Chimay

[dennisking]

56 years old and tried Chimay for the 1st time today and loved it. I tend to stick to English ales and have had these bottles since my birthday last November when they were given to me. Don`t actually buy much beer these days but would certainly pay good money for more of these bottles.

 

[mickeyt69]

I too am a fan!! some good dubbel recipes on here aswell make your own :party:

 

[luckyeddie]

Chimay is wonderful. There are three - the 'entry level' Red which is a Golden Ale, the White which is a Tripel, and the Blue which is a Dark Strong Ale (probably a bit too strong at 9% to describe as a 'Dubbel').

Try decanting the first half of the bottle (especially the white) and drinking that, then give the bottle a swirl to bring the yeasties into suspension and drink that. It's like drinking two completely different and equally magnificent beers.

I have just successfully harvested the yeast from a bottle of Blue (the same yeast is used in all three brews, and the same yeast is used in both primary and secondary fermentation) and have grown it in stages so I now have enough to pitch in a couple of brews.

Other fairly common Belgian beers you might want to try...

Barbar - a fabulous honey beer
Kwak - a rather unusual golden beer served in a glass shaped like a mini yard of ale supported in a wooden cradle
Westmalle - a rich, fruity dubbel and a beautiful tripel which smells of coriander (no surprise there - it's added during the boil)
Duvel - a 'devilish' beer brewed by the Moortgat brewery
Kasteelbier Tripel and Bruin - velvety, almost buttery notes in the tripel and a sensational brown (described as a 'Dark Barley Wine') which tastes of bitter chocolate and possesses a frightening 11% alcohol - my favourite beer in the world
Boon Geuze Mariage Parfait - a 'Lambic' beer which goes through five separate fermentation processes and which is fermented using wild yeasts. It has many of the characteristics of champagne but is an 'acquired' taste - very, VERY tart but brilliantly quaffable on a Summer's afternoon

 

[markp]

I like Chimay too.
My favourite though is La Chouffe. It is quite hard to find though and you will usually have to buy a 750ml bottle.

 

[ncmcdonald]

I just brewed a Belgian strong ale, they are so simple if you can get the right yeast. White labs and Wyeast do a good few Belgian strains.

See if you can find a beer called Delirium Tremens. I have had this a few times and it's absolutely fantastic.

 

[dennisking]

Other fairly common Belgian beers you might want to try...

I have tried several Belgian beers before, liking some more than others, but this one really hit the spot.

 

[mickeyt69]

Orval dont forget Orval it is a magnificent beer! :

 

[snail59]

I feel like some kind of outcast :shock: I tried a Chimay and didn't like it Think it was the Blue but could have been the Red im not sure.....................

 

[richc]

Chimay is wonderful. There are three - the 'entry level' Red which is a Golden Ale, the White which is a Tripel, and the Blue which is a Dark Strong Ale (probably a bit too strong at 9% to describe as a 'Dubbel').

Erm, red is a dubbel not a golden ale.

 

[luckyeddie]

Orval dont forget Orval it is a magnificent beer! :

WLP550 is the Orval yeast, and works very well in many Belgian-style beers. However, try harvesting your own from a bottle and propagating it until you have enough to pitch. The Duvel yeast is absolutely magnificent, and you don't seem to get the bubblegum and banana tastes associated with so many. It's now my 'stock' yeast.

 

[luckyeddie]

Chimay is wonderful. There are three - the 'entry level' Red which is a Golden Ale, the White which is a Tripel, and the Blue which is a Dark Strong Ale (probably a bit too strong at 9% to describe as a 'Dubbel').

Erm, red is a dubbel not a golden ale.

I know that Chimay themselves have started calling it a Dubbel within the last year, and have even gone so far as to re-name Chimay White as 'Chimay Tripel', but have you EVER seen a dubbel that is anything like the colour or the taste of Chimay Red?

Actually, if anyone wishes to be pedantic (often my middle name), I don't think that Chimay Red qualifies as a Dubbel according to the competition rules as applied by the AHA. It's neither dark enough nor strong enough.

:lol:

 

[oldbloke]

A long weekend in Brussels is excellent for trying out loads of Belgian beers. Eurostar in, plenty of good restaurants, stuff to look at, and loads of great beer (and chocolate)

 

[Stewart]

For Belgian beers, I do like the already mentioned Duvel, La Chouffe, and Delirium Tremens. For me, my favourite is the Rochefort 10. It's 11.3% ABV, but it's a real taste explosion.

I was over in Belgium at the end of April and paid a couple of visits to the Delirium Village and also the Little Delirium Cafe in Brussels. One of the bars in the Village was an amazing place, with 27 taps on (drinks available in half pint, pint, one litre, and two litre glasses) and, according to the menu, about 2,500 bottled beers, too. Paradise. I didn't even know there was such a place when I went there; it was just a chance glance down an alley and seeing the distinctive pink elephant sign.

 

[TheMumbler]

Chimay is wonderful. There are three - the 'entry level' Red which is a Golden Ale, the White which is a Tripel, and the Blue which is a Dark Strong Ale (probably a bit too strong at 9% to describe as a 'Dubbel').

Erm, red is a dubbel not a golden ale.

I know that Chimay themselves have started calling it a Dubbel within the last year, and have even gone so far as to re-name Chimay White as 'Chimay Tripel', but have you EVER seen a dubbel that is anything like the colour or the taste of Chimay Red?

Actually, if anyone wishes to be pedantic (often my middle name), I don't think that Chimay Red qualifies as a Dubbel according to the competition rules as applied by the AHA. It's neither dark enough nor strong enough.

:lol:

Chimay red cap is one of the BJCP examples for a dubbel. Furthermore it is dark reddish brown and around 7% which matches pretty well with Wesmalle Dubbel the beer that originated the style (or the name at least) and is bang on for the BJCP style. Now IMO they aren't always right, but I'd say red cap is definitely a dubbel. It is nothing like a strong golden ale, far too dark and not strong enough. Perhaps you are thinking of something else? The doree maybe, although I've never even seen a bottle of that, I guess that would be a Belgian Pale as the BJCP would have it.

I like the blue cap most of the Chimay beers. I have some samples of Westvleteren, De Dolle, Orval, Rochefort and DuPont to be trying thanks to lancassteve's trip to Belgium mmmmm. His Orval clone turned out well too, have a look on Jims if it isn't up on thbf