Chimay is a Belgian beer known to many Britons. It is the most highly sought of the world-renowned Trappist beers, still brewed today by the very monks themselves in their respective abbeys, mainly around Belgium.
This strong, luxurious brand is brewed exclusively at Scourmont Abbey in the town of Forges-les-Chimay in the south of the country. The monks themselves date their origins to the 500’s, to the teachings of Saint Benoit. From Benoit emerges the Order of the Cistercians of Strict Observance. This is further divided into two Orders, one of which has its historical roots in Normandy, in the Abbey of la Grande Trappe. Hence the name, Trappist.
Today, Chimay is brewed using water from the monastery’s own well. The water is slightly acidic, nicely complementing the prevalent fruitiness of their beers. It also contains a special strain of yeast isolated from 1948. Malted winter barley is used, together with American and German hops. Chimay is pure. No chemicals and no pasteurisation. All Chimays undergo an additional fermentation in the bottle.
Trappist beers are rare, and only a few beers in the world are even allowed to refer to themselves as Trappist. At Scourmont Abbey the monks brew three principal brands of Chimay, which are easily identified by the colour of their cap. Chimay Blonde, otherwise known as Chimay White, is 8% alcohol by volume. Don’t feel put off by the strength, for it is well concealed in the tastes by the abundant quantity of hops they use in this beer, designed to be markedly different from their other brews, and controversially to out-do the neighbouring monastery of Orval.
This beer is rather bitter, but with tones of fruit, and an equally bitterish, long-lasting finish. It is a complex brew with a plethora of aromas. Be careful when pouring, for it generally has an explosive head, which settles to a creamy lace. Blonde was originally brewed in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the principality of Chimay.
Chimay Bleu (or Chimay Blue) is the strongest of the brand, at 9% abv. It is predominantly sweet at the start but settles to a rich taste with hints of spices, fruits, caramel and yeast. Despite its strength you do not really notice it at first. You’ll first become aware of the potency when it warms your stomach and comforts you in the way few other beers can.
Due to the carbonation, Bleu is rather fizzy, but not overly so, and leaves a lovely malt aftertaste. This tasty dark reddish-brown brew is at first concealed by a solid, fluffy head of froth. Interestingly it was originally brewed exclusively for Christmas, but is now available all year round.
The last of the mainstream Chimay beers is Chimay Brune (Red cap). Although it is the weakest of the three, at 7% abv, it is perhaps the best. This attractive dark brown beer has, again, extremely good head retention and a smooth, robust mouthfeel. It has a malty caramel aftertaste, preceded by a range of flavours. You name it, raisins, pepper, toffee, black currants, it’s all there!
Brune is perhaps the best of the Chimays to drink with food, though the monks would probably not agree, for they brew a fourth beer known as Doree, specifically designed as a table beer. The monks themselves do not generally consume their stronger beers, and thus often brew much weaker beers, known as Engel, or Single. Chimay Doree is undoubtedly a single. It is extremely rare outside of the abbey. A dry, brandy-like beer, and also hoppy with a smooth finish. Its colour is amber-golden, topped by a head of froth the colour of the beer itself. Doree has a faint nutty aroma.
In Britain you will mostly find these beers in the smaller, 330ml bottles, however the 750ml bottles are popular in Belgium. Although the beers are the same no matter what the size of the bottle, the names displayed on the large bottles are different. Blonde becomes Cinq Cent (French for Five Hundred, see above for reason for this title), Bleu becomes Grande Reserve and Brune becomes Premiere.
Trappist monks originally brewed a type of wine liqueur in France. That was before they were driven out of the country during the upheavals consequent of the Revolution. That was why they emigrated north, to Belgium. There, however, they found few grape resources, so they were forced to make beer instead. Today there remain only five Trappist breweries in Belgium (and one in Holland). How fortunate we are that the Trappist fathers have helped make Belgium the Land of Beer.