Rochefort Trappistes 8

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

11.2 oz. pours a very murky dark brown with a huge off white head. Aroma is dark fruit, sweet malts, some chocolate perhaps, and woody. (rochefort 10 has a much more intense aroma) Taste is chocolate, plums, raisins, yeast, and almost dirt (earthyness) in a good way.

First sip is bitter and hides a lot of the flavor. The aftertaste is where the complex taste comes out. Malty grain and caramel combo works great together. Worth the try... search this one out.

The head on this pour was monstrous. I poured as gently as I could, and still filled more than two glasses. Aromas of dark fruits and molasses. Flavors of the same with some alcohol touches. Seemed that I tasted the alcohol more in the 8 than I did in the 10, may just be a faulty memory chip. Excellent Trappist ale.

Sampled from bottle: pours a murky brown colour with a medium sized beige head. Aroma is pleasent, raisins, fig newtons, black cherries and soft chocolate malt. Mouthfeel is creamy, rich, with soft noticeable alcohol taste running along the palate. Flavors are semi sweet, caramel malt, dark fruit and soft spice.

Bottle, at home. Brown with light brown head, unfiltered, almost lasting, good lacings. Aroma moderate to heavy malty (caramel, brown fruit), moderate hoppy, light yeasty. Flavor moderate to heavy sweet, moderate bitter, long duration. Medium to full body, creamy, soft carbonated. Moderate to heavy alcoholic.

Deep brown, thick foamy khaki colored head (great lacing left behind). Rich caramelized plum and chocolate cherry aromas layer on soft molasses and warm golden raisin tones. Dark fruit and musty brown sugar flavors balance over hints of red licorice. Rounds outs well with nice herbal-like finish. Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation throughout. A very good brew for sipping anytime...

Over-carbonated (likely due to bottle conditioning), cidery brown appearance. My expectations were initially skewed for this one as I thought this was the Abbey Dubbel version (Roch. 6). Aroma begins feintly yeasty and malty , and stronger aromas never really develop. Mildly fusely flavor with winy yeasty notes and twinge of yeast sourness on finish. Lacks the complexity I would expect and desire of a beer of this style, though otherwise, this is a very good Belgian Strong Ale. Well crafted--especially considering the knock-you-over-the-head alcohol content!

Darn fascinating. Nice cloudy auburn, head was sticky but thin and didn’t hang around too long. Nose is musty and sour, but can also detect hints of sweetness and cola. Flavor is sort of three-pronged, starting with a brandy-burn alcohol kick, a bit metallic and overnoticeable. The kick increases as it warms. At the swallow, this one seemed plenty malty and rich, with nutty cream that had lots of plum, cherries, and peppermint candies. As it’s swallowed and the flavor lengthens, the finish becomes long and toasty with a lingering sweetness of apples and pears, with a final smack of smokiness and faint chocolate. Very complex, worthy of the Trappist label, but I do with the alcohol was a mite more muted--has a bit too much burn to it.