Achel 8 Bruin

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

A very nice pour indeed. Heavy brown ale with a fine head. Very malty with a fruity finish. Good carbonation seems to be a trait of Belgian Ales and this one is no exception. Greatly recommended Belgian Ale.

Pours dark and heavy with a thick foamy head. The aroma is so heavy with malt, that I expect a sweet heavy beer. The beer is very heavy, with a slight sweetness. The flavor of raisins and dried fruit dominate the flavor. The finish is long and a bit cloying.

33cl bottle. Hazy, chunky brown color. Thick tan head. Fruity aroma...fig, banana, phenol spice hinting at perfumey flowers...mouthfeel is light & somewhat spritzy...dry-ish...raisins & dough...yeasty beer, and enjoyable for that reason...

11.2 oz bottle. Pours mahagony with a tall foamy-fizzy tan head, lasting with sticky lacing. Aroma is alcohol, vinous, oak, yeast (earth, mold, cellar), malt (straw) and perfumey hop notes. Moderately acidic, alcohol burn, faint sweetness, medium bitter, finish is vinous and dry. Warm and full bodied, fizzy and dry palate.

Bottle. Like the rest, dragged all the way back from Belgium to Leipzig, and no worse for wear. Beautiful moderately cloudy rubeous pour and thick off-white head. Achel really has the beautiful beer thing down. Sweetish malty aroma with a trace of fruitiness and alcohol, but by no means overpowering. Alcohol shines through less than in the blonde, and that’s to this brew’s favor. Still warming, though. Fruity, cascading with berries, but principally dry. Medium spicing, medium-bodied, sweet and malty. Quite subtler than the blonde, and mildly sweeter, though still not cloying. Were it half as strong, could drink this daily.

Cloudy, brown pour with off-white, thin head. Strong, yeasty aroma with notes of raisins and citrus. The flavor was less sweet than I anticipated based on the aroma and yielded a bitter aftertaste. Still, there were notes of orange and fruits below a yeasty, earthy mustiness. Medium body and slightly dry finish. Nice.

Very decent, w/ a rounded detailed malty profile that is not too sweet. Plummy dry fruit and brown sugar. I found this bottle perhaps a bit ’stunned’ from long bar-fridge storage, a bit constricted in the aroma, and the Blonde I’d had previously opened up a large bouquet of so many more aromas. Under-appreciated Trappists from Achel! ==slight re-rate== had it again, this beer MUST warm up considerably but then the aromas & flavors are really there. Order it with a pint of something else & let the Achel bottle stand 20 minutes! (+ 1 flavor + 1 aroma + 1 overall.)

Bottle sampled with Stegosaurus. Pours cloudy orang\brown with a beige head. Aroma of spices, fruit, caramel, and yeast. Flavor is alcohol, fruit, citrus, carbonation, sweet and yeast.