by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The name is quite a mouthful, but the beer inside the bottle is as well.
We first visited the Chouffe brewery many years ago. A rustic brewery set up in a small village at the foot of the Ardennes. Characterised by the gnome (‘chouffe’ is the Flemish word for gnome/fairy), it has retained a soft spot in our beer hearts, even after the brewery was sold to the Duvel Moortgat group in 2006.
Responding to the international demand for more hoppy beers, the Chouffe brewery was one of the first to embrace the Belgian IPA style. This beer is something of a cross-over, and it probably best described as a very hoppy tripel.
The strong dose of Saaz-Saaz, Tomahawk and Amarillo hops produces a delicious aroma of tropical citrus and grassy spice. The hops carry through into the taste, combining with a crisp malt body and fruity yeast character. It is finishes wonderfully dry, and leaves a moreishly intriguing bitter aftertaste.
A second version of this beer, with a dominant display from the Morpheus yeast supported by Cascade and Chinook hops
A Belgian IPA with Challenger, Smaragd and Citra hops, finished with a Belgian saison yeast
Hop bitterness, with dry spicing and just a hint of wild earthy funk
A bigger, hoppier version of the Noblesse Belgian Pale Ale
A Belgian classic - Duvel - with a current hop-driven twist
The classical Belgian Strong Blond Ale, jazzed up with an extra hop that changes each year
The 2015 special edition Duvel Tripel Hop features the Equinox hop
The 2016 version of Duvel's Tripel Hop, featuring an experimental hop from the Yakima Valley
This is now the permanent feature in the Duvel range, with the Citra version being voted the favourite of all the Duvel Tripel Hop varieties
The 'other' Duvel Tripel Hop in the range shows of Cashmere hops
The favourite of the Duvel Tripel Hop series is the Citra hop version
Five old-world hops are used in this fresh grassy Belgian IPA
The original Belgian IPA, from one of the three breweries in the 'Brewers Town' of Watou.
A seasonal batch of Hopus brewed in Spring, which is dry-hopped with Citra
A Belgian IPA with a strong citrus character and nice earthy bitterness
A Belgian IPA using Mapuche hops grown exclusively for Leffe on the plains of Patagonia
Another riff of the Troubadour Magma, this one is a more sessionable, last of the summer sun type of beer
The 2016 variation of Troubadour's flagship beer Magma features Maris Otter premium malt
The 2017 variant of Magma sees a change in malt and hop quantities, resulting in a fruity, earthy and dry IPA
The 2019 variant of Troubadour's Magma is a beer that has been made more sessional, with the addition of El Dorado and Nelson Sauvin hops
A perfectly balanced Belgian IPA, deceptively drinkable for the 9.5% ABV.
Not really fitting in to a style category - inviting sweet malt backbone with a good dose of hop bitterness.
Ella hops from Australia provide a tropical fruit character to this crisp and refreshing Belgian IPA
A Belgian style IPA, taking a step back to an older style IPA recipe
The second incarnation of this beer, featuring Columbus, Simcoe, Amarillo and Centennial hops
by
An Anglo-Belgian style IPA, with a big malt body and balanced hop character
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
This beer is McChouffe with the addition of cherries
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
Chouffe's special 40th Birthday beer
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The new low-ABV offering from Brasserie A'Chouffe
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The spring time seasonal beer from La Chouffe
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The iconic strong golden ale that is La Chouffe
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The lesser-known dark beer from Brasserie Achouffe
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The winter seasonal offering from the Chouffe brewery
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The winter seasonal offering from the Chouffe Brewery - a dark beer brewed with thyme and bitter orange