Chimay Red vs. Steen Brugge Dubbel Bruin

[sdixon]

So my first idea was to review both of these beers interdependently. The only reason I am pitting one against the other is because I was sampling them together and I was very surprised that the Steen Brugge Dubbe Bruin stood toe to toe with the Chimay!

Chimay Red http://www.chimay.com/en/chimay-rouge.html?IDC=287&IDD=129 & Steen Brugge Dubbel Bruin http://www.palm.be/:

As most reading this post will realize, these are two Belgian Ales. It is the first time I had tried either and I was pleased with both. I expected the Chimay Red to stand well above the Steen Brugge. Read about my experience:

I'm going to rank each out of 5 :-) Just for fun.

Appearance - Each of these beer had a nice head and decent retention. The Chimay had a bit of a light and bubbly look to it while the Steen Brugge had a bit more of a fine bubble reminiscent of a cream type, but not quite. Color and clarity were very similar, with the Chimay having a bit more red tint and the Steen Brugge having a bit of a chocolaty look to it. Both were deep and pleasing to the eye. Chimay = 5; Steen Brugge = 4

Smell - It's been a while, but my recollection is that the Chimay had very pleasant Malt and hop aromas and the Steen Brugge had more chocolaty, burnt aromas. Both were very nice but the Chimay came out a little ahead in my opinion. Chimay = 5; Steen Brugge = 4

Taste -  I guess this is where my surprise started... the Chimay had a nice full malty taste, with very well balanced bitterness, but the Steen Brugge had a very smooth or possibly round mouth feel with chocolate and a bit of smoke in the aftertaste. Chimay = 4; Steen Brugge = 5

Mouthfeel - This is what tipped the scale for me... the Steen Brugge pulled ahead (for my preferences) with a smoother mouthfeel... softer and a little rounder. The Chimay was certainly very very nice, with full body and nice taste and hop flavor but the Steen Brugge finished nicer for me, leaving me with a long lasting impression. Steen Brugge = 5; Chimay = 4

Overall Impression - These are two very very nice beers and in the end I could not pick a winner. The marks are 18 / 18. The bottom line is I enjoyed both of these Belgian classics and I would recommend either of them to anyone with an appreciation for a full bodied tasty beer. Enjoy... everyone is a winner :-)

[Dean]

i'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this isn't the first time you've written a beer review?  to steal a phrase from another member - BLOODY WELL DONE!

[Richard]

Too right man; good show.

[sdixon]

I appreciate the comments gentlemen, thank you. Indeed I have been sharing the qualities of various beers to my circles of friends for many years. There is almost ALWAYS something nice to say about any beer :-) I am very happy to have discovered this group! I have long felt very lonely in my appreciation of beer. I am looking forward to meeting you at the next meeting.

[Richard]

There is almost ALWAYS something nice to say about any beer

Yeah, I thought that... but then Kyle found something in the US (a cherry beer of some kind) that was outright horrible. We still drank it though, on account of floating down the Miramichi at the time and already being

Made for a good time slagging it off whilst drinking it

[Kyle]

Actually that beer was an Ontario special:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/765/58540

awful... but the rest of the beers from that trip were really good.