Rochefort Trappistes 8

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

[554-20070823] 330mL (06/09/11). Mouldy fruit plum bread aroma with dank cellar wood notes and medium alcohol. Clear, dark red amber body with a medium-lasting foamy off-white head. Mostly dull fruity bread and woodsy dark raisin malt flavour with hints of chocolate. Dull medium-full body is a little dry. Very interesting combination of senses.

Bottle @ Pub Italia, Ottawa. Hazy, cloudy dark brown pour. Alcohol and sweet caramel aroma. Small long lasting head. Crispy mouthfeel, yet lots of malt "substance" - assertive. Complex sweet flavours with sharp hop bite at the end. This beer releases more flavours as it warms, one of the more remarkable I’ve ever tried in this sense, as hints of molasses, and chewy toffee emerge. And this is all with hardly any hint of the substantial alcohol. Fantastic.

Bottle: Great chocolate berry aroma with slight hints of yeast. Pours a orangish-brown with no transparency, lots of sediment, and a moderate tan head that lasts a minute or so. Loaded with lots of dark fruits up front. Moderate chocolate in the middle with hints of caramel. Light yeastiness and light alcohol in the finish with some slight warmth. I prefer this over the 10.

Bottle: Murky brown, dark, large beige head settles quickly, lively carbonation, enjoyable lacing.   Chocolate malt aroma, lightly spiced, with notes of dark pitted fruit and very soft apple skin.   Bready start, spicey, slight phenols, warming, with a touch of chocolate malt.   Very smooth, not terribly thick, but a well hidden ABV.   Spices, traces of dark pitted fruit and apple skin on the finish.   Tasty!

Appearance: Pours a lively, clear, reddish-brown body topped by a large, off-white head. Smell: Lightly spiced aroma with notes of caramel, breadcrusts, six flowers, dried fruits, a bit of booze, and freshly brewed white tea. Taste: Flavors of toasted bread and sweet carmael with brown sugar-coated bananas and a hint of dried cherries. Savory yeast character. Slight bitterness, but it’s generally on the sweet side throughout. Toasty finish with a hint of that warming booze. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. After some fizzing, after some fussing, it settles to a medium carbonation. Drinkability: This is a very good beer, I won’t lie to you.

Thanks Chuck! Best by July 21st, 2009. Pours to a hazy reddish-brown color. The head is thin and white. Slight lacing. The aroma is huge. Oakey, tobacco, Belgian yeast, dark fruits. The flavor on this one is quite similar to the aroma. Much better than the disparity in the Rochefort 6 (between the aroma and flavor), but there still is some.

Great aroma. Sweet and deep musky fruits. Raisins, figs, plums, and oak. Complex and vapory, with vanilla and brown sugar. Ruby brown opaque, not quite cloudy until final pour. Head is light foamy tan that lasts and laces. Palate is smooth, moderately heavy body and light, vibrant carb. Taste is vapory alcohol, sweet and musky. Vanilla, oak, rum, raisins & plums. Slightly watery taste - compared to RT10, but well-balanced. Finish is light sweet and a bit bitter, with slight bitter after. Not cloying on the tongue at all, though nutty after remains.

A fermented fruit aroma along with a good dose of alcohol on the nose. Body had a caramel color with small head. Sediment found on bottom of glass. Flavor had a mild fruit brandy flavor at first. By the middle was more of an alcohol punch that warmed body. At the end a wheat, grain flavor. Flavor is definently complex. Alchol is somewhat to harsh at times but the different mix of flavor makes up for it on the palate. Good top 50 beer.