Photo by Samer Farha

The title of this event, “Chimay Vintage Beer and Cheese Tasting,” was only partially misleading. There was some “vintage” Chimay to be had – one six-liter bottle of 2007 Chimay Grand Reserve (the blue label). And there was Chimay cheese to taste, if you ordered the special pizza with Chimay cheese. Good thing I read the full description on the DC Beer Week Facebook page, and ended up getting what I expected – a night of great beer and pizza at Birreria Paradiso with some extra Chimay options.

We walked in as they were pouring samples off of the “Balthazar” (6L bottle), and hopped in line to have a taste. On sight and smell, there wasn’t much difference between this and the usual Chimay Blue – reddish-brown color, tall cream head, aroma of darker fruits and sugar. To taste, it was pretty close as well, except the fruits and sugars were a little more intense, a little darker. When I asked the Chimay rep, he said that 10 years was about the perfect aging for the Grand Reserve, so this wouldn’t be too drastic a change in flavor. Fair enough. Still a great beer, though I’ve had it so many times.

Paradiso’s end of the deal came to this: $5 Chimays (Red, White or Blue…with the White (Tripel) on draft) and a special pizza with Chimay cheese, Belgian endive and caramelized onions. As much as I love Chimay, and was tempted by the five-dollar price, in the spirit of Beer Week I opted for trying new beers, but with the Chimay pizza special.

The Chimay pizza was out of this world. I’m not sure if the credit goes to the Chimay cheese, the caramelized onions (which frankly go well on everything, even Cheerios), or the pizza mastery in the kitchen at Paradiso. But the night was sponsored by Chimay (and not caramelized onions), so credit to their cheese.