Country of Origin: Belgium
Price comparison: A little under 1½ times what I pay for everyday beer.
Alcohol percentage by volume: 8%
Cute bottle/label? 750 ml dark green glass, with a cap instead of the cork, cage, and foil I've grown so fond of. A little guy with a white beard and bright red hat; nose also bright red, and Dutch-styled clogs, carrying a bundle of hops over his shoulder. I presume he is the titular gnome (chouffe being the French for gnome). Not as cute as a Keebler elf, but a decent beer mascot. Also present on the bottle is a small depiction of the ale in an appropriately-shaped chalice, which is a nice visual hint as to how to serve the stuff if you're not sure.
Appearance: Deep copper with a large ivory head that dissipated quickly into blobs of floating lace.
Scent: Yeast and citrus zest prominent; chased by clove, ground coriander, and a bit of black pepper.
Flavor: Tasted less spicy than it smelled; light maltiness twisting quickly to a dry, tannic finish.
Impressions: This is one of the reasons you have to get the right glasses, even if they're cheap. There's no way I would have enjoyed this as much as I did if I couldn't smell it at the same time I was tasting it. However, I did have a nice goblet (2 for $1 USD at a craft store), so I was golden. The flavor would have been disappointing without the accompanying spicy scents; with, it was really quite good.
Will I buy this beer again? The dryness makes it nice with any food you might ordinarily pair with a red wine, and the coriander and pepper aromas would be a nice companion to ethnic cookery.
Rating:
4 out of 5 cute beer glasses
Reviewed: February 16, 2005
