I'm thinning my collection, since I've been gifted a few bottles which need to be shelved for a long time. While I was at the store, I couldn't help but do a double take at the price if Chimay, my old standby for amazing dinner beer. 20 dollars?! What on earth caused the 100% price surge? Hopefully it will come down before thanksgiving, which is my next occasion for it.
Andelot Cuvee Euphorique by De Proefbrouwerij
The 75cl bottle is simple - brown glass with a cork and basket. It has a simple yellow label with the name, the country of origin (Belgium), and a subscript declaring it an "Abbey Style Blond Ale." No mention of the brew or bottle date. The beer itself is perfectly clear, a pale copper-gold with moderate carbonation; you can see just how clear it is, even in the dark bottle. It pours thin, with some head which dissipates into a thin white ring. It smells of bananas, cloves, and perhaps some wheat? Very fruity, very aromatic.
Tasting it, it is sweet and simple. A bit of a carbonated bite, more than one would predict from the head. A very spicy body as it lingers in the mouth. Oddly, my mind keeps going to apples, but not enough to make me feel comfortable putting it down on paper. Others disagree with me, so I include this fact for your consideration. It's a little heavy on the pepper, and for such a mild beer (merely 6.5% ABV), it seems to leave your mouth dry like you've drank vodka.
If you let yourself drink it casually, not letting it linger on the tongue, past when it starts to impart the spices, I imagine it is like drinking thinned honey. This makes it easy to drink for extended periods, for long sessions. A good beer for dinner with chicken or mild seafood.
B+, 3.8 out of 5
1 comment:
It's a bummer I can't send you some of mine. USPS and other US carriers don't handle homebrew into the US or across state lines. Bummer.
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