Rochefort Trappistes 8

Brewed by Brasserie Rochefort
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Rochefort, Belgium

Pours a nice reddish amber color with an enormous head that leaves plenty of lace. The aroma is floral and earthy with notes of cherries, some nuts, and some sweet chocolaty malt. There really isn’t as much to say about the aroma of this one as I found to say about the other two, but the beer is damn pungent and everything is so clearly defined and pleasant that this one smells damn near perfect. The flavor is dry, far drier than the aroma lets on, I was expecting a far fruitier and sweeter beer so at first the alcohol presence seemed a bit overwhelming but after a few sips it seems to perfectly balance a lot of other things that are going on in the flavor here. The beer is summed up pretty well in three words fruity, nutty, and earthy. To be more specific on the fruit though there are certainly the sort of expected dry/dark plum and raisin type fruit things going on but there are some rich almost pie cherry like notes in there as well along with some apple. I’m not getting any pear which is a bit of a disappointment as the pear notes were one of the coolest things about the Rochefort 6, but I suppose they make three different beers for a reason right? There are of course the rich earthy tones that work well with a cavendish like tobacco flavor and the lighter chocolate tones. Another work of absolute art from Rochefort.

Aroma is somewhat toasty and fruity, perhaps plum. Very complex and appetizing. Fairly dark and cloudy in color, head is dark and creamy. Taste is spectacularly complex. Starts with a fruity, plum note. Finishes with a peppery warm flavor that ends with a hint of the 9.2% alcohol, but not overpowering. Full bodied with a complex finish. Highly Recommended!

I thought that the 9.2% ABV would pack quite a punch, but it is surprisingly smooth and delicious. The color is dark brown and the flavor has dried fruits and malts. Pretty damn good.

Chilled but not cold in a pint glass. The aroma and taste are complex with both spicy and sweet tones. I get a lot of plums, toffee, and candied fruit right away with rich pepper /spice at the finish. Strangely, very little yeasty taste and the citrus make it much brighter than expected. The level of carbonation is about right and the mouth feel and warming are great. There is a lot of sediment (more than expected) and some mild resin taste but overall its a very nice beer. EDIT: Had it too cold the first time. This one really opens up after it warms some. The aroma grows and the taste becomes even more complex. So I recommend this one slightly chilled.

Complex Aroma, very fruity. Perhaps plum. Pours with a thick, creamy head. Dark brown colouring with a cloudy apearance. Suprisingly light flavour considering the hue, notes of roasted toffee and pepper. Very warming when swallowed.

Bottle: Deep maroon with a brownish hue and a thick creamy tan head. Toasted rich aroma- toffee notes, dates, fig, plummy and warming. A bit too carbonated- thins out the body. Not as creamy as the 10. A touch peppery at the fore followed by plummy toffee-like richness. The malt depth leads to a toasted dark Belgian malt note and peppery alcohol/spicy phenolics follow. Not bad, just not as cohesive and silky on the palate as anticipated.