Rochefort Trappistes 8

Brewed by Brasserie Rochefort
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Rochefort, Belgium

Bottle, Ale Cellar, Darlington. I’m somewhat surprised by the relative dearth of dissenting voices amidst the sea of universal acclaim which this basks in. Personally, I don’t think this is a patch on the 10. I can appreciate that there is quality here but its just lacking the complexity and depth of its big brother. It could be the licorice element which stands out a little too prominently for me - I’m not a fan of Licorice at all so points lost there. The slightly menthol/medicinal tang which I detected, also I’m not big on either. Its good, just a litle disappointing when compared to the 10.

330 ml bottle. Reddish-brown color, huge tan head. Slightly yeasty, medicinal aroma with alcohol and hops. Big taste with a touch of chocolate, herbal hops and warming alcohol and a glowing malty finish. Prickly carbonation, full body. Very complex and quite nice.

Rich burgundy color under a billowy, buff head. Warm alcohol nose, full of spice and dark berries, acrid and phenolic, sweet caramel. Mild toffee sweetness, smooth but full acidity, menthol and alcohol strong in the finish with an aftertaste of chocolate and licorice. Creamy, big and fluffy.

Decadent and a bit hot—I wonder if those phenols will fade.

33 cl bottle, best before 30 July 2013.

330ml bottle. Marked 300113, 08:02. Pours murky dark brown with a very fizzy head, virtually no head for that matter. Smells of malty sweet plum, nice, clean, sweet, slightly spicy. Tastes fruity sweet with some spicesand malty of course. Plum and some mint and spice. Medium body, fizzy carbonation.

Spicy aroma, the taste is fruit and caramel, very soft and complex. The little brother of rochefort 10 is lighter and easier but still not boring by any means. Too bad it is too expensive here to have on a regular basis as a session companion...

Stunning deep amber sedimented pour. Intense caramel start leading on to honey/ caramel/spicy middle and alcoholic and spiced finish. Lovely.

[Bottle] Gusher. Pours a murky brown with lots of floaties and a huge beige head. Aroma is very nice. Figs, raisins, caramel, and banana are some of the more prominent aromas. Thinner mouthfeel than its big brother, and flavor is a little lighter. Still a touch of alcohol in there. Plenty of dark fruits in the flavor, raisins, maybe some spices, and a nice earthiness. Lovin it.

Bottle. Poured a hazy, moat water brown/green color with a small off white head. Aroma of spices, raisins and dark fruit. Flavor was malty with candied sugar, spice and liquorice notes. Medium body with mild carbonation and a good mouthfeel.