Chimay Tripel (White, Cinq Cents)
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Okay everyone, gather ’round and listen up! We’re officially kicking off several days of Belgian beer drinking here on BeerADay.net, and I hope you’ll join in, post your thoughts, and maybe use this as an excuse to try out some new Belgian beer.
Last weekend gave us a quick preview — I enjoyed some of the best Belgian-style beer New England can offer. But tonight is the official launch of BeerADay.net’s Belgian session. And since I can only drink one beer a day, this session will make Inna Gadda Da Vida look like a gum commercial jingle.
We’re commencing with Chimay, starting with the Chimay Tripel — known as “White” in the 11.2 oz bottle, and “Cinq Cents” in the 750 ml version — and progressing through the Red and the Blue (A.K.A. the Première and Grande Réserve, respectively).
Before we get started, I have some required reading for everyone. Head on over to 52Brews.com for a primer on Trappist brewing by “Mr. Weiz Guy”. Go ahead, I’ll wait for you.
Great article, huh? I knew you’d enjoy it.
So by now you know all about the Trappist monasteries and their breweries that produce beer to support the community and the monasteries’ public works, with the added benefit of sustaining the monks through the Lenten fast. In fact, you may have even found a great review of the beer I’m drinking tonight, the Chimay Tripel, or the beer coming up several days from now, Rochefort 10. (It’s okay, reading ahead is encouraged.)
Now that the background is out of the way, let’s dive into the beer.
My bottle of Chimay is a stubby 11.2 oz bottle with a pale yellow label — this small bottle of the Tripel is refered to as the White. Larger bottles of the Tripel are labeled “Cinq Cents”, either to be quirky or, as I’ve read on Mr. Weiz Guy’s site, because the beer matures in a large bottle differently than in the small and therefore has a different taste. (For my “one a day” purpose, I’m considering them one and the same beer, so you won’t find me reviewing “Cinq Cents” this year.)
I bought a chalice for this Belgian adventure, and the wide mouth handles the foam and displays the aroma of this beer nicely. The White is dark gold with a rich white head and dense, dizzying, dancing particles. Holding the bottle up to the light was like being hypnotized by a Magic Eye poster, as shapes shifted in and out of focus. The display lasted until I realized there was still a bit of yeasty beer left in the bottle — I swirled the bottle, upended the dredges of yeast, and soon dark clouds sank into the beer like a storm front slicing through the sky. Soon the chalice was littered with sediment, from the shoulders to the base, and the beer took on a more copper appearance.
The aroma is filled with friendly Belgian yeast and soft sweet fruit — pear, banana, apple. Crisp, pleasant, and inviting. Nothing “in your face”, though my face was definitely deep in the beer.
Taste was delicious. I wasn’t sure how to describe it at first. I was expecting more fruit, or the sweetness of a Witbier. But while there is a mild honey-like malt, the dominant element are mild hops. They come across much like an English breakfast tea accented with orange rind. The flavor is yeasty and “round”, complex, and not nearly as fruity as the nose implies. Surprisingly, this beer is extremely dry. Dry, dry, dry — this, combined with the bubbly, carbonated mouthfeel, renders a crisp finish. The alcohol sneaks up on you. This is 8% ABV?! Very hard to believe — until you get to the bottom of your glass.
All in all, this was a wonderful start to the Belgian exploration. We’ll try a couple more Chimay beers this week before moving on to Rochefort and a few other Trappist brews.
Recommended reviews of Chimay White / Cinq Cents:
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1 Comments
March 24th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
I’ve just recently done a bit of a Trappist primer myself over on http://www.hereforthebeer.com/tim-and-tom-talk-trappist/
It’s fun viewing if you haven’t seen it, although I accidentally referred to the White as a double (or dubbel), when it’s quite rightly in the triple style. I also refer to the monks as Benedictines, which isn’t quite accurate. They’re Trappist Cistercians, but they do follow the Rule of Benedict. I was fortunate to visit all the Trapppist breweries about ten years ago, and it’s still one of the greatest trips of my life. Utterly fascinating. Cheers,
Tom Bedell