Chimay

[Verjuice]

I disliked beer until I tried Chimay Red (unpasteurized Belgian ambrosia made by Trappist monks) a couple of weeks ago. I was totally blown away. Since then, I have sampled both Chimay Blue and Chimay Triple, but I like the Red best.

I still dislike most other beers that I've tried, though. Any suggestions for beers that I might seek out, knowing that I love Chimay?

Anybody else adore this stuff?

[MRX]

I like showing up with about 6 bottles for Thanksgiving Dinner, it just seems to go better than wine with turkey.

[Rick Cook]

Here are a few you might try:

Belgians:

Abbaye de Rocs Grand Cru

Rochefort 10

Gouden Carolus Noel

St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel

Affligem Noel

American and Canadian Belgian-Styles:

Ommegang Abbey

New Belgium Abbey Double Grand Cru

Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Unibroue Terrible

There are way more. These are off the top of my head. I'd be curious to what beers you've had in the past that made you dislike beer.

Rick

[MRX]

I will second the shout out for Ommegang. MY god, I think that it and and Hennepin are America's two finest brews. As well made as Chimay and onl;y half the price. check out their website http://www.ommegang.com/index.php

[Verjuice]

Thanks, you guys- I just picked up some Ommegang and Hennepin and look forward to trying them.

Rick, other beers that I have tried in the past include the usual array of domestic brews. I hate the light colored ones (but will tolerate a few sips of Rolling Rock). I have had many of the beers in the Samuel Adams collection, hated the Hefeweizen, too. I don't mind Smithwick but I find Guinness a bit too rich and brothy and reminiscent of tar/laundry/suet. I don't care for Fat Tire ir Blue Paddle or any of those. Newcastle Brown Ale for my pizza dough, but in a pinch Honey Brown will do.

On another note, earlier today I made Claudia Fleming's deep, dark Guinness Stout Gingerbread, but replaced the GS with Chimay. yUMMO

Any recommendations for good lambic? The fruit-flavored stuff that fllies off the shelves here is offensive.

[beerguyjim]

Any recommendations for good lambic? The fruit-flavored stuff that fllies off the shelves here is offensive.

Cantillon produces a wide range, Hanssens Gueuze and Kriek are available in the US, I've only seen Gueuze from Drei Fonteinen, Oud Beersel is gone, but Kriek and Gueuze still seem to be plentiful, Boon has Geuze, Framboise, Kriek.

[malarkey]

I disliked beer until I tried Chimay Red (unpasteurized Belgian ambrosia made by Trappist monks) a couple of weeks ago. I was totally blown away. Since then, I have sampled both Chimay Blue and Chimay Triple, but I like the Red best.

I still dislike most other beers that I've tried, though. Any suggestions for beers that I might seek out, knowing that I love Chimay?

Anybody else adore this stuff?

LOVE your sig line.

Chimay was my first taste of Belgian beer waaaaay back in 1985. My fave is the Reserve.

[Rick Cook]

Jim's suggestions of Cantillon, Boon and Hanssen's pretty much covered what is available to me. Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus and Fou Foune are favorites, as are Boon's Marriage Parfaits and Hanssen's Oudbeitje. Overall, I'm a big fan of Hanssen's.

Not lambics, but you might also try Liefmann's Frambozen and New Belgium's Frambozen, both raspberry brown ales. While you're at it, try Liefmann's Goudenband. Finally, have you tried Fantome?

Rick

[malachi]

look for the "old style" artisan lambics

Drei Fonteinen Oude Gueuze

Hanssens Oude Kriek

as examples.

as for other Belgians you might like...

Orval, Unibroue Maudite, Chimay Gran Cru, Duvel, Wesvleteren 12 and 8, Petrus would be a good start.

you should look for the true Trappists and try them all.

and come summer, try some saisson and some wit -- underappreciated beers.

[jgould]

curious as to how chimay or ommegang compares to an anchor steam & to a sierra nevada pale ale?

additionally, harp's, which is never mentioned, has a very easy taste.

apologize beforehand, if this is in the wrong thread, but curious as to the comparisons.

[jgould]

curious as to how chimay or ommegang compares to an anchor steam & to a sierra nevada pale ale?

additionally, harp's, which is never mentioned, has a very easy taste.

apologize beforehand, if this is in the wrong thread, but curious as to the comparisons.

no takers???

[sylunt1]

I will take a stab at this one...

