N’Ice Chouffe

N’Ice Chouffe with O.G., my old-school branded snifter. Copyright 2017 by Andrew Dunn.

Christmas is officially over. The tree came down today. The ornaments and decorations have been put away.

We’ve celebrated almost a month of Christmas around here at the Belgian Beer Bureau. First, the wife and I had Christmas between ourselves in mid-December. Then we celebrated Christmas at Walt Disney World in Florida with friends and family.

On Dec. 25, we enjoyed Christmas Day with my wife’s family in Florida. And shortly after, we shared Christmas with my family in Alabama.

Finally, today, we had time to put all that holiday cheer back in its box, so to speak. Well, my wife did most of the work. I made chili, a hot lunch on a very cold and snow-covered day.

So how else should one celebrate the end of Christmas? With a Christmas beer, of course. N’Ice Chouffe, my selection for today, is a seasonal holiday/winter strong brown ale from Brasserie d’Achouffe in Achouffe, Belgium, a Duvel-Moortgat Brewery property.

Smell: The nose on N’Ice is of licorice and molasses.

N’Ice Chouffe poured into O.G. Copyright 2017 by Andrew Dunn.

Sight: The beer pours a muddy brown with a medium cappuccino head to it.

Taste: N’Ice is a sweet and rather spicy beer. However, it has a strong herbal note to it and just a light tartness and bitterness. The beer is brewed with thyme and curaçao, the bitter orange liqueur. You can definitely pick up those flavors. A complex mix for sure.

Alcohol: This one burns. The alcohol is 10 percent, and you definitely feel it.

Overall: The beer was nice enough. But it didn’t blow me away. I’m not wild about the herbal flavor. I think had it not been a seasonal beer, I would like it more. I just expect a certain flavor out of my Christmas beers, and this one just doesn’t deliver what I’m typically looking for. I know, I know. It’s not exactly advertised as a “Christmas beer.” But it’s also not exactly not advertised as such either. I mean the dwarves are clearly wearing Santa hats and beards. So bah humbug.

Bottomline: Achouffe can be a rather economical beer. A four-pack of N’Ice Chouffe is only $10-$12. So a single bottle will set you back $3-5, a very reasonable price making it worth sampling.