Achel 8 Blond

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

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

Bottle. Huge, creamy, white lasting head with good lacing. Sparkling, lightly cloudy yellow body. Sweet malt aroma of bread, cookie, caramel and grain, hop aroma of flowers and perfume, some honey and coriander. Full body, creamy texture and lively carbonation. The flavor is well balanced, moderate sweet and light/moderate bitter. A very good beer.

Pours a bit hazy, orange colour, an enormous foamy head that lasts long time. Taste is a combination of yeasty, earthy aromas, some spices, cinnamon, a hint of orange, crisp sweet edge, sometimes a kind of soapy feel. Large firm head. Leaves a bit dry feel to the mouth, nice hoppy bite. And really one hell of a head. Nice warming afterfeel.

33cl bottle from Vinmonopolet. Best before 2009-04-12. It poured a light golden colour with a big white creamy head that settled down very slowly in the glass. Aroma is yeast, hops, fruit and spices. The flavour is both sweet and bitter, but in a good way. Notes of hops, alcohol, spices, apples. It has a short aftertaste.

Hazy orange with a firm head and fine lacing. It’s a very lively beer with spice (coriander), fruits (oranges), perfume and yeast being dominant. The alcohol revales itself in the finish which is long and warming,

cloudy, orange color. not too much in the way of head. malty, sour flavor. not overly bitter.

Pours a merky golden color with the biggest white head, I think I have ever saw. Aroma of citrus, lemon, hint of yeast. Taste is creamy, spicy and banana. A good Trappist!

Bottle purchased at Crown Liquors #15, in Fishers, IN. Best by date of 7/06...oops. Pours a hazy orange-amber with a frothy whipping cream-like head that leaves delicate lace upon the glass. Quite pretty. On the pour, I’m hit with a beautiful aroma of bananas, which was totally unexpected. Yeasty, floral and fruity, the nose is light, delicate and quite clean. Light to medium-bodied with fine, creamy-soft carbonation and a fairly dry, yeasty finish. There is just a hint of alcohol on the exhale. The flavor on this beer is all about the yeast: fruity esters of pear, peach, and light banana with a mildly spicy note at the lightly dry, lingering finish. The aftertaste is just a tad phenolic, and I’m inclined to believe that this may be due it’s age. It is, however, quite nice up to that point. This a beer that I will definitely try again if I can find a fresher bottle. It’s pretty good a year and a half past its prime. So, I can only imagine that it’s even better fresh.