Belga Cafe

I tasted three beers during and after a wonderful dinner at the Belga Cafe in Washington, D. C.: Chimay Tripel, Rodenbach Classic, and Unibroue Maudite. I was attending a conference and found a "Belgian restaurant" with Belgian beer on tap.

The glass of Chimay Tripel was great. Funk, lightness, fruitiness (apples and pears), and a sour bitter hop finish combined to produce a flavorful and refreshing beer. According to style, Chimay Tripel clocks in @ 8% by volume. I am thinking of adding it to my list of top beers.

Chimay is one of 6 Trappist breweries in the world. This means that the beer is brewed by monks as a means to sustain their monastery. The Cistercian Trappist monks of Chimay have produced world-class beer and cheese since 1862.

Chimay Tripel is sometimes called white (blanche) label or Cing Cents. The label on the beer is white. The labels of the other two beers produced by the monks are red (rouge) or blue (bleue). The label on the 750 ml bottle contains the words "Cing Cents".

Rodenbach Classic was a tasty refreshing treat. It is Flanders Red Ale. The flavors are a mix of apple, cherry, sweet, sour, and vinegar. It is extremely refreshing and cleanses the palate wonderfully. The flavors seems "brighter" and more vibrant and the vinegar flavor seemed more pronounced than I remembered from bottles I had tasted. The waitress said that I would either like the beer or hate it. I liked it a lot.

Unibroue Maudite served as the nightcap back @ the hotel. It was a wonderful assortment of wheat, funk, yeast, malt, apple, clove, and "bite". I was in food heaven after I added a few slices of stinky cheese and sections of apple. I classify the beer as Belgian Amber Ale. BeerAdvocate calls it Belgian Strong Dark Ale.

Troegs Mad Elf Ale

I recommend Troegs Mad Elf Ale as an adventure. It is an interesting Christmas brew, brewed with West Coast Cherries and Pennsylvania Honey. The cherry flavor predominates and is unusual and done well. It is dry and grows on me as I drink the beer. Spices seem to lurking in the background. I can't tell yet if I really like the beer or just like it. It might go well w/ food.

The style is ambiguous. BeerAdvocate classifies it as Belgian Strong Dark Ale. I think it might be better placed as Strong Ale, Belgian Amber, or Winter Warmer. The alcohol clocks in at 11%. The more I drink it the more Winter Warmer fits.

Unibroue Maudite

Unibroue Maudite is an excellent example of Belgian Amber Ale. The predominate flavors are apples, a tiche of pear, yeast, and a dry spicy finish. The finish picks up a clove flavor as the beer warms. It is good for sipping and goes great with food. The fruitiness makes the beer an excellent complement to fruit and cheese and it is robust enough to pair with grilled meat.

BeerAdvocate classifies Maudite as Belgian Strong Dark Ale. It is not as dark or heavy as many Dark Ale. Strong means that the beer has a high alcohol content. Maudite clocks in at 8% by volume.

Maudite means the damned one. Many Belgian beers, especially Strong Pale Ale, have names that relate to the Devil.

Unibroue is located in Chambly, Quebec. The brewery is known for its lineup of fine Belgian style ales.

These notes are based on a tasting on 14 November 2008 and a few others earlier.