Here at Friendly Package we’re doing our best to get the best beer we can, and beer that you want. Wherever you are in the world come here to FriendlyPackage.com, click on contact us and we’ll do our best to have the beer you’re looking for when you come home. Even if you’re down the block, get ahold of us, or come in and talk to one of our clerks and we’ll do our best to get the beer you’re looking for.
Let’s take a trip across the pond, a swim across the English Channel and stroll into a Trappist Monastery called Scourmont Abbey where Chimay is brewed. Ready to hang out with some Monks?
Chimay
History lesson… Beer lesson… Beestory Lesson! (See what I did there?) Chimay is brewed by Trappist Monks dating back to 1862. Only eight breweries in the world are contained within Trappist Abbeys while only seven of the breweries in the Trappist abbeys are in Belgium. The lone Trappist Brewery not in Belgium is Mariawald Abbey over in Germany. Anyway, Trappist Breweries brew beer only to sustain their Abbey and anything after that is distributed to charities for community development around the area.
We’ve already been briefly introduced to two Trappist Abbeys, Mariawald and Chimay, but there’s six others. Other than the Chimay brews, Rochfort, La Trappe, Orval and Westmalle are Trappist brews that you can find at Friendly Package. Mariawald and Achel we are not able to get. Lastly, Westvleteren no one in the states can get.
Let’s get off topic real fast. Fun fact time: Westvleteren was founded in 1838 and since has been internationally known for its taste, quality and rarity. If you want to experience Westvleteren you have to go to the Abbey, but not before you call their “Beer phone” because walk-ups are not welcome. Last I’ve heard availability is limited to one 24-bottle case, per license plate, per 60 days. Westvleteren is bottled with no labels, and with all of the legal info printed on the cap. You can sometimes find bottles for sale on eBay, or from a friend, but the Monks hate that… Do you really want to piss off a Trappist Monk? I’m pretty sure they have a direct line to god, so I’m not going to test them.
Alright, let’s get back to Chimay… How’d we get off track anyway?
Chimay brews three different beers that are readily available at the best liquor store on campus, Friendly Package Liquors.
Chimay Premiere
Premiere was the first beer the Trappist Monks brewed in the Scourmont Abbey. It’s a dubbel that clocks in at a nice 7% abv, and is an easy drink. It’ll pour out a red/brown, rusty-ish color with a creamy head leaving a nice lace on the goblet. A fruity, maybe apricot nose with a smooth fruit taste. At the end you’ll catch a touch of bitterness, while your mouth screams for more.
Chimay Cinq Cents
Never had a triple? Give this one a shot. Cinq Cents first brewed in 1966 with an abv of 8%. This trip pours out a nice gold color, and smells of musky grapes with some raisons and malty-ness. You wouldn’t necessarily realize it by the smell, but Cinq Cents is fresh hopped, and while you get a hint of that at the end, you get a lot more sweet fruit.
Chimay Grand Reserve
This is where it’s at. Chimay Grand Reserve first brewed in 1948 as their Christmas beer. For the cold weather they made sure to give you a bit of warmness with a 9% abv. After the pour you get a floral aroma mixed with fresh Belgian yeast, clove and dark fruit is present. It feels light in your mouth, with a lot of carbonation. Grand Reserve gives off a mild banana flavor with an alcohol presence, there’s a nice malt flavor with a bit of spicy-ness mixed in that gives away to more alcohol at the end pairing with a dry finish.
All three Chimays come in a corked and caged 750 ml bottle for $12.77, $13.49 and $14.77 respectively, however if you’re looking to try them, all three 11.2 oz bottles are $5.99. If you’re going to grab a bottle of Chimay from us, you should probably pick up a Chimay Goblet for $2.99. It’s not completely necessary, any glass will work, but the Goblet is made by Chimay and if you use it, you’ll taste exactly what the Monks were intending.
Lastly to close out this bomb of knowledge on Chimay, let’s have a quick talk about temperatures. Most people think that drinking a beer ice cold is the way to go, but with any craft beer a warmer temperature is necessary. If a beer is ice cold, you lose subtle flavor notes that you would pick up if not for the numbingly coldness in your mouth.
Premiere should be served 50-54 degrees
Cinq Cents should be served 42-46 degrees
Grand Reserve should be served 50-54 degrees
When you grab a beer from our cooler, I would recommend you let them sit out for a little bit, 10 minutes for Cinq Cents, maybe 20 for Premiere and Grand Reserve. Personally, I’ll take a taste and then let it warm up and see if I can find any differences. Wrap your hands around the Chimay goblet, and slowly drink. Towards the second half you’ll find complexities that you didn’t realize were there. Or you can jam a thermometer in your glass, wait for the correct temperature and start drinking. Either way you’re in for a treat.
