Rochefort Trappistes 8

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

Bottle. As a fan of strong belgian ales, I looked forward to trying this beer. The beer pours a dark, cloudy brown with a thick tan head. Aromas of plum, chocolate and yeast dominate. The first swallow might be a bit of a shock, but the beer mellows to a slightly sweet, delicious ale that is perfect for slow, easy drinking with good friends and fine conversation.

Bottle at Pub Italia in Ottawa. Deep grape-like colour, with a slight beige head. Can only fault the head for not being as large as I expected. Otherwise a beauty. Excellent flowery nose. Intricate flavours rush the mouth as you taste. Floral grape, sweet malt, other assorted fruits, quite an incredible rush. Finishes surprisingly clean but ale-like. A wonderful experience.

33cl bottle from Systembolaget. A dark red/brown beer with a clear body and a good sized lasting head that matches the label. Streams of bubbles trail up the glass toward the surface. This is at this point in time probably the best aroma of any beer I’ve had. It’s simply amazing: raisins, cherries, grapes and yeast come leaping out at you, and then an extremely potent cotton candy/toffee aroma last till the very end. The flavor is not as complex, but is very inviting, with porty/winey character. It’s sweet, but not cloying, with very restrained bitterness. Maybe the best part is that its not to thick; a little syrupy, but overall finishes clean and easy. I would drink a few more of these if I could, which is dangerous considering the alcohol, which only makes itself known with a warming in the throat. This is an amazing beer.

bottle, bold, aromatic thick , palate pleasing, and just an outstanding product in all areas. one of my personel top 10

Dark Brown with a slight amber orange burnt colour when held to light. Strong, and sweet, with carmel and nutty notes, slightly hot.

Pours a dark caramel brown with slightly greenish tan highlights, lots of smallish tan yeast particulates and a 2 finger creamy tan head that has sort of poor retention. Aroma is caramel, plum, gorgonzola, cola, lemon, herbal and grassy hops. Flavor is caramel, toast, yeasty bread, plum, overripe oranges, white grapes, earthy moss like notes, grass, a little white teaand a touch of licorice. FInish is clean even though it is a little yeasty, comes off as slightly spicy and salty with an herbal hop character. Body is medium thickness, and slightly sweet with a fairly dry finish, hides 9.2%abv very well. My only possibly gripe about this beer is that it is slightly over carbonated, though without that it may be too thick and alcoholic. Fantastic stuff really.

Beautiful carmel head that lingers. Sweet plum with a slight orange spice . I really like this beer I cant wait to try the 10.

This was my birthday treat. Amazing. Layers and layers of flavor, chocolate, nuts, dried fruits, and a touch of licorice. Finishes with an alcohol tinged yeastiness. The finish is nice and long and very warming. Great for a cold night! Near perfect.