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Tonight is a special night.
Celebrating a new job I received in Atlanta (and in anticipation of a
Patriots victory over the Raiders in Foxboro tomorrow night), I decided to
open a beer I’ve been saving for quite a few years. The beer in question is
a magnum of
Chimay Grande Reserve, a bottle that has been aged for nine long
years.
How can you tell how old your Chimay is? That’s easy. The bottling date is
printed on the cork (in my case 09-93). How big is a magnum? Consider that
the most common size of beer bottle is the 12-ounce size that comes in
six-packs. The metric equivalent is about 355ml. Quite often, brewers will
package a special brew in the 750ml bottles wine commonly comes in,
sometimes referred to as a fifth. That’s a little over two twelve
ounce bottles.
A magnum holds 1.5 liters, or two fifths or a little over four 12-ounce
bottles. That’s a lot of beer, especially of high-strength beer. For the
Chimay, the magnum can be hard to find, so if you see one I recommend buying
it. It’s a lot of beer, but wait. There’s more. If 1.5 liters of beer are
not enough for you, you can always buy a jeroboam, a full three
liters, or about eight and one half 12-ounce bottles (Chimay is not sold in
this size, but some beers are). Emptying such bottles is the work of
professionals, folks. Don’t try this at home.
Chimay Grande Reserve is brewed in a monastery in Belgium, and is one of
only six abbeys in that country that brews beer for commercial sale. It is
often referred to as Chimay Blue due to the color of its label, and
is available in bottle sizes of 11.2 ounces and 750ml in addition to the
magnums. All of these are bottle conditioned, meaning they will improve in
the bottle. Chimay claims that the larger bottles will age differently than
the smaller ones, though I’m not sure I agree.
Chimay Grande Reserve pours to a rich burgundy color with a thick foamy head
of densely packed bubbles and a very yeasty nose that hints at
sherry. The palate is absolutely astounding, rich and malty with a bit of
chocolate, bold nutty hints, underlying fruit and a touch of the sherry
character that the nose promised (usually imparted by oxidation, but here it
serves to add dimension to the beer rather than detract from it).
There’s plenty of funky Belgian yeastiness here too, but it as nowhere near
as sharp as it would be in a young bottle of Grande Reserve. The finish is
mellow and sweet and very warming, as one would expect from a beer of about
9% alcohol by volume. My bottle has mellowed wonderfully, and has made for
one of the most incredible beer-drinking experiences I’ve yet to come
across.
You may not come across a nine year old bottle of Chimay Grande Reserve, but
even if you come across a younger bottle it will still make a delightful
before or after dinner drink, stimulating the appetite with its elevated
alcohol content when served before or helping the digestion process when
served after. One can easily match this brew with rich and creamy fare of
any sort, such as a hearty stew or a savory pasta dish.
I enjoyed it this evening with sinful chunks of pungent bleu cheese and mild
and buttery German Tilsit on hearty whole-wheat crackers. It was a match
made in heaven, if not in a monastery (the beer was monastic brewed but the
cheeses were not crafted by monks, though Chimay does make and sell cheese
as well as beer). The beer is best served at about 50 degrees or so. Over
chilling will detract from the flavor.
A word of caution, however. If you’re planning to open a magnum of this
beer, have a friend on hand to help drink it.
Update 8/29/2020:
Tonight is a special night. This weekend marks thirteen years since the
passing of the legendary Beer Hunter, Michael Jackson. To commemorate, I am
watching his entire Beer Hunter series of episodes, and matching each with a
beer from the featured country. I am enjoying a 750ML crowned corked bottle
of Grand Reserve with "The Burgundies of Belgium". Attentive readers might
note that Chimay, and its legendary brewer Father Theodore, are featured in
the episode "Holland Our Daily Beer". This is because the episode is largely
focused on trappist ales. Still, Chimay is Belgian, and so I enjoyed while
watching Jackson frolic there.
My bottle of Chimay Grand Reserve
poured to a dark ruby color with a thick rocky head and a nose of dark
fruit, rich malts, banana, and phenols. Taking a sip the beer is lush with
dark malts, dark fruity raisin, heady yeasty notes, banana, and brown bread.
Alcohol warmth dries the beer in the finish. Were I pressed to name several
beers as best in the world, this one would definitely be in the mix. This
bottle has a cork stamped with the year 2019, and I paid $9.99 for it at
Costco. A bargain at the price.
From the bottle back label: The
registered trademark <<Trappist>> certifies that this ale was brewed within
the walls of an existing trappist monastery under the control of the
trappist community. A major part of the sales revenue is used by the monks
to support charitable works. The exceptional yeast isolated by Father
Theodore, combined with the highly protected water of the abbey's wells,
gives Chimay its unique richness. Since 1862, Chimay's secondary fermented
ales have neither been pasteurized not filtered and only natural ingredients
are used. To fully appreciate the robust character of the Chimay Grande
Reserve (see vintage on cork), serve slightly chilled, in a wide mouthed
glass.
    
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For
reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled (D)=Draft
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