Achel 8 Bruin

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

Pours burnt caramel with a meringue like fluffy, cream colored head. The nose is ruch and sweet with dried fruits, caramel and brown sugar. The flavor is quite the same with more fruit influence. Clean finish.

33cl bottle from Belgianshop. It poured a dark amber colour with a huge creamy white head that settled down very slowly in the glass. The aroma smells of dark fruits, roasted malts, caramel and alcohol. The flavour is dry and bitter, almost sour and tastes of alcohol, raisins and plum. It has a short aftertaste.

Bottle. Clear amber brown beer, thick rocky white head. Aroma of caramel, fruits and malts. Flavour is soft and smooth, soft caramel flavours, roasted malts with a nice balancing bitterness. Very nice.

A nice one for number 10, though I thought I would notice the alcohol less. So this is Christmas: pudding spice and stewed fruits in the nose, sweet yams and pumpkin pie in the mouth, the color of something very well roasted, a touch of sour in the finish. You know that part of the ham with the pineapple slice on it, how it’s all caramelized and sweet and rich? I think I’ll have another now.

A dark red, almost brown colored beer, with a nice beige foamed head. The aroma of caramel malts and some dried fruits. The taste of caramel, little chocolate. Fruits like chery and raisins. The aftertaste is a little bittersweet.

Bottle, Belgian Belly, Manchester. Must be 5 years since I last drank one of these, and it must have improved over the years, as this was far better than I remember it to be. Poured a murky, dirty chestnut brown colour with a superb lingering rocky beige head. Looked wonderful in the glass. Aroma had a slightly sour tinge with elements of wood, dark fruit and malts. Full bodied and creamy mouthfeel. Flavour was awesome, plum was very prominent, but more flavours opened up with each sip; with.cherry, nut, raisin, prune, malt caramel and some hop all making their presence felt. This is a tenderly crafted, complex and quite simply stonking beer from the monks.

pours deep brown with large, fast disappearing head. very malty, yeasty. some dark fruit, banana, spicy (yeast spicy, not spice spicy). very smooth and thick with flavor.

330 mL bottle. Pours slightly reddish brown with a small head. Aroma is sweet and sour, with apples, caramel, a bit of citrus hops. Flavor is caramel, dark fruit, a little banana and apple, a touch of hoppy bitterness. Very enjoyable flavor. Oddly, the bottle is dated with 7/2006 as the best by date, and I just bought this three days ago at Whole Foods Ann Arbor. Just now noticing the date on the label.