Rochefort Trappistes 10

Brewed by Brasserie Rochefort
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Rochefort, Belgium

330ml brown bottle. Poured dark brown and cloudy. Tan head lasts forever, smooth and creamy with many fine beads. Aroma is rich and fruity - raisins and a touch of alcohol. Lots of intenese flavours come together here. Fruit, caramel, some spice, dark chocolate and alcohol were all present. Superb choice for beer #100, thanks to OkBeer for providing me with this.

330ml bottle. This poured out a cloudy brown color with reddish highlights. It had a decent sized tan head that quickly dropped to a coated of bubbles that left subtle lace around the glass as it was consumed. There was quite a bit of sediment left in the bottle after the pour as well. The aroma smells of malt sweetness, various fruits and a bit of an herbal earthy tone to it. There is also a couple of notes spiciness to the scent and a couple of other smells that were not identified. Leading the way in the taste is a fruity sweetness that is also accompanied by a doughy malt flavor and slight bit of spice. It has a bit of a dry finish and a buttery taste going on as well. Very refreshing to sip on this warm day and no trace of alcohol anywhere. Mouthfeel is rich and about medium to full in body. It goes down very easy and is a very balanced beer. A truly all around excellent beer, highly recommended to anyone. With the many complexities to this I will defiantly be having many more of these in the future.

Second Review: Pours a dark opaque brown with a thick, creamy, tan head. The head dwindles and leaves lacing that is thick and clingy; CO2 only visible along the edge of the head. Aroma is malty, roasted, spicy and some hints bubblegum. The flavors are sweet, roasted, fruit, spicy. Sweet start with a tart middle and a dry finish. Mouthfeel is full bodied, smooth and effervescent. A definite warming presence of alcohol. A great beer with a lot of character; complex but not overpowering. Well-balanced and intense without being over the top. First Review: Presentation: 33cl brown bottle with freshness date of 26/08/08 Deep brown color a light brown head with signs of light carbonation. The head diminished to a fine layer quickly leaving a nice band of lace around the glass. Aroma is initially astringent and wine like, but more complex smells and flavors emerge as the beer warms: fruity bubblegum notes, dried fruits and caramel and an earthy background. Flavor is complex and full: sweet fruity and caramel start with a quick tart middle and a lingering tangy hop finish. Mouthfeel is full bodied and syrupy with an alcohol finish and a surprising amount of effervescence.

Dark brown colour with a tan thickish bubly head. Strong earty scent with some chocolat and banan. Fairly thick but smooth to drink. Very faint taste of alcohol smothered pleasantly in dark spice and chocolate motes. Aftertaste is mixed in flavour but very pleasant. Amazing overall.

Tan colored head. Malt and cherries mixed with spices. I didn’t see what beer was poured before tasting this. Once I saw the bottle I realized this IS a fantastic beer, even without it’s reputation. My notes read "beautiful". Extremely smooth and balanced.

Nectar of the Gods. The aroma is wonderfully complex...dark and fruity. Taste is just as complex and wonderful: fruit, hoppy, sweet chocolate, alcohol, and some other tasty things going on I can’t identify. Outstanding. The best beer I’ve ever had.

I’ll start off first by saying that I am partial to rich, complex, full-bodied beers. I crave layers. I want dimension. I want to be able to look into every corner of the beer and find something worthy of mentioning. To me, the difference between a craft beer and a world-class beer is that a while a craft beer may be an excellent example of a particular style, and therefore enjoyable cum that particular style, a world-class beer is an oeuvre on the palate that can provide the culinary depth of an entire meal in one quaff. All this to say, Rochefort 10 is such a beer. From the deep mahagony color (dare I say it reminded me of buffed koa wood from Hawaii?), one expects that the malt should shine through, and from the nose one waits to taste spices of all different kinds. One is not disappointed. The first thing that I noticed in this beer is how well the brewer has stood up to the formidable 11% alcohol content; unfortunately most high-alcohol beers will have the experience of ethanol in center state, as the lead singer, with the rest of the flavors singing backup, however Rochefort 10 is in control of the alcohol content and uses it to strong advantage. There are of course raisin tones, and plums, but factor in the chocolate and you have gourmet Raisinettes. The tastes have a matte finish, rather than glossy; everything is balanced and textured rather than bright and zinging. More tastes follow - muted strawberries, ripe banana, and of course a highly pleasureable layered maltiness. At first drink I was tempted to say that the finish was dry, but it wasn’t. It was clean, as if it were purposeful. One gets the sense that everything is in its place, nothing is an accident. This is a wonderful beer, practiced and perfected.

Dark brown color, with creamy, persistent and adherent foam. The aroma, very complex, it is intense, attractive and elegant, with notes of chocolate, fruit (plums) and malt. In mouth it departs very strong, powerful, alcoholic for then to perfectly pass to an endless of tastes all amalgamate. The body is well structured. The long end, dry, spicy and bitterish. Bottle purchased to Messancy (Belgium) to 1,60 Euro. Divine delight.