Rochefort Trappistes 10

Brewed by Brasserie Rochefort
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Rochefort, Belgium

Pours a dark, chocolate (almost black) with a lovely head. Maple, black cherries, and pears on the nose. Prunes, molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, raisins, oak, and alcohol with a round, sweet, and lingering perfection. Subtle, distinct, diverse, and sweet. As the glass warms, so does the body.

330 mL bottle from Whole Foods in Hillcrest (San Diego, CA). Pours into Chimay goblet a brown color with plum highlights. The downright noisy effervescence produces a large fluffy tan head which is quickly reduced to a thin layer. Good alcohol (bourbon?), light yeast, wood, sweet grains, dark fruits, and other stuff are present in this very complex aroma. The flavor is equally complex with wood, sweet syrup, brown sugar, raisin, light chocolate, a certain "vegetable" quality, and a host of other flavors that are hard to pin down. A little bit on the sweet side, but far far from cloying and well balanced with a small amount of bitterness. Very smooth and the high alcohol is well hidden except for that warming sensation. I almost feel like I’m still too amateur a beer drinker/rater to properly experience this very highly praised beer.

Bottle 33 cl. Apperance; Dark brown with a nice rocky but small lightbrown head. Nice fruity, dried fruits, sweet malty. Flavor; Sweet malty, fruits and alcohol(almost too much). F... too cold, I’ll wait few min. Aha, much better flavor! Less alcohol flavor, more and more taste! Plum and dark grapes.

Small bottle. Dark brown, hazy colour. Cloudy small beige head. The aroma is extremely complex. Coffee, toffee and more sweet stuff. Taste sticky oil with liqurice. Very foramy, long bitterness in the finish.

Bottle form Joe’s Place. Color was muddy brown w/ a cream head. Aroma was of cinnamon and caramel. Flavor was with cherry, bown sugar, and caramel. Drinkable beer on oaccasions!

Dark beer, strong full taste. First time taste is too strong. Second time drinking, taste is better. Third time you want more...

Bottle. A complex mixture that certainly lived up to its reputation. Alcohol is not apparent when tasted, and the carbonation is perfectly balanced. Full aroma with the taste of black plums, hints of carmel and an accent of dry white grape. It’s a pleasure to savour slowly. . . and thoughtfully.

Bottle drink by 12/31/13, so it is only about six months old. Very dark but still translucent, with a thin but persistent white head. A lot of fizz but feels soft. Very rich and very long tasting ale. Dark fruits, chocolate cake, anise. The booze does come through and warms the ribcage. Haven’t tasted it side by side with R8 to see which I prefer.