Chimay Grande Reserve (18E) - EXTRACT Homebrew Ingredient Kit

I am currently brewing this clone for the third time. Couldn't be happier. I have used two different yeasts, but the results were consistently excellent.

Oh man, I am a Trappist Ale hound. I generally use Chimay to grade most other beers by. I know I shouldn't. This kit was simple to follow and easy to brew. Another 2 weeks and the first draws will be happening. Ronald

I brewed this for my wife and friend that both love Grande Reserve. We were a little impatient and tasted at 2,3,4 and then 6 months.Aging to 6 months finished the beer. I am ordering another kit now in preparation for the fall.

I brewed the all grain kit back in August. The more it ages the better it gets. The only thing I regret is that I used Fermentis Safbrew T-58 Dry Ale Yeast. Nothing wrong with T-58 but I get spicy, peppery, and dry taste. I was looking for the fruity flavor in this beer. I will definitely brew this again but I'll use liquid yeast WLP500 instead.

Thought I would try my first mini-mash with the Chimay Grand Reserve since it is one of my favorites. This kit was fool proof. I fermented for 7 days and then put into a secondary for 8 days. Final gravity reading was what it should have been. It came out to be 8.5% ABV without using the alcohol boost. I couldn't wait, so I tried one after just 7 days conditioning. Of course it was not done yet and so it didn't have much head but it was carbonated and tasted great. My wife and I bought a Store Chimay Grand Reserve and did a taste test. I would say that even after just 7 days I would give it a score of 9.5 out of 10 for tasting like the "real thing." I'll be doing this one again. Thanks AHB!