Rochefort Trappistes 8

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

Rating #600. Bottle best by 04 02 08. Sweet aroma with cherries, raisins, chocolates, and brown sugar malts. Scrumptious aroma. Pours a very hazy, mrky dark brown color with a gorgeous long lasting vanilla colored large head. Start is tangy and slightly sweet, turning into maltiness with significant choco-coffee notes in the middle. Roastiness to finish with some slight bitter hops in there as well. These monks suck at praying cause theyre too good at brewing.

11.24.04 33cl bottle before work, why not? Bottle dated 01.12.04 which I guess means ’drink by Dec 1, 04’? Whatever. Pours a beautiful mahoganey brown with medium, creamy head. I left the big chunks in the bottle this time, but I have four more bottles to experiment with later. Aroma is chewy and vinous, port wine, raisin and rum, infused dark fruits. Damn, this beer is all fruit and booze...I think I’m in love. Flavor is big and chocolatey and raisiny and deeply port-ish and luscious and more cocoa powder and hits of white pepper. At the instant of the sip, the body feels unfortunately wet, watery almost, with a graininess to the texture; but that all goes away as the beer settles and smooths out over the palate. Certainly not as soft as a quad, but still very nice, more refreshing. Alcohol is certianly present but never over steps its bounds. Monks rule.

Murky, cherry-mahogany body and a big, tight, uniform, velvety, beige head. Aroma was bitch-slapping me in the face during the pour. Aroma qualities include anise, soy, cinnamon, clove, fried bananas, molasses, leather, heavy musk, earth, and paint fumes. The smell is funky, intimidating and intoxicating. I love it. Flavors include chocolate, big fat ripe black cherries, figs, raisins, wood and varnish. The body is big, chewy and loaded with flavor and texture. This beer is downright native. I’m picturing a dilapidated old barn that houses wooden barrels filled with barley, sugar, hops, water, and yeast, churning away for several months until this murky, funky offensive, and fantastic concoction emerges. My favorite Trappist beer.

cloudy brown with a minimal white head. Alcohol and carop in the nose. Flat with some carbonation and a little rough around the edges. Maybe a bad bottle? Will have to rerate.

Aroma:dark fruit and brown sugar.... Appearance:Dark redish brown,light head... Flavor:caramel,dark fruit,light alcohol....

A heavy beer with an obvious alcohol presence which is not surprising when you consider its strength. Dark and inviting with a long lasting flavour. Cant wait to try the Rochefort 10!

Much like the 10 this beer dances spun sugar and raisin across the tounge mixed in with brandy soaked plum flavors. Every bit as intense as the 10, but less full bodied.

Bottle. Uncontrollably full head, no matter what I try. Laces gorgeously, is playfully fluffy, and is full enough...well, is full enough to bounce a few quarters. Pours a dark brown. Nose is sweetly malty, with dried fruit (mostly berry), yeast, spice, and caramel. Really, not <!-- i -->the<!-- /i --> most complex aroma in the world, but certainly among the most beautiful. Taste is otherworldly. Soft and lucious, slightly sweet, loooads of malt. Slight chocolate, more red berry. Strong spice is evident toward the end, as is the barely-there alcohol. Still, extremely full-bodied, a stream of oil amidst the cream. A hint of cloves. Soft and velvety. And there is even a nice hoppy swallow. Quite an experience! Kept my eyes closed for minutes afterwards, thinking about what I’d just tasted.