| The great beers and cheese of Chimay
Beer and cheese can be a religious experience – just ask the monks of Abbaye de Scourmont, better known as "Chimay." Two Chimay beers have recently become available in Alberta, and what makes this even better is that Chimay cheese is also available here.
Chimay (www.chimay.com) is one of only six monasteries in the world approved by the Vatican to brew beer and market cheese, bread and meat products under the Trappist designation. The other Trappist monasteries, all located in Belgium, are Achel, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren and Westmalle, while the beers of a seventh monastery, Schaapskooi in Holland, were recently stripped of the Trappist designation for becoming too closely affiliated with a secular brewery.
The strictness of the Trappist order has contributed to the maintenance of their brewing tradition – any Trappist beer is guaranteed to be well-crafted, pure and steeped in history. However, the monks have little interest in material success and, despite great demand, supply of their beers is limited, although a few of the monasteries have recently become more commercialized.
Chimay brews three beers: Premiere, Cinq Cents and Grand Réserve, each of which is colloquially referred to by the colour of the crowns on their bottles: Red Cap, White Cap and Blue Cap, respectively. Only Red Cap and Blue Cap, in 330 millilitre bottles, are available in Alberta at some of the finer liquor stores, while Chimay cheese is available at Janice Beaton Fine Cheese.
Blue Cap is the most robust of the Chimay beers and the best match for the cheese. This dark brown beer pours with a thick, light-brown head that lasts a long time, making it a visually appealing beer. Its aroma is only moderate in strength, but has great character due to an interesting interplay of alcohol, malty sweetness and spicy hops. The high carbonation level of the beer gives it an effervescent mouth feel despite being heavy and thick. The flavour starts light, but grows. There is a strong dark-malt flavour with hints of molasses and some accompanying light hop spiciness, while an alcohol flavour emerges in the finish.
Red Cap is also visually appealing, pouring with a very thick, rich, light-tan head with a rocky top. Thick, cloud-shaped tufts of the head are left clinging to the side of the glass, serving as a reminder that this beer is heaven-sent. The beer itself has a dark-brown coffee colour and a moderate aroma that is sweet and lightly spicy with hints of candy sugar (normal sugar is dissolved in water and this solution is boiled, so that you are just left with sugar again). The moderately bitter flavour is medium-bodied and features a complex array of interesting spices with hints of molasses, candy sugar and herbs. A fully carbonated mouth feel, combined with robust and complex flavours, makes this a sipping beer.
Chimay cheese is made from cow's milk. Vegetable rennet is used to separate the curds, which are left uncooked and unpressed, resulting in a pale-straw coloured, semi-soft cheese. The orange rind is handwashed with Chimay beer. This cheese has a soft and gentle aroma – hints of salt, sweat and beef are detectable, but they are subdued, making it a good introductory cheese for those afraid of the really pungent washed-rind cheeses. The flavour is also soft and gentle, getting softer and gentler as it moves further away from the rind.
Some Belgian purists believe that Chimay has become too commercialized and that its beers have lost character in the process. However, here in Canada, where the vast majority of beer consumed is light lager, Chimay offers a rich and flavourful alternative. At the same time, Chimay cheese, being flavourful yet subtle and gentle, provides a safe gateway into the world of fine cheese.
The Trade Commission of Spain invites you to explore the wide variety and richness of the Wines of Spain, at a tasting that will take place at The Metropolitan Centre on September 24. In collaboration with The Alberta National Ballet, the event will be open to the public from 6 to 9 p.m., and the ticket price includes the wine tasting and nibbles. For more information contact Todd Hawlewood at The Alberta National Ballet at 245-4222 (ext. 29). |
