United Nations of Beer

N'ice Chouffe 2008

by Bret
(Las Vegas)

N’ice Chouffe 2008 (10% ABV)
Brasserie D’Achouffe, Achouffe, Belgium
Visit the UNOB's Belgium beer guide

As the holiday beer season is slowly drawing to a sad end for the year, so is my ability to find them at the liquor store. I found this one at a beer tasting event last week and fell in love with it. The quaint picture of gnomes in a wintery paradise just adds to the need to purchase and consume this ale.

This dark Belgian ale is spicy and yeasty in its aroma with roasted malt overtones. There is a slight lemon or citrus scent evident during the consumption. These slight fruity aromas recur as part of the beers aftertaste while drinking the beer.

N'ice Chouffe's appearance is deep brown almost reddish in color with a cream colored foamy head which has speckles of spices and yeast. Very cloudy with lots of yeast floating around the glass. The foamy head stays and laces the glass while beer is consumed.

There is a very strong yeast flavor coupled with a fruity, herbacious aftertaste. The curacao and thyme are very evident as the beer warms which allows the spices to warm. the strong malt overtones give a roasted quality to the beer. There is a slight bitterness from the spices but no hop tastes which make this a very smooth and drinkable dark Belgian Ale.

The beer's smooth texture coats the palate with spices and malt. This is a full bodied and warm beer with moderate carbonation from the bottle conditioning. The flavor and aftertaste coat the mouth and leave a warming sensation on the tongue.

This is an excellent beer. The strong malt and spice flavors are exactly what should be expected from a holiday or seasonal ale. This beer has aged well and is probably even better in a few years.