Brewery: Bières de Chimay (Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont), Belgium

Brewery Description: Named Cinq Cents in 75 cl (25.4 fl.oz.) bottles, this beer with its typical golden colour, its slightly hazy appearance and its fine head is especially characterised by its aroma which results from an agreeable combination of fresh hops and yeast.  The beer’s flavour, as sensed in the mouth, comes from the smell of hops: above all it is the fruity notes of muscat and raisins that give this beer a particularly attractive aroma.  The aroma complements the touch of bitterness. There is no acidity, but an after-bitterness which melts in the mouth.  This top fermented Trappist beer, refermented in the bottle, is not pasteurised.

Brew Style: Tripel, 8.0% ABV

Recommended Glassware: Snifter, Chalice.

The Ugly Truth: Chimay is great.  The basically make three beers: the Red, White and Blue.  And all are great beers.  Chimay White is probably the middle one for me taste wise since I prefer the Blue over the other two, but it is still good.  Poured a hazy golden/orange color, perhaps a bit more than it should have since I think I got some sediment off the bottom.  Chimay White displayed a strong, long lasting lacy head on it indicative of the style.  I found the aroma to somewhat spicy, with pungent citrus tones and little to no trace of floral hops.  There was a hint of malt, but overall it was very light compared to the other aromas present.  The body was light to medium light, with some moderate carbonation to it.  I found the flavor to have what I felt to be a slight peppery taste to it, but that also could have been sharp citrus.  A slight hops bitterness in the dry finish and aftertaste, which was fairly long lasting and melded well with the original flavors.  The moderately high alcohol taste was present, though very light in character in the overall experience.  Chimay White is a very good beer, one I highly recommend trying out for yourself if you’ve never had it.

Verdict: Chimay White grabs an 8 out 10 bottlecaps.