Whimsical, but then again one would expect that from a brewery that features a little hop-seeking…read moregnome on its labels. A lot of Belgian breweries are surprisingly tiny operations, but that can't be said about the Chouffe. In 2006, the brewery was purchased by the much larger Duvel Moortgat, and it shows. This brewery and its surrounding area is really quite the enterprise by rural Belgian standards - there's the brewery itself, a tap room, another tap room that serves food, an adjacent full-service restaurant with a stocked trout pond behind it, and a gift shop.
This all seems a bit "commercial" and United States/Disney-esque, especially after you've been traipsing around Belgium and rural France visiting decidedly non-commercial breweries that half the time were closed, much less have a freakin' gift shop. There's even a pond with a little island with a gnome-hut on it. It would have to try pretty hard to be more cutesy.
Still, there's something to be said for this kind of corporatist professionalism, even if it does somewhat resemble visiting the Epcot Center, if it had a "Belgium" pavilion. You don't have to worry about it being open, which was a constant problem in visiting other breweries throughout the region. There will always be a wide, complete range of its beers available, both for on-site consumption and to take home. And of course, plenty of merch and swag featuring that lovable gnome! A Chouffe tulip glass is a must - and there's even Chouffe coffee and cream liqueurs available, of which we purchased a couple small samplers.
Of course, there's also the beer. Even after the Chouffe's purchase by a larger brewery, the flagship La Chouffe strong blonde ale hasn't suffered all that much - it's still one of the better examples of the popular "Belgian Strong Pale Ale" style. I think it's got more going on than either Duvel and Delirium....more fruity, spicy, yeasty, while at the same time being a little cleaner than a La Fin Du Monde. I'd still rank it as my favorite easily-accessible example of the style.