Achel 8 Blond

Brewed by Brouwerij der Trappistenabdij De Achelse Kluis
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Hamont-Achel, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Picked this up down in North Carolina. Reviewed from notes. Pours a nice very light orange with a good white head and a pretty large number of lace rings. Nose brings forward some spice, sweetness, light fruits, and a bit of pear. Taste brings in a bit of booze along with spice and light grain. Good, fairly-light mouthfeel with some alcohol heat. Drinks quite well, although not nearly as good as the Westmalle. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 10-20-2010

Bottle at House of Brews. Pours clear golden, small frothy head that leaves some fine Belgian Lace. Aromas of yeast, apples, raisins. Flavor is yeasty, bready, some apple and pear. Nice balance of yeast, malt, and hop flavors. Long complex finish, typical of trappist ales, firm and bitter but quickly dissipates to malty sweetness, with some spice and dried fruit. Not a bad trappist, but not the best either.

Bottle 330ml @ home
[Trade by Dedollewaitor] Pours clear golden with a white head. Aroma has notes of fruits, yeast and malt. Taste is light sweet with a kick of alcohol. Body is medium, texture is thin to oily, carbonation is soft.

330 ml bottle in Germany Pours a cloudy orange with a thick long lasting beige head. Lots of carbonation in this one. There is a lot of spice in the aroma and yeast in the taste, I believe there is also some fruit in there but I would not hazard a guess at what it is. Palate is very smooth for this type of beer. Very well done!

04/03/2011 - 33cl bottle @ home - BB: 22/06/12 (2011-76)

Little cloudy dark golden to orange beer, white creamy head, stable and adhesive. Aroma: citrus fruits, fruity, some malts. MF: lots of carbon, medium to full body. Taste: fruity, hops, citrus, some ginger. Aftertaste: little malty, more citrus, a medium dry finish making you wanting more.

Bottle from SB cons 2011-02-03 Göteborg (lost notes) We are talking about honey cloud whit big bone white wee bubble high but quicklt dimishing head. There are loads of foam banana, brown banana and of course yeast there.

Aroma is wheat, belgian yeast, spices. Taste is big body, creamy, fresh wheat (wit), dry, bitter and malty all at the same time. Very complex blonde beer.

33cl bottle. I can’t believe I’m more than 3,000 beers in without having tried this classic. Here goes. The pour yields a mostly clear, glowing, pure golden body with the slightest possible haze. Fine streams of micro-bubbles effervesce towards the surface, feeding a smooth, billowing head of everlasting, eggshell tinted foam. Though it shrinks to a thin, dense film, the foam never fully subsides, and it leaves beautiful, thick walls of sheety lacing all over the glass. The nose is incredibly well balanced. Lightly sweet, doughy malt forms the baseline, accompanied by notes of blonde candy, chiffon, and creamy yeast. Lemony fruit esters rise up, lending a nice sharpness, while white pepper gives some dusty spice. Grassy hops are surprisingly potent, a nice counterpoint to all that comes before them. Flavors follow suit, based in candy and rising, sugary bread dough. Lightly peppery, lemony and grassy hops add much needed balance, keeping things in check. There’s a dash of bitter, spicy coriander, which lends a bit of a tripel-like feel. The palate is smooth and lightly effervescent, which lends a bit of a creamy feel up front. It rolls effortlessly across the tongue, drinking easy for an 8% brew. Finishing long, there is a bit of residual sugar that seems weighty, but otherwise the mouthfeel is quite nice. Very fin blonde Belgian overall. There’s a good reason why this one is a classic.