Sierra Nevada and Anchor Steam, I tend to classify as typical Pacific Northwest style American ales. Hoppy. Most of the hops in the US are grown in the Pac NW (Yakima valley is a HUGE hop producer). A lot of beers from CA, OR, WA are hoppy. Notably Stone, Lagunitas, Rogue, and North Coast to name a few. Ommegang and Chimay have almost zero hop flavor, as typical of Belgian style brews. There are a number of Belgian styles out there: wit, dubbel, tripel, lambic, saison, strong golden, strong dark, gueuze and so on. Their flavors run the gammut as well. Chimay is a trappist ale, meaning it is made in a monestary/brewery by monks. There are only 6 of these such places in the world that can rightfully use the term trappist. Other beers of the style must be called abbey ale. Belgian beer usually has a slight malt flavor, can be somewhat sweet (due to higher alcohol) and a have a lot of fruity esters (except lambic and sour beers - which use bacteria to get the desired flavor profile). You may see that Belgian beer uses candi sugar - some do. This doesn't make a beer sweet directly. As the yeast eats the sugars during fermentation it removes the sugar and creates alcohol - thus giving the beer a dryness. Belgian beers can be considered to be some of the finest in the world and very different from other styles.

Wow... I rambled... um the short answer is they are very different. SN and Anchor = hoppy, belgian = not hoppy and somewhat fruity and typically higher in alcohol - to be served warmer and a lot of times, sipped like a cognac (partially due to the fact that slamming a strong Belgian beer can prove to be a waste not to mention intoxicating). Harp on the other hand is reminiscent of soft malt, easy to drink, and not very complex (imho).

Did that answer the question?

[Yuenglingking]

One of my very best friends was a head chef for a small Belgian restaurant here in Olney Maryland called Manequin Piece (sp?). I was lucky enough to get to try many different lambic's and belgian beers. I am not very fond of Cherry flavor so I shyed away from them and triec more of the raspberry, blackberry, peach flavors of lambic...but I am also not one who can drink a whole bunch of sweetness so I found drinking alot of a beer called Delirium Tremors. A nice golden beer with a slight vanilla undertone...very potent and goes great with game foods like lamb. Not quite a Lambic..but none the less an excellent belgian beer.

[sylunt1]

Brouwerij Huyghe ah yes... they make excellent beer. Delerium Nocturnum is the dark version of tremens. I recommend both if you can find them. They come in 750ml and 300ml (I think) - one of the 750s and you're set for the night. I think tremens was my intro to Belgian beers - what a way to start.

[RagallachMC]

I'm glad to hear that Chimay has brought another into the fold. Chimay is a great beer, and I try to buy it (or another Trappist/abbey ale) wheneve my wallet allows.

Since I am on a budget, I decided to make my own Abbey style ale several months ago. It took a long time to ferment and condition, but man it was worth it. The best beer I have brewed to date.

[kellycolorado]

Thanks for the great info! Will a true trappist Belgian say "trappist" on the label? I love Chimay. I must try the others now...

my husband is in the Rogue/Arrogant Bastard camp of "more hops is better". I need to start doing the beer shopping.

[bague25]

Hi

Officially in Belgium, there are only 6 beers that have the right to mention "trappiste" - Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, Westvleteren & Achel. They are the only ones made by Trappist monks.

By the way, my fav is Orval

[bague25]

For more info see:

www.chimay.be

[lleechef]

Chimay Bleu is my favorite. The Abbey also makes great cheese. When Mitterand got elected we were in Belgium and the Chimay was flowing! I also enjoy a Morte Subite (Sudden Death).

[kellycolorado]

thanks everyone for the info. My grandmother is Belgian so I feel I have to catch up and pay tribute to my Belgian side now. My Irish and German sides have gotten more than enough attention.

Thanks for listing the trappist ales. I will definitely be reading up on the Chimay website.

[RagallachMC]

There are only six 'official' Trappist breweries:

Chimay, Orval, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Rochefort, Koningshoeven, and Achelse.

All of them are in Belgium, and all of them should have the Trappist hexagon logo somewhere on their label.

[sylunt1]

Not to pick nits... but Achelse is in the Netherlands.

[bague25]

The Achel St Benedict's Abbey is in Belgium (the Limburg province in the Flanders) and has another abbey in the NL but the beer having the trappiste label is produced in Belgium.

[RagallachMC]

Thanks for the backup bague :)