Rochefort Trappistes 8

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

(3/17/08) Bottle at Gollem in Amsterdam. Dark brown color with a medium off-white head. Aroma of malt and dark fruits. Sweet and fruity flavor with some caramel, yeast, spices and a bit of alcohol in the finish. Medium to full body.

Clear chesnut color with a loose white head. Sweet, fresh fruity/bready yeast aromas, some spice, pear, a hint of nuttiness. Mouthfeel is extremely smooth. The taste is a balanced blend of dark spice and fruity Belgian yeast and malt. This beer is remarkable in that it’s mouthfeel is so smooth and low-key for a 9.2% beer, and there is little alcohol detectable tastewise. Excellent.

Pours a cloudy apple cider brown with a thick off-white head. Vibrant aroma of ripe dark fruits, pear and earthiness. Flavor of plums, raisins, apple, yeast, caramel, roasted and toasted malt, brown sugar, yeast and a nice twinge of alcohol. Pleasantly sweet, moderate hop bitterness. Medium body, starts off with lively carbonation then it calms down a lot as it warms. Great head retention. Really nice stuff.

Bottle 0,33l. Clear colden colour - deep brown and unclear when stirred. Heavy sedimented. A white creamy head. The "champagne" feeling af a strong belgian beer. A rich complex aroma. Sweet sourish flavour leaving you with a lasting bitter aftertaste where you notice the strength. A bit too carbonated.

Murky brown cloudy body topped with a thick and lasting beige foamy head. Lively carbonation remains until you finish your glass. Robust malty nose with dark cherries, yeasty hints that hides the alcohol almost perfectly. Taste is superbly balanced, surprisingly smooth, and pretty complex (malt, hops, cherries, apples, yeast, spices). Ends with a long and warming finish. Lovely beer!

[Rated 1.16.08] Dark mahagany pour with fine head. Wonderful nutty aroma of cookie dough and a tiny bit of vinegar. I see why some people like this the best of the three. More flavor than the 6 but a little more mellow than the 10. The flavors dont seem to be as deep and complex as the 10 but are still very good. Lots of sweet and dry nuts, spicy malt, and I do taste a little plum in the finish. Extremely airy body, slightly sticky finish. Fine carbonation keeps it light and tingly but not too extreme. Hides the alcohol a lot better than the 10 also. 9.5.9.5.18 [Rerated 3.15.09] So for a mere 1.25 Euro I received a 15cl pour of this at ZBF, who could pass that up? Unfortunately, everyone who tasted it thought it was quite off, a sugary mess, obviously very young, so this begs for a rerate. From bottle, pours a clear glowing reddish brown that is way too dark to see thru with a small thick fizzy dense patchy froth. Fantastic aroma, quite rich and doughy, dark fruits, bitter and yeasty draws parallels to the westy. First taste is very dry with a touch of alcohol, bitter, then sweet and nutty. This is quite fantastic and I’m glad what I tasted at ZBF was not completely representative. Flavor again has similarities to the westy 8. As is warms flavors become nearly burnt toffee, candi sugar, alcohol blends nicely, nutty, doughy, with a bitter dark fruit plum yeasty finish, almost licorice. A tad too much alcohol and flavors maybe too subdued. Full mouthful, medium/full body with sharp abundant medium fluffy carbonation, a bit too airy at first but then it settles down. I’m starting to think that I actually like the 6 the best??? oy (I have a few aging so maybe it’ll make its way back into my top 10 in good time) 9.5.9.4.17

11.2 oz bottle. Poured a medium brown with lots of suspended particles floating around and a huge light brown head, to many suspended particles to get a 5 for app. Aroma is complex with a good malt base, Belgian yeastiness, lots of sweetness, raisins, dark fruit and candied fruit as well. Palate is excellent with just the right amount of carbonation and ever so slight alcohol warming on the back of your throat. Flavor has a nice sweet finish compared to spiciness that I’m used to Belgians displaying. Great beer.

Bottle courtesy of BückDich. Hazy reddish orange pour. Smell is weak at best. Has banana musk with light elements. Some other fruits. Taste is a dry bitter. No fruit on the flavor. This is actually extremely disappointing. Chemical cleaner or bad Lubbock water. WTF.