REVIEW 86: CHIMAY GRAND RéSERVE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Belgium

BREWERY:  Biéres de Chimay S.A.

STYLE:  Strong Dark Ale

ABV:  9.0%

PURCHASE:  25.4-oz. bottle (gift)

SERVING:  Said bottle, poured into Chimay branded chalice. A normal pour yielded a head of roughly one and a half inches; a slower pour about one inch even. Very good retention. As with the "Red" and "White" Chimays, the head never entirely disappears.

APPEARANCE:  Auburn-brown body with a cream-beige head bordering upon tan. Opaque. Ever-so-slight bubbling action in the bottom of the chalice. Not much lacing.

BOUQUET:  Like most Belgian strong dark ales, it's very, very malty. Fig and other dark fruit essences are easily detectable. Has an inviting, confectionery aroma when first poured; smells a bit like malty milk chocolate at that stage, then becomes more multifaceted as it warms a bit. 

PALATE:  Sweet and roasty overall mouthfeel with gentle carbonation. Body is medium-heavy. More complex taste than the "Red" and "White" Chimays. Finish gives rise to yeast and spice notes, leading to an aftertaste characterized by a resurgence of malt, malt, and more malt. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  If Chimay Red is Billy Smith, and Chimay White is Grant Fuhr, then Chimay Blue is . . . Andy Moog.

Why Andy Moog? Because I drank this while watching Game 5 of the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals, where he shut down the Islanders and ended their "Drive for Five." But mainly because most hockey pundits would agree he was a great goaltender, but rank him behind Smith and Fuhr, who are both in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Comparing the careers of all three netminders, however, Moog is statistically the best of the three. He has the lowest career goals-against average of the three, the most shutouts of the three, and more wins than Smith. And Moog's post-Edmonton record is clearly superior to Fuhr's. Yet he is the overlooked man among great '80s and early '90s NHL goalies.

Similarly, Chimay Blue is often ranked behind the "Red" and "White" by the more established pundits of the beer review world. I think they've got it backward. Among Belgian abbey dark ales, it's not Gouden Carolus, just as Andy Moog wasn't exactly Dominik Hasek. But he was still an All-Star.




GRADE:  A-