Achel 8 Blond

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

straw color with a enormous foamy rocky white head and lots of yeast solids floating about. yeasty, spicy, and citrus aroma but mostly a lemony citrus from this one. yeast, sugar, and spices in flavor. light to medium bodied. malty, bready finish.

Best by 01/08/07. Murky gold. Full of chunks even with a cm of beer left in the bottle. Ginormous, rocky, white head. Aroma of spicy, peppery yeast, grainy malt, a bit of sharply sweet sugar, crisp hops. Same flavor with the yeast developing some doughy notes and a nice grainy malt/alcohol finish. Medium/full body. Balanced carbonation. Chewy aftertaste. Great stuff. Another brew that begs the question - why is there no belgian blonde category?

(03.09.06) 11.2 fl oz brown bottle purchased from DiCarlo’s, Mundelein, IL. 8% ABV. Label states that best consumed before 08/03. Pours golden yellow with small white head. Soft carbonation. Fruity esters in the nose. Medium bodied ale that starts with moderate malt sweetness with spicy and tangy fruity flavors. Finishes dry with light malt fade. Good flavor. Good drinkable Belgium ale.

Cloudy gold, medium off white rocky head. Had some flocculent yeast particles floating around, and I poured it pretty carefully.Wonderful citrus and yeast aroma. Medium mouthfeel, slightly resinous but quite pleasant. Ligthly sweet malt flavors, with lemon, spice, and a a slight sourness overall. Finishes a little sour, not actually dry or bitter, but nicely refreshing.

Bottle / Achel glass from Tolkien’s House Pub in Zagreb.
Poured a dark gold/orange colour, with a tiny but persistent white head. Lovely fresh hoppy, lemony, malty and fruity nose. Hmm.... I peered in the bottle, and it seems that this is bottle conditioned. A nice bit of yeast sediment down there. The taste is certainly insteresting. The background is, surprisingly hoppy, but hops don’t dominate, and neither does the malt. Yeast "owns" this one. The taste is... oooh... some fruity malt from time to time, ash & dust (in the most positive way possible), yeast. Grape seed bitterness in the late taste and into the aftertaste. Very, very, interesting and different. Not sure if everyone’d like it, but I do, in a way.

Bottle fromm Oakes. Poursa cloudy orange with a thick long lasting white head. Lots of carbonation in this one. This is my first trappist beer and I don’t kow where to start describing it other than to say this is one great beer. There is a lot of spice in the aroma and yeast in the taste, I guess this is the Belgium yeast I hear people talking about. I can taste the alcohol but not as much as I would expect from an 8% beer. I believe there is also some fruit in there but I would not hazard a guess at what it is. It is one of the best beers I have ever had.

Bottled. Slightly hazy, yellow-orange beer. Large, off-white head. Sweet, spicey and hoppy aroma. Sweet, tripel-like and fruity flavor, with a long bitter finish that has some resin-notes too. (060210)

My least favorite of theTrappists. Overwhelming orange zest and some type of herb. Maybe oregano. Strong spice as well. A good beer, but I just don’t think it stands as well as the other Trappists.