Rochefort Trappistes 8

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

Best before 13/11/07. Is it too early? Cloudy orangy brown. Big bubbles. Very high carbonization replenishes the head. Aroma of cinamon and nutmeg. Foams on the tongue with a baking soda like quality. Light cidery note. Alcohol tingles but is not overpowering. Overall I find it thin and simple and not very pleasing.

33cl botlte. cloudy caramelly brown, thick light brown head. sweet hoppy and well rounded aroma, like a good hoppy barley wine. flavor is sweet, strangely hoppy, bitter from alc. malts, sugar. dark fruits, nice, but not totally balanced, and not worthy a score of 4+ imo.

Bottle. Sweet cherry aroma. Dark brown color - opaque. Sweet cherry malt flavor with a slight alcohol burn. Hides its strength well.

Big, tan, creamy head, red-black opaque body, with some yeast sediment at the bottom. Subtle aroma of nameless spices, perhaps some anis, perhaps coriander. Very harmonic aroma, and surprisingly subdued. Powerful, dark, spicy taste of malts, coffee, and again spices; very complex, almost burns in the mouth, but still with some harmony. Very dry. Well, what I can say? Beer does not get much better than this. This has to be in the top ten.

In the 330 mL bottle at the 2006 Huber Haus Belgian Trappist Ale Tasting. The head has blue-green undertones in color. I kid you not. Dense muddy brown beer in color with the aforementioned off-white head. Buttery cake batter aroma. Doughy and chocolatey. Has a drying astringency to the flavor. Tart and candy sweetness are both present. This is a fun beer. The interesting sweetness seems separate from the finishing bitter bite and the ethanol burn.

(sampled at Akkurat, Stockholm, Sweden) Dark brown and hazy with a small white head. Aroma of pears, toffee and alcohol. Very malty, clean, smooth flavour with sweet notes of toffee and coffee. Notes of spices and tropical fruit. Long spicy and sweet finish. World-class.

This beer has one of the best aromas I have found. It is unusually complex and pleasant. The first aroma is port. Next is malt with dark fruit sweetness with some pear. The alcohol is there as well, but compliments rather than overwhelms the other aromas. I also perceive light wheat and coriander. The beer is very dark brown and cloudy; thick with sediment. The foam lasts a long time in a quarter-inch layer on top of the beer. Flavor is dominated by sweet malt. Hop presence is minor. There is also fruit and some wine, as well as wild game. The only negative about this beer is the alcohol level. It is completely hidden in the flavor and aroma, but so strong that it has a desensitizing effect on my tongue. Excellent.

Pours with a large, creamy, off-white head with a murky, dark brown body. Dark fruits (raisins and candied figs), belgian sugar, light floral hops, and light yeast on tap in the aroma (albeit the aroma is a bit weak). Some alcohol upon letting the beer come to temperature. Sheets of lacing down the glass, the head has great retention throught the entire length of the beer. Taste is nutty, sweet, and raisiny with the alcohol upfront. Creamy mouthfeel and lively carbonation.