Achel 8 Bruin

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

(Bottle) Dark copper colour with huge beige head leaving thick traces of lacing. Malty, herbal, peppery nose with toasty notes of chocolate, toffee, caramel and dried fruit. Malty, spicy, slightly vinous taste with notes of caramel, toffee, chocolate and spicy hops in the finish. Smooth mouthfeel, rather dry, with a certain alcohol bite coming through in the finish. Very enjoyable.

2006 bottle. Deep ruby brown pour with a characteristic Belgian tall frothy head. Sweet and slightly sour aroma. with notes of toffee, a bit of brett character, some cherry and raspberry hints, and a fair amount of spiciness. Flavor is quite fruity, not the usual dark fruit in most Belgian strong ales but more of a red fruit flavor (strawberry and raspberry comes to mind). Light notes of candi sugar, bubblegum and brett sourness linger in the finish. Body is medium to full with a soft carbonation and nice smooth texture.

Sampled at a blind abbey dubbel tasting hosted by tennisjoel on 4-14-07, along with eight other beers. This was the second beer that we tasted. It finished in fourth place in my rankings, but it was fifth place in the group rankings. Originally poured from an 11.2 oz. bottle. The overwhelming winner of the night was ’t Smisje Dubbel, with Corsendonk Pater finishing a strong if distant second. <P>Aroma of sweet fruit (apple, pear, banana), bubblegum, skittles, and a hint of lemon. Smells like a good hefeweizen. Pours a rich, relatively opaque red with sporadic bubbles and a small amount of beige head. The flavor, like the aroma, is wheat-beer-like, featuring many of the elements that are found in the aroma. It is subdued but pleasant and does not stand out as much as the aroma. Chocolate taste present. Hops noticeable though not strong. Fairly low in carbonation for a Belgian but still sharp on the palate.

Belgian beer festival Brussels 2006: damned nice! One of the top brews I sampled

Freebie bottle @ Bierodrome. Deep amber with a thick malty off white head. Earthy, spicy aroma of malt and hops - slightly metallic. Alcohol is apparent. Taste of orange peel, malt, yeast and hops. Spicy and belly warming.

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a tulip glass, deep ruby red with a huge tan head. Aroma was light and fruity. The taste was hard to describe, thick, creamy mouthfeel, well carbonated and a bit dry. Nothing I could discern stood out, but it was still fairly pleasing.

nice pour into a chimay glass... the first glass that I have unpacked... murky brown pour with a 1 inch head. The flavors include brown sugar, yeast, and very faint fruit notes. The carbonation and dark malt make the finish creamy and delightful. This is one of my favorite trappists.

Wonderfully aromatic pour, huge, frothy white head, very nice, and much too long in coming. Color is a muddy, turbid brown, got some sediment in there. Flavor is darkly strong, but very good in terms of caramel content - i.e., not too sweet. Long finish, twisting aftertaste, wonderful!