 SilkTork (3882), Rochester, Kent, England
Oct 16, 2002 Updated: Jan 15, 2004
Abbaye des Rocs, a farm brewery founded in 1979 as a weekend hobby by a Belgium tax inspector, has acquired a reputation for producing complex and satisfying strong ales. Abbaye des Rocs is the first beer the brewery produced and is justifiably the most famous and acclaimed. Made in the style of the Trappist ales, and on the site of a former monastery, this is an impressive example of an Abbey Ale. The appearance in the glass is of a beer still in production - clouds of creamy foam drift and gather in intense pockets, hinting at the alcoholic intensity gathering below. The nose is packed with alcohol and incense of cedar woods from Lebanon. Even before tasting you have an awareness that this just could be a religious experience. Inhale deeply and the luscious fruits burst over-ripe and sticky sweet - this is a seductive rotting corpse. Melons, plums, dates, a hint of ginger from the Orient, Syrian tobbacco, dripping mollases, a freshly dug grave...Taste. O yes! taste! Alcohol. Dark brown, sultry sugar, lazy as a warm afternoon, seductive as the wettest of dreams; fruits as subtle, complex and compelling as an Arabian harem. Rum on a fruit salad. Whiskey swirled into condensed milk. Rich, overwhelming, overpowering - cherries, leather, talcum powder, manderins, brandy, the tastes go on and on, sip after heady sip. One glorious beer!
minch25 (174), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Sep 5, 2008 Brought back a 33cl bottle from Brussels last summer of ’07. Deep dark clouded orange. Light head. Fruity burnt bread fruitcake aroma - Rochefort like. Flavor - orange marmalade(?) hard candy. Bitter - orange liqueur, traces of burnt wood. Yeasty. Sugar? Spiced - coriander? licorice? Warming. Velvety texture. Floaties up the wazoo now; starting to get dirty. Unbelievably good. Fantastic charred bitter aftertaste. Competes with the best Trappist offerings. And did I mention it was 2.15 euros? A freakin tragedy that this isn’t available in Ohio anymore.
ratman197 (2274), Arvada, Colorado, USA
Sep 2, 2008 750 ml green bottle poured a clear brown with a large lasting tan head. Aromas of browqn sugar, carmel, fruittiness and spice. Palate was medium bodied and crisp with a dry finish. Flavors of spice, brown sugar, carmel and a hint of orange zest with a crisp dry lingering spice finish.
A_R (305), Georgia, USA
Aug 29, 2008 Dark brown with a lot of visible sediment and a large, but quickly diminishing head. The ale goes down very smooth, with a plethora of taste on the palate. There is a bit of smoky malts and caramel. This is mixed with a prunish accent and a sugary alcohol in the background. The aftertaste lingers. Very good.
PaulHegedus (66), Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Aug 29, 2008 Bottle at Smokeless Joe, Toronto, July 2007. Pours red orange with a wonderful aroma of plum, raisin, orange. The flavour is super dense, complex dark fruit, raisin, plum, sugar, candy, spices.
craftycarl21 (194), South Hero, Vermont, USA
Aug 20, 2008 Pours an orange brown with fizzy head and risidual sediment. Aroma holds apple cider, some raisin, plum, and yeast. Flavor has brown sugar, molasses, malt, and dried apricots. Tingly mouthfeel with sweetness and a dry finish. Very impressive shift between aroma and flavor. Very nice brew.
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