Bières De Chimay Chimay White

**Aroma:** “Moderate fruit esters of plums, apricots, and figs with medium sweet- ness from banana notes. Light spicy notes, perhaps cloves. No alcohol or hops jump out. Earthy or musty notes sit atop a bit of melanoidin malt character.” **Flavor:** “Moderate sweetness up front with notes of honey or light molasses, which extend into the aftertaste with notes of banana and a little plum. Nice dried apricot flavor. Light bitterness in the background. Medium carbonation with a moderate body and a slight alco- hol note toward the end that is complementary. The bitterness-to-sweetness balance is spot on.” **Overall:** “Moderate amount of sweetness with notes of honey and banana. Good esters balance with an appropriate alcohol level. Very tasty and refreshing. Fruity and malty with a dry finish. Well balanced and subtle.”

“Long-lasting head with a chewy marshmallow character. Light mineral and earthy hop nose with light grain. Fruity esters emerge—orange and banana. An earthy, lemon, spice-forward hop flavor. Very clean and dry finish.”

**Aroma:** “Perfect Belgian tripel aroma: black pepper, faint Pilsner sweetness, and those lively Belgian fruity esters— lots of banana and peach. Light clove aroma. Slight green-apple note that fades as it warms.” **Flavor:** “Bigger than usual malt back- ground with a little more caramel flavor than expected, but sufficiently balanced by the moderate spicy hops bitterness. The typical banana esters and clove phenols round out the palate. Moderate carbonation and moderate body, plus a medium alcohol note that continues through the aftertaste.” **Overall:** “A slightly heavier than normal tripel that works well. Esters have a nice mix of pepper and banana. Some caramel sweetness. Could use a smidge more carbonic acid to brighten it, but otherwise, all of the classic components are there. No major risks taken, but no major mistakes made.”