Rochefort Trappistes 8

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

Pours a reddish brown color, hazy and effervescent; plenty of co2 rolling up from the bottom. The head is light brown and creamy with a slippery lace and good retention. Aroma is of cookie dough, preserved fruits, spices, apples and raisins. Flavor is of rich fruits, caramel and a hint of alcohol with a sweet start with a peppery finish. Mouthfeel is full bodied, creamy and effervescent with a hop bite. A great well-rounded beer with world-class qualities.

0.33l bottle @ Tolkien’s House, Zagreb, odd broad La Trappe glass
Poured a very dark brown and murky body with a small creamy tanish head that went away fast. Lovely aroma: plums, figs, raisins, random fruit, liquorice, malt, some acidity. The taste isn’t worse. It started with distinct roastiness which was intertwined with a lovely banana taste. Gum candy could be felt, and dark malts, and some berry coated in brown sugar, even some lemon could be felt in the last few sips. EVen this lovely herbal yet fruity taste I identified in Orval as aloe vera is there. Alcohol is well hidden, and what little could be felt actually improved the taste. The aftertaste consisted of some odd roasty yet sweet caramel that stuck to introduce the hoppy bitterness which was rather incospicuous. Lovely stuff.

Fruity, herbal, sweet aroma. Fruity, sweet warm alcoholic taste with plums, raisin, caramell and roasted malt.

Bottled 33cl. A dark hazy brown beer with a huge creamy head. Strong carbonation. The nose includes rich fruits (berries, plums), some dark chocolate, toffee, spices. Wonderful, outstanding mouthfeel. Again fruits, chocolate and spices (cloves) in the taste. A strong licorice presence. Powerful alcoholic finish with a lingering licorice note. Excellent. In fact, I even prefer this beer to the rochefort 10. Note November 10 2007: "Heather, eucalyptus, figs and home made caramel. Some peanuts in the finish" How I perceive the nose after several samplings: Figs, licorice and home made caramel accompanied by tarragon and pineapple. Additional comment: Strong basil notes in the finish.

The color of raisins, it pours cloudy with a big sudsy off-white head. Aromas of malt, toast, dark fruit, blue cheese, chalk, earth and peat dominate a complex nose. Flavors are deep -- roasted malt, bread, ripe dark fruits, molasses, alcohol and herbs. Some sweetness from the malt and little hop bitterness, although the hop flavor is in there. Nice viscuous chewy mouthfeel. A wonderful warming and rewarding brew.

Trademark Trappist IMHO. Superior balance of the all the candy dish, raisin, cedary aromas and the the enticing carmelized brown sugar platform (not as a fermentable thought). For the abbot rather than the brothers. This bottle shows some rather refreshing hoppiness hand in hand with a slight spice. Rochefort being the only Trappist brewery to commercially release a beer spiced with anything, coriander here. As always, this beer is balanced and seamless from introduction on. The abv. strength is well hidden as the malt sweetness forms a velvet glove around a bourbon "sour mash," tanginess. Those with head problems should give warmer temperatures a try.

Freaking fantastic...better than I remembered the 10. Pour was dark brown with just beautiful pillowy head. Head was so nice that I took a break to put my daughters to bed, came back 10 min later and it was still there. Aroma just leapt out of the glass...plums, chocolate. The flavor was as rich and full as a quad, as light and crisp as a trippel. Plums, dark fruit, a touch of chocolate...yet strangely light and refreshing. Mouthfeel was thick, perfect level of carbonation. Truly great!

Pours golden brown with a light tan active head of medium bubbles. Little if any lace pattern on the glass as the head diminishes. Abundant very pleasant well balanced aroma of yeast, sweet maltiness and a subtle dark fruits. Flavor is nearly as intense than the aroma primarily of sweet malts, yeast and a gentle hop bitterness. A peasant tongue tingle from the carbonation and alcohol. The flavor finishes dry with no coating sensation and a slight hop bitterness diminishing to a gentle brown sugar sweetness. Very drinkable smooth, complex, satisfying flavor profile. A wonderful aroma essence in the back of the throat of alcohol, carbonation and malt. Wow, its at least 9.2% alcohol and definitely a beer for special occasions !