Rochefort Trappistes 8

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

Dark brown with a huge, creamy head. The first I tasted was only 4 months old baby, the aroma was crisp with notes of roses, roasted malt and alcohol. The mouthfeel was rather carbonated. The flavour had roses, roasted malt, plum, raisin, pear, nuts, a bit of cinnamon, resin and alcohol. The finish had light bitterness and alcohol. Overall impression was a bit perfumed, but nice. The next was 24½ months old and the alcohol was still present - but not nearly as much and the prickly mouth feel was gone together with the perfumed notes. Aroma: fruit (apple among others), caramel, candy sugar and roasted malt. The flavour has notes of dark fruit, plum and others, roasted malt, caramel, nuts, sweetness and a nice citrus as counterweight and towards the end a bit of licorice or dark chocolate. Rounder, more mature, and still nice, but the baby also had it charms...

Hazy red-brown colour with a nice light brownish head. Sweet aroma of plum, alcohol, chocolate. Flavour is very complex with dark malts, caramel, chocolate, some spices. Strong tasty munk brew!

Very full bodied. Chocolate and coffee in the taste. Very hoppy and yeasty with a porto aroma and taste. Long hopbitter finish. Surprisingly dry and complex, inspite of its maltiness.

Bottle. Hazy red-brown color, Fruity aroma, wine tast, full body, alcohol finish. Something about this beer I don´t like.

A Mes rate: A damn fine beer. Stunned to find this was not on my rates list. Raisins and chocolate aroma. Glorious appearance. Almost black and opaque with a thick pillowy head that settles slowly to a decent covering that lasts until you drain the glass. Lots of lace as you would expect. Wonderfully full bodied and complex. Creamy and smooth with lots of dark fruits and more raisins and chocolate. Amazingly satisfying creamy finish which eventually turns bitter. Alcohol is hidden extremely well. MMM toffee and christmas pudding.

Pours muddy brown with slight beige head. Very fruity aroma and some chocolate. The taste is quite vinious, but sweet and full-bodied.
7/2/6/4/12 = 3.1

[new rating, 24.9.2009]
Very lovely deep red colour, small film head. Aroma is lightly buttery, fruity and caramel. High carbonation, nice frothy mouthfeel. Flavour is sweet, rather vinious, quite a lot of caramel, raisins and a good, earthy bitter hoppiness. Fine, but the 6 and the 10 are still far better.

Poured a dark reddish-brown with an average sized tan head. Some floaties. Aromas and tastes of raisins, spices, and apples (more in the taste). Alcohol well hidden. I haven’t met a beer brewed by monks that I haven’t liked!

(Bottle) Pours a mahogany body with a medium-sized beige head. Aroma and flavors of raisins, figs, nuts, chocolate, and spices.