Chimay Bleue Beer Review by Paolo Halagueña

The Chimay Brewery is located at Scourmont Abbey in Chimay, Belgium. It was founded on 1862. It is one of only seven Trappist breweries existent today. Trappist beer is brewed or under the supervision of Trappist Monks. It is one of few products produced with the Authentic Trappist Product logo; others would include wine and cheese.

The Chimay Brewery produces four types of beer. Chimay Rouge, Chimay Blanche, Chimay Dorée, and Chimay Bleue. Chimay Bleue is a 33cL dark ale beer with an alcohol content of 9%. Its bottle is of dark amber glass with a blue crown and a blue label which is reminiscent of medieval period. It has the Chimay coat of arms which is a shield with the text Chimay and two fleurs-de-lis on top of the text. The back label has text written in French, Dutch and German.

Beers Paradise houses this brand and has a special glass chalice manufactured by Chimay to use for consumption of its beers. The back label in the bottle also recommends the use of this glass chalice and highly discourages the use of any ordinary glass. The shape of this glass chalice is important to give the beer the right amount of head. It is characteristic of Chimay Bleue to have little but creamy head. Its aroma is very subtle and almost not noticeable. The taste is strong, dark and bitter. It can be described as having a full body. This can be credited to the dark-roasted barley malt used as an ingredient. It is not just the head that is creamy, but the consistency of the beer itself is creamy. The taste is very rich and different from the regulars of the Philippines.

I would recommend this beer for the Filipino who has acquired a liking for the bitter taste of beer. It is also for someone who wants to deviate from his regular San Mig Light. If you can appreciate Cerveza Negra, you will find this beer more to your liking. It is one of the highly recommended products found in Beers Paradise.