I just want to put my 2 cents in this thread as I recently made a chimay blue clone based on a number of well reviewed recipes and some advice from an experienced brewer.
4 lbs Pilsner
1 lbs Caramunich
.5 lbs Munich
.5 lbs Torrified Wheat
.25 lbs Special B
Mashed in at 165, mash temp dropped to 151 F and was held for some amount of time. I put this in the oven and it was set to warm. The thermometer in the mash pot read 150, but after an hour in the oven and a quick stir this shot up to 168. Consulting with a buddy, most conversion took place in first 15 mins and I expect the temp crept up only in the last half hour which would possibly explain the slight bitter note detected during bottling.
Also:
6.6 lbs Pilsner LME at 60 min
1 oz Brewers Gold 8% at 60 min
1 oz Hallertauer 4.8% at 30 min
1 lb D90 Candi Syrup at 15 min
Irish Moss capful at 15 mins
WLP500 yeast 1.6 L stir plate starter
I fermented for 20 days starting at 65, ramping up 1 degree per couple days till 69 and then leaving till I hit 3 weeks. I didn't check gravity or anything, too nervous about infections to do that. Racked to secondary and then bulk aged 2 months at 68. During ferment had a STRONG banana odor, which toned down over time and was pleasant in the bottle stage.
Tasting notes after just 10 days:
A: Poured a muddy brown, but this is surprising given that it was relatively clear in the bottling stage. I suspect that yeast got stirred up and is still active. Also due to this strain being a low flocculator I would want to cold age at least 10 days for a real test. Had some yeast on the bottom of bottle, but not compacted. There was no head on this as it is not carbed up yet.
S: Malty, raisins, plums, very faint hop aroma, some chocolate, slight cherry, and slight banana. I don't want to pat myself on the back, but this smells exactly like Chimay Blue.
T: Tastes almost like rum soaked raisins in beer, which is what I would describe Chimay as. There is definitely a bready note which I wanted to emphasize more than the actual version, but came up tasting just like the real thing. The only thing lacking is the alcohol is noticeable, but very slight on the finish. Aftertaste also has a bit of alcohol taste, but I fully expect that to fade with some aging and also not surprising for a 9.06% beer.
M: A bit sweeter than the original, but I expect this is due to my failure in the mash stage. The sweetness is quite light and enjoyable though. No real carbonation to speak of at this point.
O: This tastes like a flat Chimay that is slightly sweeter. I could not be happier with the results and look forward to trying this in a month or two.