Maredsous 8

Clear dark red/ light brown with huge head. Light sweet dark fruit aroma and taste. Decent amount of yeast flavors. Good, but just doesn’t grab me like many dark belgians. Comes off a bit thin and almost watered down. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this....but just not at the top of the tier.

very dark red pour, nice big head. aroma and flavour are similar, nice and spicy, but also yeasty. overall nice, hide the 8% very well.

Pours dark red, very little head. Aroma is malty and raisiny. Flavor is sweet and a tad like burnt candy, but balanced with significant hop bitterness for an abbey ale. Finish has a strong alcohol kick.

Far behind in my ratings I tasted this alongside the forgettable Blonde around 9 months ago, so luckily I took some good notes.
It pours a wonderful shade of deepest ruby that shimmers in the light like a fine Merlot. The body emanates viscosity and depth, the carbonation minute and streaming in fine lines up to the 2" crown above that held all rocky and dense, frosting over the glass as it ebbed. Rich, savoury and sweet fruits on the nose, typically forest-cake-like, a nice mellowing waft yielding some ripe berries, raisins and sultanas, figs and peppery, sherryish alcohol with just a touch of biscuity, doughy malts to make it thick. In the mouth it doesn’t disappoint. Rich and flavoursome, big fruity and malty palate. Nice creamy, liqueurish mix of body, the carbonation light and unhindering. Burnt bitter and savoury fruit strike at layers of chocolaty malts and a toffeeish sweetness which lies well defined upfront. Yeasty, dry woodiness and smoke hidden underneath the flavour lingers long in the aftertaste as does some more burnt fruit and phenolic, spicy alcohol which adds a nice warmth to the swallow. It is long, velvety down the back. The flavour amplifies as it warms, not one to be tasted cold. It is not the most complex of beers but the fantastic balance of flavour and aroma is undeniable. The best Belgian I have tasted in a good year. A nice Dubbel. (33cL, BBE 05/07, The Beer Store Morley)

Impenetrably ruby pour with a creamy tan head. More than a hint of toasted sesame nuttiness in the nose. Yes, that’s it. I’ve hit the nail. Luxuriously creamy palate. Roasty but not sweet like most Brunes or Dubbels of its ilk. Sourish, nutty and drily woody. Another appealingly savoury brew from the boys at Maredsous.

Nice deep brown color topped with a darkish tan head. I could smell a sugary maltiness, though I thought it was rather faint. Good, sweet Belgian maltiness/yeastiness, tastes of raisin, plum, and spice. An alcohol aftertaste which is very nice. No detectable hops. Fingers of foam remained on the side of the glass throughout. Good Belgian lace.

Pours a dark ruby-brown with a small, white head. Appears clear and well carbonated. Aroma is sweet, maybe raisns, definitely sweet, a little chocolate. Body is non-descript, sweet malt, a touch of yeast. Warming alcohol finish. Average.

Clear dark amber with a medium sized rocky off-white head, very lacy and fine looking. Aroma is quite light and dry, with chocolate and a slight sweet phenol. The body is plain, dry and fizzy, flavours of ashtray, metal and cocoa. The alcohol was missing for some strange reason, I wondered if I was actually drinking Maredsous 8. An ordinary beer.