Chimay Ale Premiere
75 cl bottle 7% abv
On beeradvocate there are 1,167 reviews and they gave it an A-.
Chimay Ale Grande Reserve
75 cl bottle 9% abv
On beeradvocate there are 1,561 reviews and they gave it an A.
While the Cinq Cents is my least favorite, these other two tie. I finally did a side by side tasting and I still can’t see any big difference between the two. I decided to do the side by side tasting, because I was looking at my notes on the two and they are very similar in there qualities.
Both ales have a nice caramel malty front with some dried dark fruits to mingle with the fine carbonation. I personally do not see either of these as being complex or have much depth in taste or structure. Yes, they have good balance. The malts, which are prominate and the hops do not collide or one overpowers the other too much.
The Grande Reserve had a whopping 406 A+ reviews. I have seen beers with better depth and complexities with much lower scores. So, is that A+ rating real personal opinion or ‘group think’.
The only difference that I can ‘see’ is the color. One has a dirty copper color and the Grande has a really old copper penny color. But, if I did a blind tasting I have to admit I would not be able to tell the difference. So, save a dollar and buy the red and see what you think of this Belgian Ale.
In Michigan: $15 for the Grande Reserve; $14 for the Premiere.
My favorite review on BA for the Premiere was a person who gave it a D+ but said in their tasting review that it is ‘nice’. NICE is a D+.
Sorry, I don’t grade beers. But, I’ll say it is good to very good. Worthy of trying.
