Family Belgian Ale Style Dark Belgian Ale
Country Belgium ABV 9.0%
Price $$$$$ Packaging 11.2oz/330ml, 25.4oz/750ml bottle
Characteristics Malty, strong, unusual, yeasty

Overview The monks of Scourmont Abbey have been producing beers and cheeses since the mid-19th century. As the most readily available Trappist ale outside Belgium, Chimay is many world beer drinkers’ introduction to the style. Chimay Blue (the 750ml version is called Grande Réserve) is the most expensive of the brand’s three main beers, with the highest alcohol content. It’s often cellared and aged; Antwerp’s Kulminator beer bar has verticals of the Blue going back to the 1970s.

Flavors and aromas The nose is restrained and mild, carrying dark sugars, alcohol, and raisins, but the palate really blossoms, with deliciously rich flavors brought out by lively carbonation, with mild esters and low bitterness. There’s a spicy hint of alcohol in the finish.