Maredsous 8 Brune

Brewed by Duvel Moortgat
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass

UPDATED: JUN 6, 2010 First rating
(33 cl bottle at The Rover, Göteborg)
Clear dark brown color, lasting fluffy tan head. Fresh minty and fruity scent with some roasted tones. Sweet chocolate and sugary sirup taste with lots of fruit and some yeast. Smooth mouthfeel and medium bitterness. Roasted aftertaste. This bottle has probably been aged quite a bit. Nice!
8/4/7/4/15=3.8

Second rating
(At a blind tasting)
Clear reddish-brown color, tan head. Acidic, a bit sweet, phenolic, alcohol scent. Malty, phenolic, dry wood, alcohol taste. Phenolic smoke aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel. Low bitterness.
6/4/7/4/14=3.5

I like the aged one better.

Combined rating:
7/4/7/4/14=3.6

New rerate
Big bottle, probably from 2003, thanks to rlgk!
On June 5, 2010
Dark brown color, tan head. Dirt cellar, sweet, spicy, berry scent. Lactic, alcohol, roasted taste. Smooth mouthfeel, low bitterness.
8/4/7/4/16=3.9

Pours an extremely dark amber with a huge head. Smell is sweet in the typical fashion. Flavor is good with an even flow rolling over your tongue. I got a quick hit of alcohol on the start which faded when the flavor body hit me, and then the alcohol came back at the end. Overall very easily drinkable.

THOUGHTS: The cork just about jumped off of this bottle. I spent more time waiting for the head to go down than I did drinking it. Goes down easy. Flavor and aroma got way better as it warmed. Nice, but both the aroma and flavor seemed a little muted. Good, but could be incredible it it didn’t seem muted, but I would have this again. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark redish brown with a huge, foamy, off-white head that just about fully lasted and left excellent lacing. You could see the head building from the bottom as it shrank from the top. The aroma, which was nice, but weak, was moderate carmel malt, light yeast, brown sugar, a little alcohol, some bourbon and almost a liqour smell. The initial vlavor was moderately sweet, while the finish was heavily sweet and a little sour with a short duration. The dominant flavor was caramel and a slight bit of bourbon. It was also a little metallic. It was kind of like watery beer poured into whiskey. The mdium body was a little dry, but somewhat watery with extremely fizzy carbonation.

9/29/08 On draught at the Taphouse, Bellevue, Wa. Aroma is roasty and slightly alcoholic with a slight roasty sulphur tone. Appearance is very cloudy brown with a well maintained cream colored head and excellent lacing. flavor is surprisingly simple but good. It’s all malt, soft, with a very low tangy roast bittering and candilike sweetness. Mouthfeel is medium/full bodied with a light spritzy carb feel and medium/high warmth. Overall, a very easy drinking big Belgian strong; I have to recommend this to anyone trying to enjoy Belgians but finding themselves always overwhelmed by phenolics and sourness.

750 ml. bottle...very fizzy, flavors of dates, chocolate, apples; a fair amount of head, which was off-white in color. Aroma was very pleasing at first but smelled foul once the glass was empty. Still, it did not detract from what was a most enjoyable dark Belgian.

2009 vintage on draft at Beer Run in Charlottesville, VA. Pours a clear vibrant ruby color with a medium frothy tan head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma of berries, toffee, brown sugar. The taste is cherries, berries and a toffeeish finish. A bit of bread and yeast as well. Medium-full bodied.

Ruby-red / brown colour, off-white head. Lots of fruits in the aroma. Flavours: fruits (plums, raisin), caramel. Very balanced beer. Long aftertaste.

On tap @ Volcano, Houston. Dark mahogany with minimal head. Could not detect much aroma. Sweet tropical and dark fruit with warm alcohol. Very Nice.