Achel 8 Blond

Brewed by Brouwerij der Trappistenabdij De Achelse Kluis
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Hamont-Achel, Belgium

(330 ml bottle (stamped "09/05/08") from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/maine/portland/ target=blank>Downeast Beverage Co., cellared for 13 mos. after purchase) Pours hazy light gold-amber. Two or three fingers of white head start off quite effervescent, then settle to a pillowy finger or so. Aroma of brown sugar (fairly heavy), candy, fruit, red wine and yeast. Mouthfeel is light, fairly smooth and kind of spritzy. Nicely defined weepy rings of lacing. Flavor is sweetish and fruity with notes of candy, brown sugar, fruit and yeast. Light touch of red wine or port. Light warming alcohol presence. Pretty nice.

A solid beer, but slightly skunky. I’m not sure if that’s the beer or mishandling somewhere along the way. I got this in bottles that were shipped from a friend who can get the beer in his area. The skunkiness I caught was not all that overpowering, and just a hint. This beer has hardly any hoppiness and is dominated by yeast character, and I got a lot of citrusy notes. It had an awesome carbonation, I poured the beer and got half foam and had to wait to pour the rest. I loved the carb, almost as powerful as a champagne.

11.2 oz bottle.Poured dark golden amber, with a nice two inch head. Nice belgian nose with hints of yeast and banana. Very refreshing and very drinkable. Had a slightly bitter finish. Very solid beer.

On draught at Elfde Gebode. Pours a deep amber color with a thick white head and lace, along with fine bubbles. Effervescent with an even dry/sweet malty flavor and slight bitterness in the finish.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, effervescent, burnished gold body with a full, off-white head. Smell: Oh, what a stink! Aromatic scent of peaches, sliced melons, doughy malts, candi sugar, and a dash of booze. Taste: Pale malts and a candi sugar sweetness. A bit of toasted sourdough bread. A drizzle of fruity, tangy peach and melon juice. A decent pop of balancing bitterness. Slight peppery hints. Certainly more bitterness than I had expected on the dry, warming finish. Mouthfeel: A tad beyond medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation. Drinkability: Decent. It’s reasonably balanced and easy going for an 8% blonde.

*like it ok, would not buy* smell: mild berries, booze spicey zing, nannas. app: cloudy gold pee copper twing. flavor: smooth and creamy, lotsa frothy creamines, a hint of butter in it. not a lot of complexity. some pepper. not bad at all.. not that exciting but good. palate: fine.. to thick for the style. OA: good, not my kin folk but good. very easy to drink, no bad flavor. just bit bland. I like that it is not a banana shake.

Bottle + trappist glass. Pours pale orange with a white foamy head. Well carbonated and has a lingering bitterness in the aftertaste. I just found it lacking aroma’s and nose a bit.

Clear dark blond colour with solid retained head. Sweet candy aroma. Flavour is also on the sweet side with some peachy elements coming through.