Achel 8 Bruin

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Bottle gushed poured a brown with amber edges and a huge off white head. Aroma is dark fruit, green apple, pear. Flavor is sweet malt again with the green apple and pear notes. Light spiciness, and a semi sweet finish.

Bottle. A - Dark ruby chestnut with a slightly above average sized, bubbly and foamy off-white head. Good retention and a thick foamy layer of lacing with lacing sticking to the side of the glass. S - Ripe apple and caramel are quiet strong. Toasted malt and spices are also pretty strong. Also a fair amount of dark fruit and candi sugar with a hint of yeast. Pretty typical Dubbel smell, with a slight hint of warming alcohol present too. T - Dark fruit and dark malt bring up a lot of the flavor. Some toasted bread and barley along with caramel and a very slight hint of chocolate provide a base along with raisin and some date and fig. A touch of hoppiness comes out mid sip along with some spice and yeast. Not the most complex, but well balanced, smooth and fairly rich. M - Medium body with moderate carbonation. Very smooth and rich and a bit creamy. D - Nice drinkability. The alcohol is very well hidden and it is smooth and well balanced. Just complex enough to keep it interesting, and it is pretty easy on the palate. Overall a very enjoyable drink. Notes: A nice beer and good example of a Dubbel. A touch thin and doesn’t have that much in complexity of flavor, but it is an enjoyable beer to sip. Not amazing, although it does look very nice, but a solid beer. You could probably find Dubbels with a better value, and it isn’t my favorite Trappist beer, but it is definitely worth a try.

33cL bottle, Trappist Tasting at Joe T.’s. Pours a hazy, cola-brown color; thin, off-white head with patchy retention and lacing. There’s something almost like acetaldehyde / green apple here, which seems quite strange for this class of beer; seems to gradually fade with time, as one might expect; sharp white pepper, cloves, and honey mixed with dark fruits; a core sweetness, but seemingly balanced overall. Medium-full body; average to slightly lively carbonation; creamy, touch of astringency (sharp cloves, pepper) and very light alcohol; creamy, fluffy texture; brown sugar, cloves, and some warming honey notes; creamy, slightly fizzy abbey dubbel, but tasty. The aroma is kind of disarming, honestly. Lasting finish of cloves, white pepper, and brown sugar / caramel; lightly dry and crisp.

Courtesy of Blazer06. Pours deep clear gold with impressive white head. The aroma is full of sweet fruitiness coming from red and sweet green apples, peaches and pears as well as vague sweetness presumably coming from malts. The taste is similar with rich sweet fruitiness as noted in the nose as well as being supported by a thin layer of malt to sugary sweetness.

Bottle. Dark reddish brown with a creamy beige head. Nose of caramel, berry, plum and sugar. The flavour is caramel, dark fruits and light spice. Sweet mouthfeel. Stewed fruit in the finish with a subtle warmth from the alcohol. Lacks the complexity of the other Trappist brews.

Deep brown with red glow, large tanned head. Aroma of fruits, raisin, floral hops, liquorice and spices. Flavour is some bitterness with raisin and liquorice, some sweet fruit. Very nice beer.

Pours brown with an airy light brown head. Aroma is sweet malts with surprisingly little strength and flavor is much of the same. Not bad in any way but quite unimpressive. Very drinkable for a 8% though.

Cloudy, brown beer with medium and beige head. Aroma is quite complex, syrup and roasted malts nicely balanced, dark fruits and some wheatish sourness and spicyness. Flavour is full of dark fruits, lot of bananas and yeast. Medium bodied with high carbotion, overally nice and not too heavy to drink. Balanced, complex, high-quality and enjoyable trappist!