Rochefort Trappistes 8

Pours dark brown with a light brown head. Sweet aroma of malt, toffee, dried fruit and spices. Pleasant complex flavours of malts, spices and dark fruits. The alcohol is hidden well. Warm and bitter finish. This is a sensational beer.

Bottle from Binnys in Willowbrook, IL. Pour produced a opaque nut-brown body with loads of sediment. Hints of alcohol in the nose, along with some dried fruit. Heavy mouthfeel, with a sweetness that fortells the alcohol warmness at the end. Palate is fruity with caramel notes, followed by faint, bitter aftertaste. As for the alcohol, it is evident, though not annoyingly so. I think this is fine, and will keep you through a winter night, though I guess I set my expectations too high.

Bottle from Sandbar, Manchester. Dark opaque mahogany colour, so dense that light doesn’t penetrate, with a thin coffee coloured head. Aroma only hints at the alcohol and is mainly rich fruit - figs, raisins and a touch of banana. Huge flavours - figs and raisins again, apricot and mango with chocolate and muscovado maltiness all overlain with a lovely touch of vanilla. A subtle touch of spice comes through in the long finish. Wonderfully smooth on the palate, the creamy smoothness completely masks the high alcohol content. A beautiful experience and is far from overshadowed by its big brother.

Silky smooth. Creamy head settles and lasts throughout. Alcohol hidden well. The fruit flavours are rich, intense and delicious. Luvvly Jubbly.

Bottle. Somehow I never rated it until now even though it is one of my favorites. Pours with a brown color and a medium head. Aromas of mainly dark fruit and prunes or figs. Flavor is very nutty, with caramel. Nice medium body with just the right carbonation. Wonderful beer, goes excellent wiht strong cheeses.

(Bottle) Flawed sample though the the bb date is sometime in 2012. Pours brown with rough head. Aroma is caramel and flavour ditto with some alcohol. Sadlly Nothing more.

Murky brown cloured beer with some yeast particles floating. The head medium sized, firm and beige in colour. The aroma.. Where would i begin? It´s vinous, sweet like a port. Almost wine gum-like. Definately there are fruits: I found at least apricot and prunes. Lovely vanilla scent is clear when this gets warmer. Less nutty in the finish than the big brother, but there still is some. There´s plenty of malts, maybe honey and a floral and slightly spicy hopping. And some alcohol. The flavor is sweetish from malts but not like caramel, but more like ripe fruits. The finish is long and bitterish with balancing fruitness and some spices. The alcohol is present all the way but its fits the picture. The palate is medium to full bodied, smooth like silk and a bit sticky in the finish. Aclohol is totally absent, which make it also deviously easy to drink. R8 is a very rich, complex and tasty beer without being too hard or mysterious.

Pours a dark murky brown with some floaties this time. Slight boozy flavor but not overpowering. I wish I didnt have a cold because it is really effecting my senses. Dark fruits, raisin plum, caramel and malt. Relatively mild for 9.2 ABV.