Introduction
I have enjoyed drinking beer for many years now. When I was young I mostly drank pilsners. Usually when going out and often in large numbers. A few years back I followed a guided tour in a brewery with my father in law. During this guided tour we got to taste a lot of different beers they produced. This was an eye opener for me. At the end of the tour we bought a couple of the so called ‘specialty beers’ we tasted during the tour. That’s when I started appreciating specialty beers and started discovering the different styles of beer. And that was what I wanted to do; try different beers.
I stopped drinking a lot of the same beers and started drinking fewer, but different beers.
And now, a few years later I’ve had over 250 different beers.
My favorites styles are strong blondes, triple IPA’s and quadruples. But I try other styles as well.
I cannot appreciate very bitter or very sweet beers like stout beers or old brown.
(my collection of bottle caps)
La Chouffe Houblon IPA
Brasserie d'Achouffe creates a lot of different beers. I know the brewery from their strong blonde beer which I really like. Since I’ve been drinking and appreciating IPA’s more lately I thought I should try the La Chouffe Houblon IPA.
Chouffe comes from the Belgian village Achouffe where the brewery started. Houblon means hop which is evident for an IPA.
When I poured the beer in a glass (by chance I have an original glass) there formed a nice firm white collar on the yellow/gold somewhat cloudy beer. The beer has refermentation in the bottle.
You can immediately smell the hops. It has a bitter aroma, but it also has some fruity scent.
As you would expect from an IPA the hops give the beer quite a bitter taste, but because of some slight fruity flavours it makes it just fine for me. The aftertaste is kind of bitter too. Be careful, because with 9% it has quite a high level of alcohol.
Overall I liked the beer and I would surely buy it again and rated it 3,5 out of 5 stars.
Beer: La Chouffe Houblon IPA
Type: IPA
Brewery: Brasserie d'Achouffe
Country: Belgium
Alcohol: 9%
IBU: 59
I hope you liked this review.
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Hello dear friend @friendlymoose good night
It is good that you have visited that brewery, and from there began a new journey as far as tasting is concerned. you have a beautiful collection of beer caps. Excellent
This ¨IPA La Chouffe Houblon¨ apparently has a high alcohol content, here in Argentina, they have between 4 and 5.5%
I appreciate that you let us know this beer story
have a beautiful night and a happy rest
Thank you!
The alcohol percentage of these 'specialty beers' is often a bit higher than regular lagers. I understood that the high percentage of alcohol comes from the different fermentantation proces (bottom vs top fermented) and the amount of sugar added.
Blonde beer usually ranges between 5 and 6%. Triples mostly between 7 and 9. The Quadruples (or Barley Wines) range from 9 up to 12% (and somethimes beyond).
You have to watch out with those heavy beers. I usually keep it by one beer and really take the time to enjoy. 45 minutes or longer is no exception especially with the Quadruples 😁
Here in the Netherlands there's a large choice in top fermented beers. The amount of so called micro breweries is constantly growing (which is a good thing).
I'll try to post some more reviews here.
Have a good day!
hello dear friend @friendlymoose good morning
I admire the knowledge you have, I appreciate all this information very much, you are very kind
I take this opportunity to wish you a beautiful Sunday and a happy start to the week
Same to you!