Rochefort Trappistes 10

Bottle into chalice. Pours a murky, rich dark purplish-brown, with a magnificent, pillowy two-finger khaki head on top. The head reduces to a thick, creamy khaki cap that leaves substantial lacing. Very nice. Nose is hard to get a grip on - nutty, bit of cocoa, primarily brown sugar, spicy dark fruit, and doughy yeast. What’s there is fantastic. Taste is full, rich, complex, and yet perfectly in sync with itself, if that makes sense. Notes of cocoa and spiced brown sugar, raisins and dates, doughy, spicy yeast, with a mild earthy bitterness coming out to join the fray right before the finish. Finish is sweet, spicy, yeast with some sweet raisin notes. Fairly short finish, warming, just a bit of alcohol underneath. Subtle but big in flavor, all while being very approachable. Mouthfeel is creamy and fluffy, perfectly executed, full mouthfeel without being syrupy. Almost no hint of the alcohol in this one. Even at 11%, I’d have no problem drinking several bottles of this. Masterful.

Bottle from Binny’s on Clark. 100913 on the label, presumably a best by date. Not sure why I waited so damn long, probably because I always see it sitting there, just like Orval. Pours a deep, dark brown with a dissipating sticking off-beige head. Nose is pretty complex, vinous and roasty. Chocolate comes through, as does a certain rum quality. Also smells oaky, for some reason. Very roasty nose, though. Taste is almost a bourbon bomb, with nice dark plum and prune flavors, as well as obvious vinous notes and chocolate. Very deep and intensely flavored. Rich with a slight tang. Completely different from Westy 12 and a very one of a kind type of beer. Tasty.

This one is rated high by so many for good reason. It is very good. But the one I tasted was definitely not the best beer I have ever had as so many have claimed. It is quite possible that the bottle I got my hands on was damaged goods and not representative of the quality that is usually found. To test this theory I will gladly try another (or two) to be sure. There was definitely more sediment in this bottle than I have seen in any other beer; not sure if that indicates a problem or is normal for this particular beer. That said, I did really enjoy it just not as much as some other Belgians most notably Chimay Blue which I had just one day later. For the sake of all those who have rated this a perfect 5 I will be revisiting this one soon.

330 mL into trappist glass. Pours a dark hazy brown with yeast floaties and a thick, brown head that sticks around. Loads of carbonation. Aroma is all around with some cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, black cherries, plums, raisins, slight coffee, yeast, and alcohol. Taste is bubbly up front but then becomes super creamy with all the flavors mentioned above cascading at once ending finally with a dark earthy, oaken finish. 11+% is dangerously well hidden with not too much warming. I’m sad because I have now reached the top of the beer world and everything is down hill from here.

Bottled (0,33) 2008. Colour is dark brown and clear. Head dissappears fast, but there’s a bit less carbon than in Rochefort 8. Flavor has dark elements, such as raisin, alcohol and something fruitylike. Taste is very full, but aftertaste is suprisingly short. Flavors include cognac, chocolate, alcohol, raisin and even vegetables. This taste is simply something to remember and leaving this trappist to age few more year will most likely bring up new sides from it.

bottle from grape and gourmet poured into a snifter. pours a very fizzy dark brown with hints of ruby and a fluffy, thick beige head. aroma is amazingly complex with scents of sweet dark fruits including currants, black cherry, plum, and raisin with hints of cinnamon, coriander, and banana backed by a touch of alcohol. the aroma really develops as this beer warms. the flavor follows the great complexity of the aroma with almost too many flavors to name but plum, cherry, citrus, and spices come to the forefront. as the beer opened, i picked up flavors of red apple, nutmeg, and cinnamon with some red wine and a slightly oaked/bourbon flavor. all the flavors were in great balance and developed throughout the beer. palate was lively with high carbonation but was extremely smooth with a slight hint of alcohol and a long lasting fruit based finish. definitely a world class beer.

Pours a dark brown with a very nice tan head. Strong aroma of fruit and hops. Very strong and complex taste of dried fruit and spices, yet perfectly balanced. Great aftertaste that lingers long after the beer is gone. One of the finest beers in the world, in my opinion.

AWESOME BEER! Pours dark brown with head so great you would think it came from a stripper (zing!). Sweet, fruity aroma and complex taste with strong alcohol at the finish. Flavors of caramel, candi sugar, raisins, dates, overripe berries, yeast, and alcohol. Killer full mouthfeel. Bums you out when it’s finished.