Mc Chouffe the Beer of Scottish Gnomes
Jun 13 '02
The Bottom Line McChouffe is sweet, and chocolate like, a little spicy, and with just a hint of bitterness -- A favorite of Scottish gnomes worldwide.
Mc Chouffe Artisanal Belgian Brown Ale is a Belgian style interpretation of a Scottish Ale. It, in fact, combines characteristics of both styles, from the dark brown chocolate color of Belgian Abbey style ale, to the malty sweetness of Scottish ale. It is brewed by Brasserie D’Achouffe using Ardennes spring water – sourced from the Cedrogne spring, pilsner malt, candy sugar, and hopped with English Golding and Saaz. McChouffe is named after the legend of a Scottish gnome who, after visiting Belgium, created this brew.
I picked up this ale at “New Beer Wholesale” down on Chrystie Street, near the Bowery in the Lower East Side. At the checkout, a guy who stopped by to buy an ice cold can of Bud asked me, “Whass that, sake?” I showed him the bottle with a happy picture of a smiling gnome on the label. He looked at it, noticed the alcohol content, 8.5%, and exclaimed, “Damn, its like malt liquor!” Yep, just like malt liquor, but better tasting.
Flavor:
The bottle conditioned ale is unpasteurized, unfiltered, and pours a cloudy, coffee-colored liquid with a thick creamy head that remains until the very last drop; it is so thick, it fact, it almost feels like pudding in the mouth.
Taste-wise, McChouffe is sweet, and chocolate like, and goes down clean with just a hint of bitterness, the taste of alcohol (8.5%) is present throughout. The brew is also a little spicy too, the spiciness revealing itself fully toward the end. The beer is refreshing if slightly chilled, and flavorful if slightly below room temp. Overall, I thought the ale it should be a little stronger in flavor, but nonetheless, excellent.
Other Info
McChouffe won the Gold Medal for best Abbey Style ale at Eurobiere, Strasbourg, 1999. It is brewed by Brasserie D’Achouffe in Achouffe, Belgium, a small farmhouse nestled in the Ardennes in Luxembourg that doubles as a restaurant and inn for the thousands of tourists who flock to it each year. D’Achouffe also produces La Chouffe, which is a golden Belgian ale spiced with coriander, plus three other seasonal beers.
Mc Chouffe is available in 750ml, and 1500ml wine bottles. The label, featuring an illustration of a smiling gnome sneaking off somewhere (no doubt to get wasted, and cause all sorts of mischief) is silk screened onto the bottle making a cleaner presentation. More information is available at the brewery homepage, Brasserie D’Achouffe (http://www.achouffe.be) and from the USA importer’s homepage, B United Intl (http://www.bunitedint.com).
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