Copper Red Delight (Chimay "Red")

Member Name: wyrdsister

Product:	Chimay "Red"
Date:	05/02/02 (108 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: taste, flavour, history

Disadvantages: acquired taste

I was introduced to the delights of Belgian beers in the small cafés in France during my first year at the university of Toulouse. Used to drinking what would be classed as lager, I was strangely but pleasantly surprised by the variety of tastes and flavours found in Belgian beers. A monastic community brews one of only six beers in Belgium that can carry the appellation Trappist, Chimay.
Now, there are three types of beers brewed by Chimay Triple,Bleu and Rouge but I’ll try to talk a bit about the later and how you might want to drink it to get the full impact of flavours.
Chimay Rouge is the better known of the Chimay beers and my personal favourite. Sporting a red label, Chimay Rouge is the weakest in terms ABV (alcohol by volume) at a respectable 7%. This is a beer that reminds me of September in the south of France, fresh yet summery with the smell of rain in the air. It has a copper colour and a faint taste of summer fruits. It has a strong taste of malts yet retains a bitter after taste.
Like most Belgian beers, Chimay beers are fermented at the brewery and receive further fermentation in the bottle. Because of this, it is not unexpected to find a light sediment at the bottom of the bottle. If it the bottle has been disturbed the liquid will appear cloudy and a time of rest might be advisable to allow the beer to settle.
Any Belgian beer drinker will say that a Belgian beer needs its proper glass. It sounds a bit ceremonious, but apparently there is physics involved: the shape of the glass and size of the rim can affect the way the beer breathes and therefore affect the taste.
Secondly, the beer must be at the right temperature, any real ale drinker will know that a cold or warm cellar can ruin a perfectly good brew and the same goes for Belgian beers. Chimay Rouge is best drunk at cellar temperature (10-12 ◦C). Pouring your beer correctly can make all the difference. Tilt your glass slightly and gently pour the Chimay, sl
owly bringing the glass to an upright position in order to get a full head. I tend to leave a bit at the bottom of the bottle, which contains the sediment but some people like to drink all of it. It’s all a question of taste.

There you have it. Chimay beers are, like all Belgian beers, an acquired taste. I find they tend to be musty and strongly flavoured and not to everyone’s taste. Chimay Rouge is a beer that deserves to be savoured and goes well with cheeses and fruits. There is more detailed information about Chimay beers and products at their official web site www.chimay.com.

Summary: