Brasserie d'Achouffe La Chouffe Blonde Ale (8/10)

The Brasserie d Achouffe is located in Achouffe, Belgium.  They produce a range of several beers, including La Chouffe.  La Chouffe is an unfiltered Belgian Blonde Ale which "is refermented both in the bottle and in barrels" and is described as "pleasantly fruity, spiced with coriander and tinged with hops."

The beer pours an almost coppery amber color with a finger thick white head that lasts a little while before disappearing, leaving behind a significant amount of thick white lacing as you can see in the photo at the left.

The aroma mixes the typical Belgian fruit and spice elements.

The flavor starts malty and a little sweet, with mild fruit and spice notes as in the aroma.  I get hints of orange, cinnamon, and coriander.  The finish is bitter and lingering, and is the only thing about the beer I dislike.  The flavor hides the fact that this is a relatively strong beer (8% alcohol by volume).

Beer Advocate gives La Chouffe a 99 or "world-class" rating.  Rate Beer gives it a 98 out of 100.  I really liked the beer, but I can't justify a 9 or 10 rating because of that unpleasantly bitter finish.  I'm rating it an 8 out of 10, but it's probably more like an 8.5.

You can find Achouffe products around town at a number of retailers and draft beer sellers.  Here's a link to the BeerMenus.com list of nearby locations which have it available.