Achel 8 Bruin

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

The beer pours a nebulous deep brown color, the head portly in size, frothy in structure, the color a light tan with the residual lace a nice coating upon the glass. Nose is a bit plummish, sweet malt, fresh and pleasant to the senses with a sweet malt start and the top middling in its feel to the palate. Finish is stingingly acidic, the hops purposeful in their spicy bite, quite dry aftertaste and a nice warming sensation from the relatively high ABV, Quite a drinkable beer, and much better than the blond.

This fresh and fruity beer is really fantastic. It really stimulates my tong and gives me a lovely feeling in my tummy. The best beer I ever drunk!

Bottle 33cl. Aged this bottle for almost 2 years before drinking it. Pours a dark brown/reddish colour with a good size head and little carbonation. Smell is very fruity and present. Very fresh and fruity aroma that is very present and pleasant, excellent subtleness to the nose. Taste is absolutely magical, I would almost dare say that this tops the westy 12, has a lovely sweet and bitter fresh fruity taste to it and has a nice mouthfilling texture and goes down like a charm and leaves just the most gentle bit of alcohol burn in your throat, but just the right amount to not cause you to experience this as pain. Besides from the appearance, overall I would really rate this beer better than a westy 12 and rochefort 10, this is much much better than I was expecting and I recommend to everyone to age this a couple years (mine was baught in the summer of 2007). My bottle was, according to the label, valid until the 23rd of March of 2009, so a couple months overdate, but WOW.

Excellent, long-lasting frothy head--actually probably the best example of the style in this respect. This isn’t sugared-up, as some reviews (rather confusingly) assert. Pretty damned near perfect. Grossly underrated, too. I’d take this over a Rochefort 8, even, and that’s saying quite a lot.

A great trappist I enjoyed while visiting Brugge, Belgium. A resident of Brugge suggested I try this after seeing me enjoying a Chimay, A wonderful dark and malty brew with "woody" aftertones. Great brew.

Mmmm.. What a wonderful beer this is!! Pours a dark ruby / mahogany into the glass with a off-white head that dissipates rather quickly but clings to the glass throughout drinking producing a beautiful lacing down the glass. Aroma of fruits, mainly raisins and prunes but with a hint of apples. Malt and fruit in taste with a hint of alcohol (the alcohol is well concealed in this one). Must get some more of this!! Absolutely wonderful!!

Superb -- a proper ale indeed. Choose/buy/drink it without any hesitation whatsoever.

I do not like to rate based upon only one sample, but I think that this is perhaps one of the finest Belgians available. Huge, complex berry fruit in the nose and tons more as you sip. Incredibly this has also an almmost Rochefort-like restraint. Tremendous.