, soap, refined sugar, yeast. Average body structure, definitively slimmer than the 1988, possibly drier than the 1998; there is some caramel flavor, quite boring indeed; some more bitterness than in the other vintages, more balanced therefore; the final is also a bit nutty, and the alcohol warmth is just what is expected from a 9% beer. Unimpressive.
2008-02-03, vintage 2000, 7 years old, Grande Reserve corked 75cl bottle, 6-5-7-3-14=35
It pours a beautiful dark mahogany color with red shades, and a creamy head. It smells too much the cork, with some caramel too, and a touch of cellar. Medium body (maybe less than the fresh one), with a good dark caramel flavor. The bitterness is almost gone. At the end the alcohol nicely warms the tongue. In the end there is some complexity, wood flavors and traces of oxidization. More an experience than a great beer.
2003-01-16, vintage 2001, 1 year old, 9-5-8-4-17=43
Dark amber color, generous head, reducing to a thin creamy collar.
Interesting aroma: malt, light liquorice, whisky; 1 extra point for the harmony, more than for the specific characteristics.
Good body structure and perfect balance of malt and hop; pretty dry taste (considering the alcohol content and style); smooth, warming, some alcohol sensation; some caramel and liquorice. Improves while warming and oxidizing.
Bitter sweet final, harmonious but not particularly strong nor aromatic.
I used to love this, but possibly it has changed in the last years; I would prefer other Trappistes…
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
2016-11-24, LAK-237, bb 2005, 14 years old, 6-3-7-2-13=31
Cloudy amber color, it looks like the carbonation is missing, and the head is very small. The aroma is like a dessert, a pudding rich of raisins, also dates, light vanilla, and just a hint of oxidisation; meaty. With such low carbonation the mouthfeel is quite oily; the body is not thick, but the total absence of bitterness highlights the little residual sweetness; it hs a quite evident fruity malt flavor, raisins, plums; the oxidisation is really minimal; the flavors decrease rapidly towards the final.
Not exactly a good beer, but it held up quite well to its age.
2010-08-11, draught at Ris Ras, Århus, 8-5-8-2-16=39
Cloudy light amber color; small sized creamy head. Malty aroma. Strong body, round; good malt flavor, a bit biscuity, somehow yeasty and spicy too; very good flavor, but the bitterness is a bit too much.
2008-04-04, draught at Ris Ras, Århus, 7-4-8-4-16=39
Just hazy golden color, creamy head. Soft aroma of malt, and light biscuits, maybe a bit perfumy. It has a good malt flavor, dry, with a good body strength, with a very good Belgian yeast job. Well bitter. Very good.
2003-01-14, bottle, vintage 1997, 5ys old, 8-5-8-4-16=41
Beautiful amber color, thick head.
Very nice aroma, more delicate than Chimay Red; caramel and old hops.
Good body structure and good balance; it has aged well, just some oak cask flavor, and a light liquorice hint.
Final stronger and more interesting than Chimay Red.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
2023-08-29, bb 2002, LAF-188, assumed from 1999, 24 years old, 6-4-5-2-10
Being not enough strong, it lost too much, there is little to say; no strong oxidation, but it got quite watery; it's a bit meaty and earthy. Better not to drink this.
2013-02-10, vintage 1997 (LAE-070), 15 years old, 6-5-6-2-11=30
Brown color, with creamy and persistent head. The caramel aroma shows some oxidisation, and wood. Light body; mild caramel flavor; the oxidisation is minimal, but there is some liquorice too, and it's one of the beers with least bitterness that I ever had.
Too old.
2010-12-29, vintage 2001, 9 years old, 6-4-6-3-12=31
Brown color, hazy; generous head. It's lively but not overcarbonated. Dry aroma of caramel and dust. The body is slim, the mouthfeel is dry, with dry caramel flavor and some ashy feeling. Quite bitter. Nothing special.
2009-12-31, vintage 2001, 8 years old, 7-5-6-3-13=34
Hazy red-dark-amber color; very lively bottle, big head, creamy. Malt and caramel aroma, strangely it's also corky. The body is not weak, but thinning, with good caramel flavor, but a bit old too; in the end the body is thinner; there is still some bitterness, but only from the dark caramel.
More a curiosity than a good beer: too old.
2003-01-14, vintage 1999, 3 years old, 8-5-6-3-14=36
Amber to dark-amber color, thin persistent head.
Very nice aroma, complex: malt, caramel, curaçao, madeira and light porto wine.
Medium body structure, dry, with some caramel, closer to a dunkel than a Belgian Abbey.
Bitter dry final.
The pale memory of the beer that it used to be.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Great hazy dark brown colour, fantastic fruity, malty smell...full taste, with hints of fruit and a short distinct aftertaste!
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
My least favorite Chimay! I''m glad I opted for the smaller bottle of this one. Pours a light gold color with a thick white head. Nice effervescence and minimal lacing. Aroma was actually skunked a little which surprised me. Some spices were also evident but it was ruined by the skunk factor. The flavor was a peppery and yeasty and light. I will try this again sometime and hopefully have a better experience, but at $4 for the small bottle it won''t be any time soon.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Good pale colour with a nice head. Spicy triple taste, with a fresh palate.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottled(330ml). -very good beer but there`s a lot of better belgian beers, amber color, fruty aroma, nice spicy
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Hazy gold with huge white head.Medium sweet flavor with puckery astringent finish. Peppery and yeasty