Abbaye des Rocs Grand Cru

Brewed by Brasserie de l’Abbaye des Rocs
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Montignies-sur-Roc, Belgium

Pours a very cloudy dark brown with a frothy, dense two finger head that fades very slowly to a thick cap, leaving behind a sticky layer of lace on the glass. There’s tons of little floaties, and I was pretty careful with the pour. Smell; tons of dark fruits, with cherries, plums, dates, apples and bits of citrus. Brown sugar and cinnamon come through along with some spices I can’t quite place. This one smells really damn good. Taste: sweet toffee and brown sugar hit me up front, as well as cocoa and sugar cookies. The fruits filll out the middle with apples, plums, cherries and apricots. The finish is slightly nutty and yeasty, with a mild peppery spiciness, and just some hints of alcohol. The flavor is just what you would expect following the aroma, just wonderful. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, and so drinkable that...damnit where’d my beer go?

Pours a ruby brown, topped by at least 2" of soft and fluffy beige foam. Good head retention and very nice lacing. Lots (I mean whole lots) of dark brown yeast floaties swimming around. They never seem to settle (maybe I drink too fast?)... Aroma of caramel and chocolate covered raisins with faint cherry. A bready and yeasty aroma comes out as it warms. Wow - what an incredible mix of flavor. Malty - caramel, dark honey, and toffee. Fruity - fig, date, dark sweet cherry, plum, and tart gooseberry. The fruitiness becomes even more pronounced and complex as it warms. Spicy - dry spiciness in the finish with nutmeg, vanilla, and a hint of bread yeast. Anything else - why yes - how about a little bit of warming and soothing rum? Absolutely delicious. Great rich mouthfeel - yet exceptionally smooth and maybe the softest beer ever. Lots and lots of very gentle carbonation.

i prefered over thr Brune. more of a caramel, and sweetness to it. very very sweet, lots of dried fruit and caramel. just abeautiful beer. loved it.

Draft. Dark red body with a thin head. Tart cherry aroma with a little yeast mixed in there. Sweet taste that has a small cherry aftertaste. Smooth and finishes well. Little alcohol present.

bottled. Sweet belgian w/ a nice kick. This is The Balance here,; w/ the the sugar and alcohol in almost pure harmony... Maybe... I’d LOVE to taste an aged one. But this one rings in as a nice dark Belgian with the hops, malts, and residual sugar in an seemingly easy balance. A nice belgian ale. I SWEAR to rate again........ I bought this in COLUMBIA, SC !!! OUR TIME HAS COME!

11.2 oz bottle with what appears to be a mostly illegible ’best before ’08 date’, served in a Chimay goblet.

Fruity aroma with background hints of yeast, alcohol and caramel malt. Reddish brown in color, fairly clear, with a 1/2 finger, long-lasting, light tan head. Many fine floaters are swimming merrily about - perhaps the reslt of hand-warming an over-chilled bottle. First take on the flavor is that it is rich and zingy, complex, and rapidly evolving. Mouthfeel is of rough cream, followed by rich hop flavor notes, background malty flavor notes, followed by a dry finish. I can feel the alcoholic warming in the back of my throat and belly almost immediately.

The hoppier Grand Cru is a fine beer, but I’ll have to tip the scales 0.2 in favor of the maltier Triple Imperiale I sampled last night.

Bottle. Amber with exellent fully lasting light brown creamy head. Malt and hops explodes from the glass. Oily on the palate. Nice acidity and very complex. Still fully balanced. This is a beautiful beer.

Pours firey orange-red with an absurd amount of sediment swirling around like sea monkeys. Thick orangish cream foam. The aroma is like cinnamon ice cream at first then there’s some orange, honey, and alcohol. Its foremost taste is something I can’t quite recognize...it’s a little gingery, very woody and herbal. Initial confusion subsides into brown sugar, caramelly toffee cake, brandy and cherry liqueur. Bitter finish reminiscent of brazil nuts or walnuts. Glazed with bright fruits throughout. Very easy to drink despite its fullness and complexity. Cheers to the New Year!