Achel 8 Blond

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

Tap at Abbey. Pours with a hzay yellow color and not much of a head. Beer needs to warm up to get the aromas and flavors. The aroma is dominated by bananas and lemons, the flavors are also very much of banana but in addition there is strong yeastiness. Very nice beer.

Bottle at home. Hazy light amber color. Giant creamy white head that faded away quickly. Some lacing remained. Fruity aroma. Taste is great, mouthful is tick and lasting. Very good beer.

Bottle. Cloudy yellow gold body with a lot of sediment and a towering fluffy white head - think meringue. Aroma is sweet with yeast, peaches and pears, some lemon. Flavor is more subtle but similar. Body seems a bit fizzy to me.

Clear amber body, creamy white head, some laces; Pleasant deep nose, not to fresh (maybe my bottle?): yeast, white bread, coriander seeds, orange and a little fresh potato (?); Soft textured body, deep and complex with a superb balance; Quit long finish, with alcohol showing quite a bit, orange peel, quite a bit if bitterness waaay back almost on the sides of the tongue that sticks for a while mixed with a very little fruity acidity.

Bottle. Pours a very pretty honey / apple juice yellow with a big creamy white head. Seriously, its like a cappuccino head. Incredibly fragrant, I could smell this like 2 feet away after I poured it. Sweet pear, non dairy creamer, malt all very heavy in the aroma. Flavor much more muted than the aroma. Very malty, lots of apple, yogurt (?), and some sort of metallic flavor. Like brass (I don’t know if if have ever tasted brass, but...). After taste mostly metallic and red apple kin bitter. Not bad, but not great. Mouth feel on the other hand is great, nice and thick (ever present head helps) and creamy, with lots of carbonation. One of the most exciting thing about this Trappist ale is what it does not have: that rotten fruit taste and spell many Trappist ales area cursed with. In comparison, this one is lighter, more refreshing, and just easier to drink than most. Why are most of these Belgian beers so difficult anyway? This is a great beer.

Pours bright hazy gold into a tulip. Bright white frothy ocean-foam head. Fizzy with upfront spicy lemon with a lasting bitter finish.

Pours a chunky blond with a LARGE white head. Aroma of yeast, lemon, and bananas. Taste is the same. Unique mouthfeel, I can’t quite describe it. Finish is sweet.

Cold 11.2oz bottle: Pours a murky egg yolk orange color with mega floaties and a fluffy ivory head that dissipates to a thin layer of bubbles and alot of lacing. Aroma is of sharp yeast, sweet malts, alcohol, spice and lemon. Taste is subtle and nicely blended; of sweet malt, sharp yeast, lemon, spice, light bitterness and less noticeable alcohol in the taste versus the aroma. Well carbonated. Ending is mostly sweet with light bitterness and sour notes.