Rochefort Trappistes 8

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

So one good eight should be followed by another. First the Westy and now this. The presentation is beautiful. Really. Great copper brown body with a great billowy head. The nose has a real vanilla hit with a pleasant mellow chocolate coated plum. Once again, a bit harsh in the first instance but this settles well. While doing this rating I looked back at the one for the 10 and found that it rated highly but there was a concern about the monstrous 11.3% of that one. At the ABV of this one it certainly is a monster too, but a little bit more manageable. Truly delightful beer that once again demonstrates that there must be a God. Just a technical point BTW ratebeer, this is 9.2% not 9.3%, even the picture shows this.

Niiiice. Pours a murky brown wit ha decent-sized half-inch off white head that fades relatively quickly into a creamy film. Fruity malty aroma, maybe asome raisins and a floral hop undertone. Deep, rich flavor of malt, subtle roasted notes ... slight citric acidity in the bittersweet finish. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel with a slight astringent quality and a touch of alcohol warmth. very, very good.

33 cl bottle. Served in Westmalle goblet. Pours an opaque reddish brown. Impressive, lasting, tan head. The aroma is fabulous: heavily malty, very spicy, deliciously fruity, slightly alcoholic. The flavor is amazing: tons of malt, fruit, spices (some pepper). Very rounded and very, very complex. Warming finish. Full, soft mouthfeel. Good drinkability.

Murky brown orange. Nice long lasting off-white head. Lacing is outstanding. Aroma is alcohol, currant, and bread. Flavor is sweet with a good dose of alcohol. Not quite as complex as the 10 but still very nice. Sweet syrupy body and aftertaste. Alcohol really develops in the aftertaste then the true complexity of the flavors really come out.

Bottle pours a deep garnet color with several inches of head and very sticky lace. The aroma is yeasty, fruity, and sort of cheesy. The flavor is very bread like, sweet, malty, caramel, and some bitterness. I do not taste the alcohol. The palate is quite rich. Overall, this is a very fine beer.

Pours a tall and foamy light tan head on a hazy dark amber colored body. Aroma is sweet fruity with notes of berries, apricot, nut and chocolate. Flavor is sweet and smooth and very complex. Plum, raisins etc. An excellent beer though thinner and not as good as Rochefort 10!

Poured a cloudy brown with a huge billowing and long lasting head. The aroma is full of old fruit, yeast, and milk chocolate. The taste is nice, smooth as silk, and blending sour fruit, apple, honey, and malt. It is warming throughout, but masked and not in a way that really stands out. Very nice.

bbd082906: Pours with a nice, frothy, head; chaw-spit colour and pungient aromas: alcohol, licorice, oak, cheese, shoe-repair shop....that’s just strange....; the flavor is very rich, nutty, alcoholic, definite notes of raisins and dates; a bit sour on the palate; some slight coriander spice and maybe black forest cake coming though; this is a brew like no other. Not quite as I recall drinking it from the proper glass in Haarlem......but still, amazing!