Rochefort Trappistes 8

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

popped this open when i saw i needed a 200th beer to rate. let warm from fridge and noticed that when the head settled, settlement observed reminded me of nutmeg on eggnog. aroma is of deep fruit and spice, seems similar to the ’10’. taste was smooth, complex, warming alcohol finish. can someone in the states please replicate what these monks have been creating!

Hazy brown with a huge tan head that hung around seemingly forever, thickly lacing the glass. Aroma seems to be tart fruit with a hint of sourness. The flavor is a sweet malt with just a hint of alcohol taste coming through, considering it is 9.2%. There is a little chocolate caramel hint in the aftertaste. Excellent!

This beer was outrageously good. It was so smooth and beautiful in its brown pour with a good amount of head. I could have this beer for dessert.

A dark, cloudy, brown coloured beer, with orange-red flashes in the light, topped with a strong, thick, off-white head. A strong perfumed nose, slightly soapy, but with plenty of dark fruit aromas. The taste is sour, again slightly perfumed, definately floral, rose petal and violet, then sweet fruit flavours, with is accompanied by a strong alcoholic kick that gives a spiciness to the sour finish. (Bottle - purchased from The Beers of Europe, Setchey, Norfolk £1.89 a bottle).

I let this beer cool outside during the evening untill it approached about 55 degrees using my digital thermometer, and gently poured into my Chimay glass, the head was light brown and slowly reduced over the next several minutes, it had a pleasing floral arrangement with notes of barly and malt. The tightly carbonated bubbles danced across my tongue and mouth, it was almost prickly, it had a great start with light cream and chocolate notes and finished with a rich espresso like taste with out the acidity. What a bold and delicious beer well worth the 5 dollars a bottle.

Bottle, 330ml. A dark brown colour pour with a good head. A nice sweet floral hop aroma with malt, peach, pear and a little spice. Taste is exceedingly malty, with chocolate, cinnamon, bread and pear. Alcohol is noticeable but not overwhelming. A fairly sweet, malty finish. Fairly high carbonation. Really tasty.

Bought in Dec 05, drank in August 06 - no worries about this being an old, irrelevant beer review, It will be constantly updated. I’ve got a dozen of these suckers cellared. Looks like rootbeer. Has a 1/4", very thick tan head. Excellent 360 degree lacing. Tons of muck and a good amount of granual like sediment. The aroma is awesome. Intense spice, dates, burnt sugar, soft liquid banana flavouring, I swear I can smell candied orange rind. Don’t drink it yet...keep smelling...ahhhh. It just keeps changing. So very comples. The 8 has an amazing blend and balance of the spice and fruit. Tasty yeast and seems almost meaty. THere is a good ammount of alcohol along with the caramel, licorice, plum or date, oranges (weak).... I think that’s it. Incredibly smooth and full bodied. The harsh spice seems to turn soft - soft harsh spice that has turned soft, sweet and chewy yeasty stuff. Mild but lengthy aftertaste that has left my mouth soft. How many times did I type ’soft’? Hard bitter last sip with all that sediment that ended up getting a bit sour. The last bit of mud at the bottom of my glass after the final pour of the remaining sediment gave it a murky brown / orange colour. Hello heavan.

Pours a murky looking brown with a light brown head. Smell is fruit and spice. Had a sip or two while it was still cold and left it alone for 15 minutes for the flavor to come out. Some fruity sweetness at first and then a nutty flavor, walnuts maybe. A pleasing bitterness follows ending cleanly with the warmth of the wonderfully hidden alcohol. My best belgian to date.