Pinging Beer Heads

[lxskllr]

Thinking about getting the boss some beer this jul. His favorite beer by a long shot is Chimay. I don't think he's particularly well versed in beer. He found Chimay, and loved it. What can I get that's similar? I'm thinking a varied selection in a similar class as Chimay. A bonus would be tying it together thematically. Maybe monastic brews? Target price for the collection is $70-$100, but that's pretty squishy.

 

[crashtech]

A selection of some other Trappist ales would be a thoughtful gift. Knowing which Chimay beer he prefers might help guys that know, of which I am not really one, lol.

 

[lxskllr]

Knowing which Chimay beer he prefers might help guys that know, of which I am not really one, lol.

He likes the Blue and Red; Red a bit more.

I don't know much about beer. I like most of it starting at Yuengling class, and going up, but I can take it or leave it. I don't get excited over beer. I save that for whisky :^D

 

[crashtech]

Trappist Westvleteren 8 is supposedly one of the best widely available Trappist dubbels, I'm not a connoisseur of the style, though. Honestly, when I look for beers to have on hand for friends, I just look at Beer Advocate to find well-regarded examples of the styles they say they enjoy.

 

[IEC]

If you have a Costco near you and a membership (or a gift card) you should see what they have available there. Costco does such huge volumes when they place orders that the pricing is usually hard to beat. Plus they have some items in their specialty beer section like the occasional Trappist brew.

 

[crashtech]

Wow, I'd love to have a Costco like that. Mine sells cases of beer, but the most exciting thing I ever saw there was Dead Guy Ale, lol.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

A selection of some other Trappist ales would be a thoughtful gift. Knowing which Chimay beer he prefers might help guys that know, of which I am not really one, lol.

This.

Chimay Red is more of the dubble, so googling anyhting like "Trappist dubbel" will give you prime examples.

Easy ways to win:
Westmalle Dubbel (highly recommend)
Rochefort 10
Anything from Unibroue (Maudite and Trois Pistoles are the cloest to a dubbel, but I also reccomend La Fin du Monde as a Tripel)

I'm sure others here can help further. If you're looking to "tie it together" you can go by a couple themes... 1 would be just a "beer theme" and pair it with some delicious meats/cheeses such as salame. The other would be to give it a Belgium theme since he obviously likes Belgian styles... maybe some Belgian chocolate with it?

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Trappist Westvleteren 8 is supposedly one of the best widely available Trappist dubbels, I'm not a connoisseur of the style, though. Honestly, when I look for beers to have on hand for friends, I just look at Beer Advocate to find well-regarded examples of the styles they say they enjoy.

Westvleteren (of all the Trappist) are incredibly hard to find. They do not widely distribute. I am currently in Europe and it isn't always easy to find here - and when it is it likely cost 20-30 euros for each small bottle.

 

[crashtech]

Westvleteren (of all the Trappist) are incredibly hard to find. They do not widely distribute. I am currently in Europe and it isn't always easy to find here - and when it is it likely cost 20-30 euros for each small bottle.

Thanks for the correction. I should have rather said "well known" instead of "widely available." An incorrect presumption on my part.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Thanks for the correction. I should have rather said "well known" instead of "widely available." An incorrect presumption on my part.

Ah np -

I only said it because I'm currently on a trip to Europe (Germany + Belgium) specifically looking for that Trappist since it's the ONLY one I have yet to have... I was luckily able to find the Westvletern 8 the other day - and I can honestly say it's not my favorite dubbel. Westmale it definitely superior... However, it's actually the Westvletern 12 that has the biggest rumors of being the best Trappist quad and the bar didn't have it...

Also yeah, the #8 I got was like... $22 Euros... ouchies. I justified it by telling myself that it's what I'm here for and I won't find these back in the states.

 

[Orsorum]

I would recommend Rochefort as well, also would consider Westmalle and Delerium Tremens.